Dahlak Hotel

Great food great service, we stayed @ Dahlak for a week everyday lunch was shrimp pasta. Thanks for the chef and stuff. We will be back🙏

We have spent two nights in this old and fascinating hotel.|Located not far from the city center of the tiny and wonderful Massawa, this hotel has a great history all of its own. Same owner of Albergo Italia in Asmara. There are many things to fix to make it more western oriented but it still keeps its charme very well contextualized in the surrounded background.|we have loved it even if bathrooms were unaccessible for shower!

While other reviews say that the hotel is dated, it is one of the nicer hotels in the area and is part of the charm. Always had power (even when other areas did not) and a warm shower (not hot). AC worked well. Loved breakfast by the water. Close to the bridge to the other island with historical buildings and restaurants. Simple and great! No wifi.

A huge imposing hotel right opposite Haile Selasie’s summer palace. It’s under the same management as the Albergo Italia in Asmara, but apparently better run by the efficient manageress.||The common areas are beautiful in a grand art deco style and well maintained.||Staff try hard to please . Efficient and reasonably priced same day laundry service. There is no WIFI but they do have 24 hour electricity which is critical because this means you get 24 hour air conditioning—a must in Massawa. The AC is excellent—so much so that we had to wear jackets our first night until we regulated the temperature better.||Rooms are spacious and clean. The mattress quality is poor—| thin and can feel springs underneath. Curtains are flimsy and see through. They don’t provide privacy or shade from light. Bring eye mask. Also, there is no hot water ( on cool side of tepid), but Massawa is so hot this is manageable.||Note that if your room is facing the road, there is truck noise in morning, so best to bring ear plugs. ||Breakfast starts at 7:30 AM which was too late for us so we went to one of cafes a few blocks from the hotel facing the port. Restaurant service can be slow so try the Sallam Restaurant behind the old mosque.

Best hotel in massawa.. . But it doesn't take much... Others look like stables. The rooms with new and working air conditioning. The bed is firm but accessories such as sheets and pillows are unpresentable. Only one night.. Luckily. Bathroom to be redone, slightly dirty hotel with facilities in a state of disrepair from the reception to the swimming pool to the first floor dining room. The food however is very good with super generous portions. Very slow service with waitresses constantly shouting at each other.

There are not many hotel choices in Massawa. At least the Dahlak exudes an interesting charm, you see curious remnants of Italian colonialism with Italian artwork that seems completely out of place here. The hotel lobby is has charm and the architecture is imposing. Beyond that you will have to work harder to really like this place.||||Our rooms smelled terrible, probably because the AC unit had not been running for a while. Once we cranked it to maximum strength, it didn't get cold but the odor started to dissipate. The bathroom was not inviting and a trickle of cold water made showering challenging. For one night, it was not a big deal.||||The hotel was hardly occupied but after an initial odor complaint, we were given only one other choice even though the large hotel seemed hardly booked. The food at the restaurant was decent, service was extremely slow.||||The pool was unusable. It was filthy and the water was dark and murky. We put our feet in but did not dare to go swimming.||||It is a shame that the beautiful facility is falling into decay. In its glory days, this hotel sure was grand and beautiful. The location is ideal - in walking distance to the old town of Massawa. Beautiful views onto the Red Sea. The roof top offers great views onto the ruins of the bombed out palace.

Owned by the same company as the ‘Albergo Italia’ in Asmara. The hotel has an amazing location looking towards the old faded and decayed buildings on the Island of Massawa. But here the service, compared to The Albergo, was disappointing. The waitresses ‘couldn’t be bothered’. We waited for 30 minutes before anyone came to the table at breakfast. Their use of English was minimal, which given the lack of tourism is understandable but on the other hand we were paying western prices for the rooms. The restaurant is outside and has a great setting but sadly the upper floor was closed and it would have had the best views. Cheap plastic tables and chairs further undermined the ambience. Whilst eating the tables are frequented by cats which are a real annoyance! ||The swimming pool was truly dirty and as such no one was partaking! ||The rooms were clean but sparsely furnished and basic. ||I guess you have to stay here and it has positives but it’s genuinely expensive for what you get!! |

Amazing architecture. Lovely rooms with astonishing view, dawn view is like in a fairytale - Red sea is really red.