Djibouti Hotel Tips by janiebaxter

Kempinski Palace: 5 Star Luxury

The Kempinski Palace is the only 5 star hotel in Djibouti and is very luxurious. It is about 10 minutes drive from the airport overlooking the port.
We stayed at the beginning of our trip and at the end so got to know the place fairly well. The rooms are very good - spacious with good quality furniture and very big beds. Bathrooms are excellent too. Our second room was a junior suite and the bathroom was really big and grand – I wanted to spend much more time in there. Both rooms had good views of the sea.
There is a dive centre, which we didn't use, located at the end of a walkway that stretches from the poolside to the end beach and the hotel has it own small man made beach.
The hotel has all the facilities you would expect of a 5 star. There are 3 restaurants. Lac Assal is the main restaurant and all the food is buffet. We didn’t try either the Tentazioni Italian, as it looked too formal and was very expensive or the beach restaurant.
There are a few bars. We preferred the Arabic style Sky Bar as you can sit outside and look at the Port lights and the Sea. The main lobby bar has live (not very good) music and is very busy so we only went once as the service is slow. The café bar serves coffee, tea and other soft drinks as well as snacks and pastries and overlooks the pool. The spa bar is at the guest only swimming pool. By the main pool there is a swim up bar which is very popular with day guests who are mainly military personnel and their families. This one gets very lively at times.
Both pools are a good size and pleasant to swim in. There is a fitness centre and spa by the guests only pool.
The rooms have internet access but I believe this doesn’t work so well, and there is a business centre next to the coffee shop.
Staff are very efficient and friendly.
The only criticism is the layout. The hotel is only has 3 floors so it is very spread out. It can take 20 minutes to walk from the room to the fitness centre. And the corridors seem endless.

Address: Ilot du Heron, PO Box 1960

Comparison: more expensive than average

Phone: 253 32555 5

Price: US$180 and up

Theme: Hotel

Website: http://www.kempinski.com/en/djibouti

MY Deli Live Aboard: MY Deli - Boating with Benny Hill

We stayed for 6 nights on the dive boat MY Deli. It takes 12 people in 6 cabins.
The trip departs from Port Peche and is based around The Gulf of Tadjoura, Arta Ghoubet al Kharab and Mucha areas. See separate tips for each area.
The cabins are quite small as I expected and as the boat is quite old and built in the traditional style it is not as luxurious (I am told) as some of the dive boats in the Caribbean or Egypt. The bathroom is very small with toilet, basin and shower and guests are encouraged to conserve water by only having one shower a day. As there is no air conditioning (never bothers me, of course!) the cabins get quite stuffy so most people spend most of their time on the deck or in the small dining room just below deck.
There are 6 staff – the dive master, second in command, cook, boat mechanic and two guys in charge of the 2 satellite boats which are used for whale watching and diving trips and going ashore.
The daily itinerary varies depending on whether it is the season for whale sharks. It was when we went –
6.45 wake up call, coffee and biscuits
7.30 dive or snorkelling trip
9.00 breakfast
10.30 whale shark trip
1.00 lunch
2.00 whale shark trip
4.00 dive or snorkel
6.30 night dive
The dive master holds a briefing before each dive/snorkel or whale watching trip to advise on what to see and where and safety precautions or currents. Each time we had a whale shark briefing the tune from “The Benny Hill Show” (An old British comedy show from the 1960’s) was played on the music system which always made us laugh. Every time I hear it now I will think of whale sharks!
The food on the MY Deli was quite good and was included in the cost of the trip, along with water. I expected more fresh fish. We had fish caught by the crew 3 times, also chicken, pasta and sausages quite a lot! The vegetables were very nice all the time and the pot of chocolate “Nutella” at breakfast was very popular after being in the sea! Drinks cost €2 for soft drinks, €3 for beer and €4 for spirits. The only other expense is a tip for the staff, €35 recommended, and hire of diving equipment if you don’t have it.
There is electricity on deck for charging cameras but limited sockets so you need to get there quick when your battery runs low.
The MY Deli is operated by Dolphin Excursions.

Unique Qualities: During the Whale Shark season you have the best chance of seeing them from a Live Aboard.

Comparison: less expensive than average

Theme: Other

Website: http://dolphinexcursions.free.fr