ibis Malabo 3 stars

I stayed here twice during my visit to Equatorial Guinea. The hotel is located in the new part of Malabo between the airport and the central city. If you want to see the tourist sights in central Malabo, you need transport to get there. I was in Rooms 102 and 228, which were identical, and the same as the room I had later when I stayed in the ibis in Bata. Each had a big bed, TV, a big desk with a chair, small sofa built into the wall, closet, in-room safe, fridge, AC and full-length mirror. The bathroom has a shower but no bath. The hair dryer was slow, so I used my own. I found the liquid soap dispensers at the sink and in the shower a bit fiddly at first. The Wi-Fi here is very bad indeed, so you need a lot of patience to do anything more complicated than sending or receiving text-only messages. The staff told me that Internet quality is a problem all over town. The restaurant was decent, but not outstanding. I ate outside, as there are plenty of tables and chairs outside, which seemed to be the preferred seating option for everyone else too. (There’s indoor seating if you want that instead.) But apply your bug repellant, as there are mosquitoes. Incidentally, I didn’t notice any other female guests staying at the hotel, so it seemed to be a business crowd rather than a tourist crowd – which is hardly surprising given the small number of tourists in Equatorial Guinea. Trying to organize an airport pickup was ridiculous and has resulted in my rating this hotel with three stars instead of four. I am a woman and was traveling by myself. The travel information issued by my country’s government warned about using random taxis, as there have been knifepoint robberies, particularly of women. So I thought it best to organize an airport transfer instead of finding a taxi at the airport. I had considerable back and forth with the hotel over this, in which they kept telling me to just get a taxi at the airport, even though I explained that I was a woman traveling by myself and didn’t wish to do so for security reasons. Finally they said the driver they usually use was on vacation. I ended up getting a ride with someone I met on the plane who was going in the direction of the hotel. But, really, I am flabbergasted that an ibis couldn’t have arranged an airport transfer, especially for a woman expressing security concerns. It wasn’t a hard thing to do – even if the usual driver wasn’t available – and there was no excuse for that shabby service.

I stayed in Ibes Malabo for a week. As it was my first time in Malabo I was impressed with how I was met by the front desk staff. He promised to give me the best room. Well, the room was clean, bathroom clean though small and away from the hassle of people coming in and out. However, the best room failed me on my last night! I came back to the room with a faulty toilet flusher. I reported and their in-house “mechanic” as they call him fixed it. Around 9pm I face a different issue, water was dripping from the overhead AC unit. So much that I had to contain it with two towels. I again went downstairs again to report, hoping they change my room as they fix it but no, they called the mechanic to come fix again. Took him about 15 mins to fix. In all my last day was sour but the other days were fairly ok. Some observed cons: Lack of variety during breakfast Few staff speaking English No room service Pros: Visa card accepted Clean rooms

I had just stayed at a more dated ibis so staying here was a bit refreshing - the furnishings were similar but they were much more modern as this property was set up more recently. I can see where other reviewers had noted things starting to go down, so it will be critical for the hotel to maintain the property. The rooms were pretty typical for ibis but definitely clean. The bathroom was also clean and fresh. Bedding was also in good shape. The lobby was well maintained and modern in nature. I was supposed to stay at the Hilton but due to a management change, my booking got messed up so chose this property which perfectly met my needs for my short stay. I also had breakfast at the hotel and it was a decent selection including both hot and cold items.

I usually stay at the Magno when working in Malabo, however due to Magno being full they arranged accommodation at the Ibis. With Ibis you get the same no matter where you stay, the room was same as Ibis in Jakarta, Ibis in Bata and Ibis everywhere else I have stayed. Service was acceptable room was fine for a one night stay however the location puts me off staying there on a regular basis as it is too far from my office and other locations I use when in EG

The Ibis has a convenient location about 10 minutes drive from Malabo airport and is half the price (or less) than the Hilton or the Sofitel. There's an outdoor pool but no gym. The Wifi is somewhat slow. The bathroom in the room is completely modular The rooms are simple and functional with aircon that works, hot water and clean bedding and towels. You wouldn't want to stay more than a few nights, however, as it is pretty soulless. The staff were helpful, but quite quiet and reserved. All Spanish speakers, as you would expect, with some French and less English. Breakfast is very basic, but that is the Ibis standard, so if you have stayed in another of their properties you know this is to be expected. I was given free late check out which made me very happy, but the hotel was nearly deserted. The lunch and dinner menu is limited and after three meals there I needed something different.