Sole Hotel

“Madagascar Experience”

we booked this hotel from N.Z. and discovered it has a great little Travel Company within. We had been told that it is difficult to hire a rental vehicle by ourselves. most companies make you have a driver. We got Nari, he was TOPS. Many of the roads are just trails across sand & through scrub, NO … more

we booked this hotel from N.Z. and discovered it has a great little Travel Company within. We had been told that it is difficult to hire a rental vehicle by ourselves. most companies make you have a driver. We got Nari, he was TOPS. Many of the roads are just trails across sand & through scrub, NO road signs at all & sometimes even he had to stop & decide which of 2-3 trails we should take. We have been farming for 60 yrs & my husband said he wouldn't be prepared to drive there. we got where we wanted to go, Nari would stop & point things out which he would see - a little snake semi concealed on he side of the road,plants etc. take photos, suggest places to eat- at the local price and local food. We did over 3,000 km in 3 weeks, in spite of the roads and lack of signage. And we only saw about 1/3 of the 4th largest island in the world! The 2-3 star accommodation with en-suites was perfect & only once were we disappointed with the accommodation, but it was really the weather, not the room. Sole Hotel is right in downtown "Tana" and lots of eateries around & we felt quite safe walking wherever after dark, bargaining on the streets, & just generally outside in the neighbouring area.

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“2 stays there, mixed experiences”

I stayed at Sole Hotel 2 times within 2 weeks. Although I'd booked the same standard for both stays, I got 2 different experiences: First room: Spacious even with a fridge (which I didn't expect in Tana in this price class) and everything was working and clean. Second room: strong smell of cigarett… more

I stayed at Sole Hotel 2 times within 2 weeks. Although I'd booked the same standard for both stays, I got 2 different experiences: First room: Spacious even with a fridge (which I didn't expect in Tana in this price class) and everything was working and clean. Second room: strong smell of cigarette, small, bathroom door was right in front of the bed (pillow). Generally, not the most pleasant arrangement but in this case definitely not pleasant as the ventilation system in the bathroom was not working, the flush of the toilet was partially not working, and the shower was clocked. The room wasn't being cleaned during the day and the fan was only working on the highest speed (which was then too noisy and too cold for me so that I didn't even use it). Also, no towels were in the room so that I had to ask for some to be brought up into my room. The wird thing once that once I opened the door to let the room service in, he entered, placed the towels, and left the room without saying anything (no hi, no bye). Common in both my stays: strong smell of chloride and a note very attentive and friendly staff. I first had difficulties to log into the WiFi and asked at the reception for some help. The staff there was rather annoyed when I approached and explained the situation. Once solved I actually have to say that the WiFi was good (also in the rooms). Electrical outlet was also right next to the bed in both rooms which is always nice to have It happened that I once wanted to dine-it as it was already dark outside and not very secure to leave to go onto the streets by oneself as a tourist. I therefore consulted the menu card in my room and asked the reception to have something to eat brought to my room. I was then told that they don't offer anything to eat on that day as it was Sunday. This was not mentioned anywhere: neither on the menu card nor was I told so when I'd checked-in. Already late and in my pyjama, I didn't feel to go out again for a restaurant. Tough luck I had to go to bed without having eaten anything since a late breakfast. To be fair: The breakfast and service in their restaurant was friendly, nice, and fast. The quality was also surprisingly good and I really enjoyed the breakfasts I had there. Otherwise: centrally located in Tana but not necessarily suitable for people who either cannot walk stairs or don't want to (no elevator) as the reception is located on the first floor and the rooms on the higher floors.

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“OK centre of town nothing special”

This is an ok hotel in a very central location in downtown Antananarivo. It has friendly enough staff, very very good prices, good hot water, comfortable sleep, but it is let down by the terrible food. They have an Indian vegetarian restaurant which unfortunately might be nice, but isn't. Some p… more

This is an ok hotel in a very central location in downtown Antananarivo. It has friendly enough staff, very very good prices, good hot water, comfortable sleep, but it is let down by the terrible food. They have an Indian vegetarian restaurant which unfortunately might be nice, but isn't. Some people might be intimidated by the entrance which has a mass of motorbikes for sale outside and often a number of guys hanging around, a few of which may or may not be hotel security. At least one is. I stay here once in a while for a cheap sleep.

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