Senegal
Near the lagoon, Le Cormoran is a friendly and welcoming spot with simple but decent rooms (concrete bungalows), all with air-con and mosquito nets. There…
Must-see hotels in West Africa
Gabon
This lodge has five wooden bungalows with six double rooms in a garden set on the lagoon. It attracts game fishermen from all over the world, but there's…
Senegal
In the village of Djifer, Sangomar has pleasant bungalows made of native materials that are set amid eucalyptus and palms and front on to a calm beach …
Cabo Verde
In a colonial building opposite the main church, Beiramar has a handful of simply furnished rooms. The upstairs rooms are quite spacious and open onto a…
Mindelo
This friendly, long-running hotel makes a decent base camp, with modern, reasonably priced lodging, but take a look at a few rooms as some are a bit…
Accra
The hosts go out of their way to make travellers welcome at this lovely budget set-up in the quiet suburb of Darkuman. Rooms have private bathrooms, TV…
Senegal
A welcome addition to Tomba, Brasari is a compact property on the main highway through town, with rooms set in freestanding round buildings. Each has…
Brazzaville
A well-kept and imposing hotel that towers above much of busy Poto-Poto neighbourhood, the Hotel Africa is an oasis of calm and clean. Standard rooms are…
Mindelo
Set in a cheery yellow building on a hill above the ferry dock, Residencial Jenny is a friendly place with well-maintained modern rooms and helpful staff…
Ghana
A great-value place that's popular with volunteers and aid workers, Clinton Lodge offers simple rooms with verandas, and good food – both Western and…
Cabo Verde
A very welcoming family-run spot in the Cidade Velha, this place has clean, bright, but simply furnished rooms, the best of which have sea views. It also…
Campement Villageois d'Elinkine
Casamance
In a palm-dotted setting fronting a sandy beach, this ideally located spot has simple, en suite bungalows and a welcoming restaurant (CFA5000 for grilled…
Campement Villageois Sibendoue
Casamance
For a taste of traditional Diola life, you can overnight in this restored traditional, two-storey mud dwelling. The rooms are simple with low banco (clay)…
Sierra Leone
A grand lobby, complete with chandeliers, enormous wooden sculptures and stuffed antelope heads leads the way to the most expensive rooms in town – all…
Cabo Verde
This startlingly yellow, renovated colonial building dressed up in showy pink bougainvillea is a comfortable base. The rooms are simple but well-equipped,…
Kumasi
Massive, clean rooms with very comfortable beds are set in pretty bungalows in spacious, shady grounds. Some of the rooms and bathrooms are looking rather…
Senegal
With huts and bungalows spaced out in a large, sandy garden – all buildings are connected by meandering paths – this place oozes character. It offers a…
Sierra Leone
The fanciest place to stay in Bo, where spacious rooms with cool tile floors and wi-fi are set across a series of stupefyingly ugly two-storey villas…
Libreville
A full-service hotel with a health club, a beauty salon, a tennis court and a gorgeous pool with an ocean view. It's not particularly central, however,…
Sierra Leone
The decrepit looking courtyard, complete with rusty swings and a duck pen, belies the comfortable rooms. Each is spacious, clean and neat with a sitting…
Guinea-Bissau
Ecotourism project designed to encourage sustainable ways of drawing visitors to the Parque Nacional de Cantanhez. Has three thatched-roof bungalows in…
Santo Antão
The closest the town has to a real hotel, the Blue Bell is on the main square and has friendly service and sparsely furnished rooms with a splash of…
Cabo Verde
The positioning of this friendly hotel, right in the heart of all the action in the Platô, is tops. The rooms are clean and well-equipped. The brightest…
Ghana
Run by the lovely and welcoming Salia family, this lodge offers basic but clean thatch huts in a small sandy compound. There are clean shared toilets and…
Togo
Off the road to Klouto, the discreet Hôtel Chez Felicia is an excellent bargain. This low-slung building set in verdant surrounds shelters immaculate,…
Ghana
Built on a hill overlooking the dam and the lake, Volta Hotel offers the most breathtaking panoramas. The interior looks a tad passé, and the rooms are…
Senegal
Among the cluster of places near the artisans' village, Chez Salim is a top choice, with African-style thatched-roof round huts and more spacious…
Cabo Verde
A popular Italian-run spot with small but well-equipped rooms adorned with colourful, childlike murals and small balconies. It sits above one of the best…
Santo Antão
This guesthouse-restaurant has rooms in a blue-and-white building on a rock right above the ocean. Three rooms have ocean views, and only one has a…
Dakar
This 30-room hotel is by no means luxurious but it's a safe and comfortable option in the city centre. Rooms are modern and well-equipped, and there's an…
The Gambia
Although it's 2km from the beach, this delightful guesthouse in the village has earned many admirers for its warm welcome, great food and sparkling pool…
Accra
A cosy bolthole close to the bars and restaurants of Labone, Chez Delphy offers welcome respite from the heat and noise of Accra. The rooms are simple but…
Ghana
Simple huts sit among palm trees on this gorgeous stretch of beach. The staff are welcoming and helpful, there's a great restaurant (mains C22 to C50),…
Cabo Verde
This is a delightful guesthouse run by a French–Cabo Verdean couple, with fine views over the crater floor. Alcindo is one of the top guides in the area.
Sal
Fronting a lively patch of beach, this grande dame of a beach hotel was the very first on the strip. Over 40 years later, it's still a great choice, with…
Casamance
The island's former Catholic mission, this attractive 1880 building has been converted into island's most upmarket option. The best rooms are upstairs and…
Sierra Leone
The rooms at this hotel are comfortable, if overpriced, especially the cell-like budget rooms. Still, there's a surprisingly good restaurant, a bar, a…
Senegal
Scattered across a peaceful beachfront property, these nine exquisitely designed bungalows are made of local materials and set with carvings and textiles…
Dakar
Known for its fabulous grill, this place has a hotel floor perched above the restaurant like a half-forgotten afterthought (or your little hideaway). The…
Senegal
The straw huts of Yokam are cheap and lightweight, but the company is good. It's located right on the beach, and you can arrange excursions (horse riding,…
