The trip from Brazzeville was long and dusty. The bed in the room looked sturdy and certainly it was giving a new meaning to the word hard. But that remains the highlight of my entire stay. Entering the shower and toilet I was struck by the minimalist design of the room. The lack of a toilet seat was immediately forgotten once I turned on the shower and watched sludge drip from the pipe / shower head on the ceiling. Then I was struck by movement on the tiles. On closer inspection I noted an entire biological experiment playing itself out on each tile - an ecosystem all of its own. Giving up on the shower, I went to bed and it was then I noticed that the majority of window panes were missing.Just as well, as the air-con wasn't working. Nevertheless fatigue overcame me and I went to sleep. What followed next can only be described as surreal. My entire bedroom exploded into a disco beat. My bed levitated from the floor as my room turned into a boom-box. I was located immediately above the hotel nightclub. It was at some time in the early morning that the music ended. This continued for the next few nights. It was truly an unforgettable experience. Highly recommended to music afficionados and urban biologists. Stavros (Zanzibar) and Ben.

Now here's a hotel that was once very beautiful. Small, few rooms, the real boutique-style hotel, where you get to know all your neighbors, and the markets are literally just across the street. However, that may have been several decades ago. Maybe 100 years? Today, the National Hotel is where I am staying. Despite the immediate lack of English-speaking staff, absence of any operating kitchen, old electrical fixtures, rackety A/C units that were noisy and without filters or knobs, no towels, or towel racks to hang the towels that you are warned to purchase before arrival, no showercurtains, and no toilet seat cover - we managed our stay with the comfort in knowing that one day, others will also see the immense opportunity for potentially becoming the only game in town. The premises are small, with a nice courtyard, which is the only kept area of the hotel.

I just see a little bit of effort and some better management to make this place very comfortable. New A/Cs, fresh paint on the walls, new carpet, a few minor details about the toilets and shower fixtures, and the hotel is already on its way to being the top hotel in Bangui. I'll include some photos as well.