Sam's Giardino

The Swiss owner Sam (and his dog Beethoven!) was as knowledgeable and friendly as promised in the Lonely Planet. He gave us great local information and advised us on the best road to take to Etosha - ignoring Google Maps and saving us time and boredom. The breakfast was delicious - fresh Swiss Bircher muesli and cereals, scrambled eggs and bacon, various fresh German style breads, strong coffee. We didn’t have dinner, but we noticed some great wines and whiskeys in the bar. The whole place felt like an old-fashioned Swiss mountain lodge rather than anything African - a bit odd, and maybe not why you come to Namibia, but in some ways quite comforting after a long desert drive. It was also safe and provided secure off-street parking for our 4x4.

The rooms are clean and comfortable but they felt dated in decor, with many indications of ‘practicality over style’ e.g. plastic soap dispensers. The garden was pretty but due to the weather we didn’t use it. Also we didn’t fall at all in love with Swakopmund - it was grey and cold which was a rough surprise after the gorgeous dry heat of the Namib - but clearly this is not the hotel’s fault and if we returned to Swakopmund we would stay at Sam’s again.