Kefetew Guest House — Hotel in Addis Ababa

Kefetew Guest House was our landing point for two days after arriving Ethiopia. Genet is a well-seasoned host, having lived and managed restaurants extensively in the U.S. before returning to her country of birth after the death of her father.||||As we were traveling with our two teeen daughters, we were covering a family room in the first floor. The room was spacious and clean, the beds were comfortable, the bathroom was excellent with ample of hot water.||||What sets this guesthouse apart, however, is the quality of food. Genet and her kitchen crew manage the perfect fusion between traditional Ethiopian food and dishes that are more easy to the Western palate. As traditional food is healthy and tasty, you will get used to it very fast, but if you travel with children, Genet's kitchen is a very good starting point from a culinary perspective.||||I would also like to remark that we left two suitcases at Genet's house for a charity to pick up in the following days. Not only was this not a problem to Genet - she even gave us an update once the goods were collected.||||Kefetew Guest House is located at CMC road, which is quite a busy road leading to the airport. At night however, the neighbourhood is quiet. You might however get an early wake-up call by the muezzin of a mosque situated nearby. To us, this was not a disturbance, as we considered this an exotic increase of our vacation experience.||||||- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ||||We would like to add the following general observations which we found helpful at the time of our travelling through Ethiopia (April and May 2023). These observations are not related to above review, but should considered as additional input for readers considering to travel to and in Ethiopia:||1. At the time of this writing, Ethiopia still suffered from the consequences of two years of Covid and 16 months of civil war. Tourists were still scarce, therefore we were both regarded as a source of potential business and as a welcome change in perspective. The Ethiopians we met were friendly, open and curious. We responded friendly and open ourselves, but remained firm when things got too overwhelming.||2. The majority of Ethiopians are orthodox Christians with a minority of Muslims. Although people are tolerant and friendly, they take their religion seriously. When visiting churches and mosques, the tried to treat these institutions with utmost respect and dignity, also with our dress attire (no tank tops please). If visiting a church on Sunday, we would recommend buying a white shawl to cover shoulders and (women) head, they cost almost nothing, make a good souvenir and earn you the respect of other churchgoers. Most of the churches have guides eager to explain paintings and structures - and bear in mind: If a curtain is covering an entrance or a painting, it is there for a reason and not as an invitation to boldly go where no tourist went before. And yes: Ethiopian Christians are convinced that the original Arch of the Covenant is safely stored in Axum, so don’t tell them Indiana Jones made sure it is now in an FBI warehouse in Montana.||3. We encountered a lot of people begging money, pens etc. from you, especially kids. We said firmly “no” once, and if they continued, simply ignored them. Do not give money to children or young people - one, begging and giving to beggars is illegal by Ethiopian law, and two if children bring money home from begging, parents might think this to be more attractive than sending them to school. There are a lot of NGOs offering free schooling and day care for children, so even single mothers can make a modest income.||4. Civil unrest was still occurring at times and in regions which were hard to predict. Obtaining reliable information was difficult, because often internet on our mobiles or in hotels was not available. We considered it therefore paramount to travel with a guide and driver who were well connected and did speak the local language. (If travelling in Oromo region, Amharic is not good enough.) Our guides were able to inquire at our target destination about the safety of travel, and so we had not one incident that made us feel uneasy.||5. We made sure that the car we were travelling with had the encircled number 3 on the license plate. This code means that the car is licensed for commercial transports of persons, so police and military at checkpoints will expect foreigners traveling in the car, which makes passing checkpoints a lot easier.||6. We did not travel on the road or go for a walk after night fall. Checkpoints were still frequent, and checking passports might cause interruptions in one’s journey. ||7. If internet was not available, credit card readers were not working either - even a bigger hotels. This made our voyage mostly cash-based, and there are indeed plenty of ATMs. We had to make sure to instruct our bank at home that drawing money from Ethiopia is ok, as first our card was refused by the ATM. We made sure to carry plenty of cash to pay at least the next hotel bill, and distribute the money wisely amongst our travel companions. To our surprise most ATMs did not work on Sundays.||8. If you go for shopping: Haggling is considered an art form and an everlasting source of joy. If you do not like this: Instruct your guide to tell the merchant that you will not haggle, and if his offer is not reasonable from the beginning, you will simply leave. And do behave...

We stayed at Kefetew Guest House as part of our vacation in Addis and had a great and memorable time. The owner lovingly takes care of her guests and is also a great cook. Since she knew I was from Germany and liked potatoes, there were potato dishes every day that were so deliciously prepared and seasoned that I liked them better than many places in Germany. The hostess is also very entertaining and helpful. She has experienced a lot and likes to tell about her life, always with a laugh. When I got stomach problems on the second day due to the change of food, she took loving care of me. She brought fresh fruit and baked light meals for my recovery. The amenities at Kefetew Guest House also include five dogs (love to Desta!) who always provide the best entertainment. We even had the honor of taking an excursion by car through Addis in animal company. Last but not least, the hostess showed us many things in Addis that we would not have discovered without her and had even more recommendations for us, e.g. which museums are worth seeing and where we can get good souvenirs. She made our vacation an unforgettable experience and we would choose Kefetew Guest House again anytime. It made our vacation a very personal and social experience, which we certainly would not have had in a hotel...

We stopped in Addis for couple of days and wanted to experience the real Ethiopia. What a great place to stop! The best we think! We travelled with our 2 year old son and arrived late in the evening; the streets were dark and we were wondering where we were going but as soon as the door opened and we were welcomed by Genet we felt like at home. The experience we had staying we would never have got in a hotel. She was the best hostess, she explained all we needed to know, arranged drivers and suggested a plan... not only that as it was Xmas Eve in Ethiopia she invited us to have a dinner with her which she cooked! The food was incredible and I am trying her recipes, cooking with love as she suggested. We had an incredible time at her house which is beautifully furnished, clean and we felt 100% safe. My son loved to play with her dogs and still talking about them. If you are reading this review and you want to have a better experience in Addis, do not hesitate and book a room, you will not regret it! We travelled the world but have never came across such an amazing host! Thank you Genet! We...