Well-heeled Arabian and Chinese businessmen, Western military officers and soldiers, tourists and African bigwigs – they all end up here. You know exactly what you’ll be getting at the sprawling Kempinski: impersonal yet shiny-clean rooms and a host of top-notch facilities, including three restaurants, two swimming pools, a business centre, a lovely café, an ATM, a gift shop, a spa and a gym.
What you won’t be getting is any kind of indication that you are in Djibouti but, as you flake out on the (tiny) beach or do laps in the gleaming pool, you probably won’t be that bothered. Many guests have found the service substandard.