Wim's Holland House — Restaurant in Addis Ababa

Wim's Holland House had been recommended by many people we met in Africa and upon arriving in Addis, it lived up to the lofty expectations. It is situated near the old train station and straddles a side street, separating the main bar area from the overland camp site. There is a guard 24/7 so no need to worry about your belongings being taken and the site is walled in as well for your protection (not that the area is in any way dangerous...but no need to tempt sticky fingers). ||||The bar/restaurant offered a variety of Ethiopian and European dishes and it is not uncommon to see expats that live in the city visiting to catch a soccer match on the TV. All members of the staff were extremely helpful offering suggestions of what to see in the city and where to go and how to go about doing it. ||||We ended up staying at Wim's twice on our trip and the second stay was quite unexpected. I had gotten extremely ill while in Somalia and we headed back into Ethiopia to go to a hospital, but the doctors I saw didn't have the ability to do the necessary tests and stated I needed to head back to Addis. After 10+ hours of driving we arrived in the city and headed to the only place we really knew, Wims, to act as a base. We had called ahead and explained the situation and they were extremely helpful telling us which hospital to visit and even called a cab and had it ready for us so that we didn't have to worry about driving ourselves. I was able to get the care I needed and the required medication and spent the next few days at WIm's in a room, recuperating. The staff prepared the limited foods I was able to eat as I recovered and even allowed me to store some personal food items in their fridge (due to my limited diet). ||||I cannot stress enough that everyone at Wim's is extremely friendly, caring, and goes out of their way to help guests when they need it. Visit Wim's with confidence and be sure to talk to them and all the other guests as you are bound to pick up some great local knowledge and meet...

I visited in June 2018 when I had a 1 night stop over in Addis Ababa and came back for another 1 night stopover the next week as I liked the place so much! I am a solo female traveller and I felt very safe at all times at this accommodation and in this area - which is not always the case in some of these poorly lit cities in Africa! ||The place is tucked away very close to the old train station- where you can buy tickets for the new train to Djibouti, near to Stadium - a central location on the new tram line and the bus station (ideal if you have a bus journey the next day as you can just walk).||The accommodations are basic but clean - what you would expect for the cheap price. Whilst marketed towards overlanders, I was just travelled on foot/by public transport and it suited me very well.||What makes the place is the Wim’s Holland House bar that offers great food- local and foreign- and well priced drinks. The WiFi was good and it was truly relaxing to sit in the large bar for a couple drinks, meeting other travellers. Or equally sitting and quietly relaxing- they have a good selection of English books and have the tv on. ||Don’t be deterred by how little information there is online about this place! I just called the host and she was very helpful in explaining how to get there. A taxi from the airport was 200birr. If I come back to Addis I will be sure...

I visited with friends back in 2012 during a four-month overlanding trip from the U.K. to Cape Town, South Africa. (Very) long story short, a lot of stuff happened to us in Ethiopia/Addis Ababa, and this was our safe haven to rest and recover from the trials and tribulations of the road.||||Wim (who was still around then) and his Ethiopian wife (the current proprietor) helped us out a lot, and we are very grateful for everything.||||This spot has been around for many years (10 at the current location near the train station, but was around even before then in Bole), and is an institution for overlanders around the world. The food is great (you need a break from injeera every so often), the beer is cold, and the people are always interesting!||||Was happy to visit again after 5+ years last night to see that basically nothing has changed. Sure, there is a hot water heater on the shower now, and a few private rooms for CHEAP, but other than that, it's the same as it was in 2012 (in a good way).||||Whether you're an overlander, a tourist to Ethiopia, by yourself, or with a group, it's a great spot to check out for a drink and nasi...