Service and rooms are run down, but the location is worth it.

Location and Grounds:
Situated adjacent to the shore of Lake Tana but quite a way out of town, which is often not a good thing for hotel guests. Whilst it can often be more peaceful and relaxing away from the hubbub it also often means that hotels don’t feel the need to offer good service and value in their bars and restaurants. That is the case here.

There is a nice terrace area at the back leading down to the lake shore with lots of colourful birds and flowers. However, as you draw anywhere near the fence by the path around the lake you will be hailed by the loitering guys trying to sell you trips around the area. They are friendly and affable enough but it would be nice to be able to enjoy the garden perimeters and lake view without being hassled. They don’t just want to converse, ever. They are always looking to sell you something, it’s just a matter of how long they take to bring it up – usually not long!

Reception staff:
Not friendly and welcoming but the check in process was easy enough. I don’t think they are really that interested in their guests.


Rooms:
On the small side and not in very good repair. The window frames and mosquito gauze looked reasonably new but the bathroom was not so good. The mosquito gauze in there was ripped and the shower head holder was broken. The bed was comfortable enough but I got some flea bites.


Restaurant:
Food was average, at best and not cheap. Most of the staff were quite charming, though, except for one annoying character who was a bit of an idiot – he looks a bit like a parrot but less intelligent. The one thing they did consistently was to bring out main courses before I had finished the starter. I even waited until the starter arrived once before ordering the main in an effort to prevent that happening but they thwarted my plan by still managing to do it. When the parrot asked if everything was OK I mentioned it is usual to serve courses separately which caused him to laugh like a village idiot. I suggest eating elsewhere – you will eat better, cheaper and with better service.


Value:
Not good overall. Rooms are too pricey for the quality, the restaurant is expensive. I can’t believe there aren’t comparable rooms available in the area for less money and there will be many places to eat that are better than here.

Overall:
Certainly wouldn’t go back or recommend it to anyone.

My husband and I stayed here for 2 nights in early September as arranged by our tour company, and we had a decent experience at this hotel. The hotel itself is fairly dated, and the reception staff provides OK service - they were helpful when we asked them for help, but I wouldn't say they were particularly friendly.

When we first checked in, we were given a room where the toilet didn't work, and there were ants crawling up and down the wall by the window. Upon bringing this to the front desk's attention, they apologized and promptly helped us move into a different room. The new room was good and fairly clean, and the bathroom, while dated with slight mildew/rust on the tiles and fixtures, was also clean. Hot water was not consistent; we only had hot water for showering at night, despite the sign in the room noting that hot water was available from 4pm to 9am. There was a window screen to keep the bugs out, which wasn't a necessity during the time when we visited but probably very helpful otherwise.

The two redeeming things about the hotel is its location (by Lake Tana) and the restaurant. It was quite nice to be able to sit by the lake while dining, and there were lots of plants, flowers and birds that made sitting outside enjoyable. I will say that the hotel itself is a bit further away from the main part of town, and you will have to hitch a ride back on a bajaj (tuk tuk) after dark, as the side road that leads to the hotel has no street lights. (A ride back will cost about 30-40 birr, depending on where you are coming from.) In terms of the restaurant, we had lunch there on the first day, and the food was quite delicious. The breakfast there was also good, and I have to say the waitstaff were very friendly.

All in all, I would say this is an acceptable hotel for Bahir Dar. (We checked out Kuriftu and it is very nice but also very, very expensive in comparison, so it's hard to say that it is definitely better than Tana.)

We stayed in Goha Hotel in Gobder for two nights and loved it. So, we thought Tana should be as good. Also, we were at Summerland but they were full. So, Tana became our best option.

Reception was poor all the time when we had enquiries. Seems like they don't care what we think.

The room itself is identical to Goha. Nice and ok clean. Bathroom not so great though. We asked the hotel if it's 24hr hot water and they said yes. However, we didn't get any on the first night.

Restaurant is probably the best part of the hotel. Good food and nice staff.

Overall, not crazy for Tana Hotel even though it's right beside the lake.

If we can have a choice again, will go for Summerland. Great help, great value!!!