Overall this is an average hotel. While the advertise themselves as a 4 star property, I would not rate them as such. I would stay here again but simply because the other options are limited.

Staff - For the most part staff were friendly and willing to help.

Service - Service is inconsistent and needs to be improved. For example, I was in the buffet restaurant for dinner one night and asked for a glass of water. Three waiters were standing at one side of the restaurant and they told me that someone covering my section would be there to help me soon. Well after about waiting for five minutes and not seeing anyone in my section, I got up and asked them again (they were still doing nothing) and one obliged. While this is a generalization, Africans do tend to be lazy and this was a perfect example.

Public Areas - Very pleasant. The pool is nice (although they need new pool towels.) The gardens are spacious. Good fitness centre, squash courts, and tennis courts.

Restaurants - I ate at the buffet restaurant and the pool restaurant. Both were good with ample selections.

Rooms - Rooms need to be completely gutted and redone. While they are comfortable, the rooms are probably the worse part of the hotel. If they improved the rooms I would rate this as a 4 star property. The airconditioner leaked in my room and the carpet got flooded. While maintenance fixed it, this was just one example of the many minor problems I found in my room.

I stayed at this hotel for three nights in May while visiting University of Botswana and some businesses in the area. I had never been to Botswana or Africa before, so I don’t have anything to compare this hotel to within Botswana. However, when comparing the hotel to the standards of South African and American hotels, I’d definitely say this hotel needs some work. In terms of cleanliness and upkeep, it simply isn’t up to par. However, I believe that this may still be the best place to stay in Gaborone, given that the standard for accommodations may be lower in the area. Some locals also told me that it’s just about the best around.

It took probably 20 minutes to drive from the airport to the hotel, and the exterior definitely shows its age. The two-story building looks like an old motel. It doesn’t look as if the windows have been replaced anytime in the recent past. The inside of the hotel looked a bit newer than the outside, but only somewhat. It’s decorated in a lot of dark wood and a bit of a safari theme.

I had a room on the second level with 2 twin beds, overlooking the parking lot. About half of the rooms overlook the pool courtyard, and I would recommend requesting that view. It’s much nicer. The rooms are actually a good size, but definitely need renovation. They’re decorated in a sort of safari theme like the hotel in general, with animal print curtains and an animal print on the carpet and chair. I didn’t mind the theme of the room, but the condition of it left a lot to be desired. The carpet was disgusting and dirty. I walked on it with white socks and they were completely black on the bottom afterwards. The TV was very small and old, and didn’t work well. The beds were not comfortable and didn’t really have adequate bedding. There were basically just sheets provided, no real comforter or duvet. The desk chair was a cheap folding chair with a fabric cover on top. The lamps and shades were just old, and one didn’t work, which made the room really dark at night. The air conditioning took a while to figure out, but I eventually got it working. The bathroom was also a decent size, and had nice enough tile and counters. However, the fixtures themselves were also a bit old. Some tiles were cracked, and hot water was spotty at times.

Overall, the room was comfortable enough, and a good size, but simply needs an overhaul. I did notice that the room someone else in my group had was more updated. I’m not sure if the rooms are in the process of being renovated gradually, or if there are numerous room types, but the more updated room was definitely a bit better. Again, this may be one of the best hotel options in Gaborone, but I wasn’t impressed with the room. I was also not happy with the fact that our door didn’t seem to lock very securely. The door was very loose whenever it was closed, and I don’t know how secure it really was. This concerned me, but I didn’t actually have any issues with room security.

I thought the nicest part of the hotel was the outdoor courtyard with the pool. The pool looked pristine, with plenty of lounge chairs and tables around it. I didn’t go in the pool, but enjoyed sitting by it reading a book one afternoon. There is an outdoor covered bar area by the pool, which didn’t stay open too late when I was there, but had very friendly bartenders. There is also a section of the lobby off of the pool with wicker couches and chairs that I thought was one of the nicer areas of the hotel.

The staff at the hotel was nice, but worked very, very slowly. Everyone that worked at the front desk was always friendly and polite, and I had very nice conversations with one of the men who worked at the front desk a couple of times. However, whenever I needed anything from them, or had a question about the hotel to get answered, it was a test of my patience. There was frequently a long line at the front desk just of guests asking questions and needing little things. They just never seemed to notice the growing line and speed up their service accordingly. It took about 15 minutes one night (once I got to the front of the line) just to purchase internet access at the front desk. Later, when I had a simple question about postage for sending a postcard, I was unable to get a straight answer from the front desk staff about it. The person working in the gift shop off of the lobby was much more helpful at the time.

Do not count on getting on the internet at this hotel. They do have wireless, but it was only working for less than half of my 3 nights there. The quality of it also isn’t great. I was unable to really use it in my room, and only in the lobby did it work for me at all. The staff doesn’t really ever know why it’s not working or have any updates. Pretty much every foreign guest at the hotel was going crazy waiting for the internet to come back on. With the exorbitant rates to make a phone call from Botswana to the USA, I was really counting on using the Internet. You also have to pay for a certain amount of data or time when using the wireless. The rates and purchase are all available at the front desk. I understand that infrastructure may be underdeveloped in the area, but I was able to access wireless without any problems at some other places/restaurants in Gaborone, so I’m not sure if it’s a hotel issue, infrastructure issue, or a bit of both.

The hotel buffet restaurant, Savuti Grill pleasantly surprised me. I never had a chance to eat at the more expensive restaurant, Mahogany’s, but the Savuti Grill was quite good itself. I had the full breakfast buffet there each morning, and they offered lots of selections, including a good omelet station. There were plenty of hot and cold items to choose from, and I liked that there was a mix of African options and American/European options as well. It was a pleasant surprise. I also ate there for dinner one night, and the dinner buffet was also quite good. Dinner had more African food selections, along with a make-your-own stir-fry station and carving station with a couple options. The dinner buffet was much more crowded than breakfast, but everything was still tasty and well-stocked. The service wasn’t quite as good at dinner. We had trouble finding our waiter to order drinks, but otherwise, I recommend this restaurant.

Location-wise, I don’t have much to say about this hotel. Even after visiting, I never got a good feel for Gaborone and how it’s laid out, safety, etc. The hotel is somewhat walled-in from the streets nearby, and it is close to the University of Botswana. Others have commented that it was within walking distance, but it didn’t seem that way to me. I didn’t see a lot of sidewalks, and there was a lot of construction going on around the university at the time. Regardless, it is only a few minutes away from the university and does look easily walkable on a map. In that sense, it is probably the best place to stay if you’re visiting UB.

Overall, my stay at the Gaborone Sun was fine. The staff was nice, and the pool area and restaurant stood out as my favorite parts of the hotel. However, the room itself wasn’t in great condition at all, and the spotty internet and slow pace/lack of knowledge on the part of the staff weren’t great. If the rooms had been better, I would definitely have given this hotel a higher rating. While I wasn’t a huge fan of the hotel, I can see that it may be one of the better options in the area, so I wouldn’t totally rule it out either. Despite the fact that it wasn’t my favorite hotel in the world, I might stay here again if I had to return to Gaborone.

Gaborone Sun is centrally located about 5-10' from "downtown" Gabs (as they fondly call the capital). The rooms are close to luxuriously decorated including the typical South African "kettle in the room" for tea and coffee (at no cost). TV channel selection is excellent including numerous news channels (Sky, CNN & BBC). Minibar in the room as well. Pricing very much in keeping with the going rates in Southern Africa. Breakfast is excellent with traditional English style breakfasts (for those loving cardiac arrests!). Heath options are also readily available including smoked salmon, fresh fruit and a selection of breads and pastries (juts in case!). A stunning swimming pool and an outside bar makes it a very cosy hotel. The only downside is the speed of the staff... so, take your time and enjoy!

Not bad considering Africa, should be better considering Botswana!!