"Best option in Asmara. Good bed, good shower, good breakfast, nice swimmingpool area. Good gym. Friendly staff. Wifi is not too bad."

"I stayed at the Crystal Hotel for four nights. At check-in I received a friendly welcome and was in my room within minutes. All receptionists and waitresses spoke English well enough, and even the maids spoke basic English. Reception changes US dollars into nakfa at the same 1:15 rate as Himbol, which is very convenient. I got a room on the 3rd floor. Note that there are no lifts at the hotel so at a minimum, you will need to walk up one flight of stairs if you get a room on the first floor. My room, 303, was a largeish corner room, most rooms on the same floor were noticeably smaller. It was clean but a bit worn out, perhaps 2.5 stars according to Western standards. The double bed was comfortable and the sheets were changed daily. The room came with a sofa and a coffee table as well as a dining table with two chairs, a desk and ample closet space. No a/c, but it's not needed as nights are cool in Asmara. No safe, no water bottles. The white curtains did nothing to keep light out, so bring eyeshades (and earplugs). Electricity was reliable during my stay, and the hotel has a generator should power cuts occur. There were multi-sockets (Europe/US/UK) by the bed and desk. The bathroom came with a shower, and when you wanted to use it, you needed to call reception who turned on the pump. Without it, water pressure in the handheld shower was almost non-existent, with the pump on it was still poor. There was a boiler in the bathroom, so as long as there is electricity, there will be hot water. The only amenity available was bars of soap. No shampoo etc. There is free, unlimited wifi. You get a username and password which is valid for 24 hours, for one device at a time but you can change between devices. On my phone, it never connected and thus I was unable to use eg. WhatsApp. On my laptop, it connected and some webpages loaded slowly but surely whereas others never worked. This did not change from day to day, it was always the same sites that I could and couldn't access. Discord, Google and Wikipedia all worked. Be careful when typing the username and password, as the system will lock your device out if you make typos too many times and reception will not be able to help you, you just need to wait for several hours until you get unlocked again. Brekafast was served in the ground floor dining room from 7 to 10. It was not a buffet – a meagre selection was brought to your table: two large pieces of toast or soft bread, butter and jam, a small glass of freshly squeezed fruit juice of your choice, a piece of fruit such as a small banana or a slice of papaya, a hot drink and eggs of your choice. I was not impressed by the omelette. The hotel is located on a side street two blocks from Harnet Avenue, a 15-minute drive from the airport. I found the location very good for sightseeing as you can easily walk to most sights. Try Ghibabo Restaurant two blocks away, they serve excellent local cuisine at affordable prices. I booked via local travel agency Oa"