Lamana Hotel — Hotel in New Guinea

Great hotel - clean facilities and friendly staff, but needs a little fine tuning. I've stayed at the Lamana on four occasions, and in fact, it's the only hotel I stay at while in Port Moresby. The hotel is spotless and well maintained. The rooms are clean and functional (but see below). The restaunts are spacious, clean and serve a variety of food - from pizza to Indian to delicious fish and chips. The cold ginger honey tea is my favourite drink.

There's a nice gym and a swimming pool (I haven't been in the pool). The Lamana also has Port Moresby's only bowling alley.

The staff are very friendly and always ready to assist.

I've rated four stars because the Lamana is missing small refinements that will win the fifth star. The rooms should have power points located next to (or at least near) the beds. Guests will usually want to charge their mobile devices at night, but the only power points are at the desk and fridge - neither of which is close to the bed. The rooms also never seem to have wash cloths; these would come in handy for... washing.

While the restaurants are nice, the wait staff seem unfamiliar with the menu items. If I order a meal and a side salad, because the menu indicates that the meal does not come with a salad, the staff should advise me that it actually does come with a salad. Doing so would save me money and reduce food wastage. When I order Manchurian chicken, it should come with chicken - not some little balls of bread. If the wait staff were familiar with the menu, they could've picked up on this error before the food arrived at my table. Instead, I identified the bread balls and then questioned the staff.

Finally, there's the night club. I'm sure this facility earns the owner a lot of money, but it's hard to understand how management can miss the contradiction between a hospitality facility and a late night entertainment venue. The music is loud, and many rooms are adjacent to the club area. The noise is ridiculous, and continues far too late into the night. 3am is just too late. Management should decide which revenue stream is its focus, and make changes accordingly.

My gripes aren't significant, and the Lamana is still my go-to hotel. However, a little refinement is required before this place earns a fifth...

My stay at Hotel Lamana was far below expectations, especially considering its reputation and pricing.

Poor Wi-Fi Connectivity: The Wi-Fi in the room was practically non-functional. I had to make more than 10 calls to the reception, but no effective solution was provided. The only way I could get a stable signal was by sitting near the bathroom or the door, which is unacceptable for anyone who needs to work or even check emails from their room. Ironically, the internet works fine in the reception and dining areas, but completely drops in the rooms.

Limited Vegetarian Breakfast Options: Although breakfast was included in my booking, as a vegetarian, I found it very disappointing. The only consistent options available were fruits and the same bread every single day. There was no effort to provide even basic vegetarian alternatives, which made the meal repetitive and unsatisfying.

Poor Check-in Experience: Upon arrival, I was asked to pay a no-show charge equivalent to one night’s stay. I had to spend over an hour explaining that I had intentionally booked an extra night because I was arriving early morning—6 to 7 hours before the standard check-in time—to avoid any issues. Despite having already paid for that extra night (which I didn’t actually stay), the staff insisted on charging me again until I clarified the situation multiple times. This was frustrating and unnecessary after a long journey.

Overall, my experience was frustrating and far from comfortable. The hotel has potential, but unless the management addresses basic service issues like reliable in-room Wi-Fi, better understanding from the front desk staff, and more inclusive meal options, I would not recommend it to anyone seeking a smooth and...

Spices Restaurant Sunday Buffet Breakfast No scrambled or fried eggs on the buffet. Told by the staff that it would cost us extra if we wanted those items??? No omelets cooked to order? Cold Sausages and Bacon No hash Browns No Cooked Tomato Mushrooms frizzled up and cold Poor pastry display Generally poor display although brand new buffet equipment. K50+ per head I wish I had eaten at Holiday Inn where there is a guarantee of their buffet food, This is my second visit to Lamana last time a Filipina lady said I couldn't have a club sandwich at 10:30 in the morning but the chef would make me a ham cheese and tomato toasted sandwich. The club sandwich was on the menu but the Ham Cheese and Tomato wasn't??? I wen to Dream Inn for their pretty good club and a great chocolate milkshake. So Lamana it looked like someone was playing a prank on me but to be honest K50+ for three poached eggs some toast and cold half a sausage and three strips of bacon? A coffee that I couldn't drink because the milk had been boiled and took the skin off the roof of my mouth? 2/2 failures makes for a really bad performance. The staff were so good they tried to be helpful but they seemed to be confused with the Australian F&B Manager's instructions and as always not a manager in site at any hotel in POM at 9am on a...