Caravan Hotel

Ethiopia , Addis Ababa
ADDIS ABABA, Mike Leyland Street
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75 reviews shown

2/10

Poor

21 Oct 2025

Alexander

Severely Misrepresented Hotel Immediate Check-Out Required

I checked in on October 18 via Expedia but had to leave almost immediately due to the hotel’s unacceptable condition. It fell far below basic hospitality standards and raised serious health and safety concerns.

The elevator was out of service (not disclosed online), forcing me to carry two large suitcases to a third-floor room completely unacceptable, especially for guests with mobility issues.

The hallways were dim, foul-smelling, and had filthy, stained carpets, creating an unsafe and neglected atmosphere.

The room itself was uninhabitable: stained carpets, visible cockroaches (a serious asthma trigger for me), sagging mattress, torn linens, and a musty odor. Even staff spraying air freshener couldn’t mask the stench.

The hotel looked nothing like its online listing this was blatant false advertising. I was shown several other rooms, all in similarly poor condition, confirming the problem is widespread.

I had no choice but to check out and find alternate lodging at my own expense, causing stress and financial loss.

I am requesting a full refund due to the severe misrepresentation and uninhabitable conditions. This experience was not just disappointing it was unacceptable. Stay here at your own risk.

Business_and_leisure Partner

2/10

Poor

19 Oct 2025

abayomi

Smelly room, cockroaches in the room. Noise all night .environment seems unsafe . Room is dirty and poorly maintained. Terrible experience.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

09 Sep 2025

Alton

It felt like home away from home as the staff treated me like family.

4/10

Poor

17 May 2025

Dawit

I am very disappointed with my stay at the hotel. The bathroom was in very poor condition – water spilled all over the floor, the shower only had cold water due to the lack of hot water, and the sink was not working properly. In addition, the room had several broken pieces of furniture and was dirty. On top of that, the room did not look anything like the pictures on the website – it appeared much better online than in reality. I expected a much higher standard and level of comfort.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

10 Apr 2025

Annie

Read this BEFORE Booking

Caravan Hotel was affordable and comfortable for my short stay. I enjoyed the buffet breakfast that was included in my room rate. The staff was friendly and courteous. During my first night, there was no electricity; however, I had two small flashlights, so I was okay. Caravan Hotel is close to the airport and within walking distance to food and different attractions.

RIDE is a popular taxi app in Ethiopia, so you can request a taxi, and it will pick you up/drop you off in front of the hotel. There is an airport shuttle provided by Caravan Hotel, which made airport dropoff very smooth.

Lastly, my only recommendation for the hotel is to improve the cleanliness of the bathroom and ensure that all of the shower heads and nobs in the bath are tightened to ensure that the waterfalls are straightened and nothing falls in the bath.

Self

8/10

Excellent

08 Mar 2025

Natnael

It was fun and good place

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

22 Oct 2024

Douglas

Tired soft foam bed. Dark and worn room interior.
Nice staff. ok breakfast.

Business_and_leisure Self

2/10

Poor

20 Oct 2024

Sameer

no towels

Business

10/10

Exceptional

29 Apr 2024

Mukhaie

The hotel is very clean, the staff are very friendly, the food is delicious, if any questions or problems will be resolved immediately. I recommend this hotel

Family

2/10

Poor

13 Jan 2024

Verified traveler

Avoid this property

I stayed with this property in December, 2023. In years of travel to Ethiopia, I've rarely had a poor experience. The room had numerous cockroaches in the bathroom and bedroom. The bathtub was not connected to the floor, and there was consistently no water pressure and no hot water.

Additionally, at check out, I was told by the staff of the hotel that I had never paid for my stay. I had paid online, but according to the staff, that was only a 'booking fee.' Coincidentally, the charge they said I owed at checkout was the same as the nightly rate I had already paid for online. I had to catch a flight, and did not have time to dispute with the staff, but this was clearly a scam.

8/10

Excellent

19 May 2023

Arogundade

Its a nice hotel

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

05 May 2023

Charley

Great staff
Excellent breakfast

Leisure Self

4/10

Poor

24 Jan 2023

Verified traveler

I saw several roachs in bethroom. Fiscal shabe of the room eas aging and needed few fixes.

Business

4/10

Poor

13 Jan 2023

david

Check any laundry you get back - trousers weren’t returned and a random tracksuit pants belonging to someone else returned (discovered when I had already left). Cockroach bed buddies. Staff friendly and good basic but fine.

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

27 Oct 2022

Haftu

Very friendly and accommodating staff. Very comfortable bed and the city view of the room is amazing. I will definitely come back again.
Thanks again!

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

17 Mar 2022

Bartholomew

Nice place to stay, clean rooms, nice food and affordable price
5 minutes drive to airport

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

07 Nov 2021

Courtney

The conditions of the rooms have really gone down. The wifi was spotty at best. I was really disappointed with the hotel this time.

Business_and_leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

06 Apr 2021

Verified traveler

I like Caravan and its location, but they need to invest in new matresses. Mine was way too mushy.

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

14 Feb 2021

Jonathon

Good price in Bole

Enjoyed my stay at Caravan Hotel. The price is very reasonable for Bole. The breakfast is adequate as well. With unlimited coffee. There can be some street noise at night.

Self

8/10

Excellent

06 Nov 2020

David

Good

It was good.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jun 2020

Anees

Excellent hotel with good WiFi, nice restaurant, caring staff and management, free airport pickup, big and well furnished rooms, and excellent restaurants in the neighborhood.

An overall excellent experience. Highly recommended.

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

30 Dec 2019

Verified traveler

Comfortable stay

Comfortable one night stay for transit in Addis Ababa. We arrived late so we didn’t want to head out to eat. We ordered room service but food came cold. Room was fine, had everything we needed. Bedside lamp wasn’t working though.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

04 Dec 2019

Paul

Friendly staff , terrible WiFi, run down facilities , decent neighborhood, very close to a great French restaurant

Leisure Self

2/10

Poor

25 Sep 2019

Jonathan

Bad service not professional

I booked the hotel for twelve days and so disappointed the services was so bad the breakfast is awful disgusting and not many choice just three dishes and the wifi doesnt work at all the room has no heat or air conditioning when u order food in the restuarant the food is cold and not tasty the bathroom leaks and it has no air ventilation the the workers are not friendly they are not professional at all there is so much noise from outside coming from pubs its hard to sleep at night the mattress is not comfortable i am so disappointed in everything in this hotel i dont recommend anyone to stay in this hotel if i can give rates or -star i would given -star

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

Very good staff clean room taste food. Iwill come back

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

08 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

This is a very comfortable hotel. Nothing negative to report. Very good bed and clean bathtub.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

25 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Clean and quiet with a pleasant and helpful staff. The breakfast variety was ample, with lots of variety, especially for vegetarians. The airport pickup requires patience, but I think that is more an issue with Bole than with the hotel.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

10 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

Great value for money - convenient location and friendly helpful staff.
I thought the breakfast was good but wasn't so keen on the restaurant food. I had a clean spacious room, with good (by ethiopian standards) wifi. The property as a whole is a little frayed around the edges but nothing that should put one off

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

03 Feb 2019

Elise

Very nice hotel, good value, friendly staff. Unfortunately there were internet issues (probably not directly related to the hotel). The shuttle pick-up on arrival was also a no-show for 40 minutes and only after a call on a borrowed phone in the parking lot.

Business_and_leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

13 Jan 2019

Verified traveler

So so

Breakfast was poor and we had issues with the lights in the hotel

Family

8/10

Excellent

07 Jan 2019

Verified traveler

We flew into Addis Ababa at almost 11 PM after our flight was over an hour late and was grateful to have a shuttle waiting for us and the driver had our name on a sign. I was a little nervous when we turned off the main road into what appeared to be an alley after driving through a not so great neighborhood but felt the hotel was safe, he staff was super friendly and accommodating, and the breakfast was a food mix of Ethiopian and western cuisine. The travel agent next door was able to arrange us a driver through Merkato Market at a price well below what I was finding on the Internet. Thank you for a great experience in your lovely city!!

Leisure Family

4/10

Poor

27 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

Access to hotel - poor! Room - mediocre as I could not work with poor lighting, Breakfast was poor with very strange things to eat, probably Ethiopian, with little or no fruit. The night was bitterly cold in the room so I slept with my clothes on! The breakfast coffee was undrinkable although Ethiopian coffee is good elsewhere! I was so disappointed, I checked out 2 days earlier to a better hotel!

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

09 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

We loved our corner balcony room. Great breakfast. Helpful staff. Greatly appreciated free airport shuttle.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

27 Nov 2018

Verified traveler

Excellent staff
Very nice and polite
A haven for tired travelers

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

20 Nov 2018

William

The hotel coped twice with minor crises - sending a car into the city to pick me up whe n I'll and providing a room for rest while I waited for a late flight. Highly recommended.

8/10

Excellent

10 Oct 2018

Verified traveler

Good hotel for the price

Very friendly staff, clean room but bathroom was a bit tired looking.
Good for the price but I think I would stay somewhere more expensive which is nicer next time.

6/10

Pleasant

17 Sep 2018

Khaldoun

Can be improved

No air conditioning. They brought a fan it was broken. Breakfast is ok. Wifi is great

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Sep 2018

Verified traveler

Pleasant stay

Clean, friendly staff, good internet for Addis. Great value.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

26 Apr 2018

Paul

Great staff, very clean, very run down.

Very run down; not four stars by North American standards; a bit out of the way.

Very clean; fantastic, friendly staff

8/10

Excellent

18 Nov 2017

Verified traveler

Good staff

Staff took very good care of me and handled all my needs

10/10

Exceptional

10 Sep 2017

Adam

Good Hotel

Airport pick up and drop off was spot on the staff were amazing! a lot of Addis Ababa taxi drivers don't know the Hotel maybe it's new.

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jul 2017

Christopher

Decent Value, Good Location

Good clean hotel near airport. Staff was friendly and spoke English well. Breakfast was an added bonus and quite good. Would stay again!

Family

6/10

Pleasant

21 May 2017

Verified traveler

Good budget hotel. Its not luxurious but its safe, clean, and comfortable. Staff were very helpful. Provides a free shuttle to the airport.

8/10

Excellent

04 May 2017

Chris

Decent Hotel At A Good Price

Pros: Room is clean, good breakfast, courteous staff

Cons: Cleaning doesn't always do a great job, balcony too small for 2 people, rooms are a little small (this is normal for Addis).

Overall a good hotel. I can't say that I have any particular complaints.

There is construction going on nearby right now, but it never bothered me.

They didn't send the airport shuttle like I asked when I arrived in Addis (or we somehow missed each other), but that's all.

Oh, and the comments about it being in a dangerous place aren't really true. It IS about 1 minute walk off a main road, but the area is safe. Coming from a first-world country it might be a little scary to walk down the side road, but it's not actually dangerous.

8/10

Excellent

05 Mar 2017

Verified traveler

I would do it again!

Overall, decent hotel for the price. The one knock is the location. It seemed to be in a back alley. The staff were responsive. The food was okay compared to the local resturants. I would do it again!

8/10

Excellent

02 Feb 2017

Ian

Convent and clean hotel with good service

Easily accessible hotel that was comfortable and clean and the service was very good.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

14 Jan 2017

Verified traveler

Convenient and basic

Good value for money and fine breakfast.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

10 Jan 2017

Rod

Great value and location, room quality

Good central location, rooms are very good quality and modern finishes for the price, including the bathroom compared to similar standard in Ethiopia and Addis in particular. Staff is friendly and helpful.

8/10

Excellent

06 Jan 2017

Brittni

Good for the price

This hotel was much cheaper than expected so you get what you pay for. Breakfast each day was provided and they have access to tours which were lovely. Walking distance to nightlife activities and food it was ideal for travelers who are on a budget but still want to have a good time.

8/10

Excellent

04 Oct 2016

Masahiro

Wide room but need maitenance

Deluxe room is spacious but need maintenance especially the bath room. Hot water provision must be improved.

8/10

Excellent

26 Sep 2016

Luke

Convenient and Clean Hotel Close to the Airport

The staff at Caravan Hotel was incredible! They were waiting at the airport for us with a sign that had our name on it. We were greeted with a friendly smile and they were very helpful and quick to serve.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

23 Sep 2016

Erica

I had the pleasure of staying in a deluxe room which I loved. This room has a great view with many windows and outside corridor. The room was also spacious and very clean. All staff were welcoming and very attentive to my needs and requests. I felt at home here. I would highly recommend Caravan Hotel and will stay there again when returning to Ethiopia.

6/10

Pleasant

03 Jul 2016

George

It is a place good for transit or a quick one nigh

There was no pick up bus from the hotel waiting for us when we arrived. We had to call the hotel and took more than 15 mins to pick us up after the lady told us that the bus will be there in 5 mins.
We were very uncomfortable and worry about our safety with all the taxi drivers constant around us asking for business. I would stay with other hotel next time with better service.

6/10

Pleasant

06 Apr 2016

Verified traveler

My overall experience was ok. The location was close to clubs which made it hard to sleep at night due to the music. There were also a lot of mosquitos in my room.

6/10

Pleasant

21 Mar 2016

Kevin

Clean, Comfortable, Centrally Located, but.......

The rooms are comfortable, the location is conveniently located to get to places around the city (although hard to find for many taxi drivers). Negatives include: breakfast is definitely not very appetizing and cook did not know how to make basic eggs). But far and away the biggest problem is the plumbing. Foul odors will fill your room at night (or during the day) if you do not close the drain plugs in the sink and bathtub and add a layer of water in the sink/bathtub, as well as open the bathroom window and keep the bathroom door closed. Otherwise, when you come back to your room from being out all day or you wake up in the morning, you will be greeted by a foul, unpleasant odor. I believe that this is a typical problem as a result to poorly trained artisans in the building and construction industry in Ethiopia. It is obvious that the system is missing drain traps and/or plumbing vents. In any case, it is annoying. The hotel staff seem to know about this problem, but I failed to run into a manager during my stay, so I do not know if management is aware of the problem or if they have taken it seriously. Otherwise, the hotel is just fine. Beware the chaos of Mickey Leyland Street in the evenings.....although its a wonderful study of many of the social ills in the country.

10/10

Exceptional

21 Mar 2016

Georgekutty

Ok nice

8/10

Excellent

29 Jan 2016

Joe

Saftey

This hotel is Safe and secure. The management and staff insure when you take cabs you arrive and return safely by taking the I'd of the drive till you return. It's clean and management fall over thier feet trying to accommodate your needs. It's private and comfortable. If I return this will be my hotel.

8/10

Excellent

28 Dec 2015

Verified traveler

Good value compared to similar hotels in Addis

Enjoyed stay very much. Unfortunately not close to a minibus route in Addis but is quite close to a station (Haya Hulet 2) on the new Addis Light Rail; frequently needed a taxi.

10/10

Exceptional

13 Nov 2015

Aryn

A great base for exploring Addis

If you are looking for high end luxury, the Caravan isn't for you. But if you are looking for a safe, friendly and convenient place to stay in Addis, you couldn't do better in terms of bang for your buck. The staff from the GM down to the porters are exceptionally friendly and helpful. The rooms are efficient and comfortable. And the restaurant has great food, including a fantastic Ethiopian lunch buffet. The hotel is located in the middle of a great dining district, so if your aim is to find the best Bozenza Shiro, Doro Wat, injera, Turbo & Tibs or juice bar, it won't take but a few minutes walk. A decent French restaurant around the corner as well. Taxis are plentiful, and the hotel has a good shuttle services too. I will definitely stay again.

10/10

Exceptional

06 Oct 2015

Bryce

Excellent Place to stay in the city

Spent a day in Addis Ababa on my way home from a work trip. Room itself was clean, modern and comfortable. Staff were friendly and helpful. Free shuttle to and from the airport was a great benefit as well. Would recommend to anyone looking for a reasonably priced hotel with great service.

10/10

Exceptional

30 Sep 2015

Marvis

3 star hotel, 5 star service

This is a 3 star hotel with 5 star service. Everyone went out of the way to make my experience there enjoyable. The neighborhood around the hotel is a bit dark but this is very common in Addis. I didn't feel threatened or unsafe.

Family

8/10

Excellent

04 May 2015

Rajiv

Decent Place Helpful Owners

We stayed here 5 nights. It is a family run hotel. One of the Owners, Mr. Nahom is extra helpful and polite. In general all staff is quite helpful and polite. we stayed in their Deluxe room. It is large enough to be comfortable and has a small balcony. The room size is okay. Cleanliness could be better. The mattress can give you a back-ache, if you have a sensitive back. For strong ones, it will be fine. The place is a bit far from city centre and requires to take a taxi. Unforthunately, there are few airconditioned taxi's in the city. Nahom helped us by sending us to our destination in the city centre each day in hotel van as a courtesy service. Cost he charged from us was quite reasonable. Food is nice and tasty. They also have a french restaurant in vicinity. All in all a place, where one would feel happy and comfortable. I would stay again.

6/10

Pleasant

23 Apr 2015

Nina

Terrible!

I only stayed for 2 days.
During that time, Elevator was not working & No internet connection at all.
Food was terrible and they did not have every other item you asked for from the kitchen, although it was listed on the menu.
Will not recommend for anyone to stay there.

8/10

Excellent

03 Apr 2015

James

Nice, newer hotel with excellent customer service

I stayed at the Caravan twice, three nights upon my arrival in Addis and five nights just before I returned to Canada.
It is a well maintained, newer building with all the amenities of home. The bed was very comfortable, the room was spacious and clean, lots of hot water and water pressure. The meals were very good and the staff are terrific, very helpful and happy.
There is a nice, clean, well maintained free airport shuttle that provides timely service to both the domestic and international terminals.
For a bit of variety, just down the street, a 2 minute stroll away, is an excellent French restaurant.
The hotel staff is very helpful and arranged a shopping tour of Addis for me with a local driver that knew all the sights and spoke extremely good English. Just ask, they bend over backwards to do their best to make your visit enjoyable.
I would highly recommend this hotel.

10/10

Exceptional

02 Apr 2015

Kristof

Nice, new and most importantly clean hotel

Stayed for two nights in a double room. A very clean and a new hotel, which is hard to find in the city. Comes with friendly staff, would go back there anytime. Currently cheap because unknown yet. Neighborhood is noisy as currently more buildings are under construction, but at least close to the center of the city.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

22 Feb 2015

Verified traveler

Great room

Room was great - quite and about 15 minutes from airport

10/10

Exceptional

01 Feb 2015

NEWTON

Excellent hotel with special service

Lovely and was far better than I expected. I will certainly return to this Hotel. I got more value for my money.

8/10

Excellent

01 Feb 2015

Elfadl

Caravan Addis Ababa is your good choice

quiet place and had good rest
Hotel is clean , furniture new and nice
only location is medium

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jan 2015

mike

Great 3 star hotel a little out of the way

Caravan is a great 3 star hotel. It has clean nicely sized rooms with comfortable beds. The bathroom was very modern and clean. You can take a shower without getting water everywhere. Internet worked good (consistent with bandwidth you find in Ethiopia). Staff was very helpful. Morning breakfast was fine. Only drawback is location. You need to take a cab everywhere (except the wonderful La Mandoline restaurant which is just around the corner). The value and comfort of the caravan makes up for a few cab rides.

8/10

Excellent

30 Dec 2014

Mina

Good value

I arrived at the Addis Ababa airport, assuming that because I'd arrange a pickup, someone would be at the arrivals gate with a sign waiting for me. Unfortunately that was not the case. After about half an hour someone from another hotel agreed for me to use their phone, but I had to pay \"for their credit - £2\". I called the number that I was given and I spoke to someone at the hotel who then told me that I had to go to the parking lot. Simple but not quite obvious to a traveller in a strange country.
I eventually found my ride but I had to wait another 20 minutes or so for another extra two passengers.
I got to the hotel approximately, 1.5hours after I had cleared customs - quite a long time considering that the hotel is only about 10mins away from the airport.
After the initial hiccups, my frustrations quickly disappeared once I got to the hotel as I found it quite clean and comfortable.

8/10

Excellent

21 Dec 2014

Noel

Excellent

Excellent, well recommended.

8/10

Excellent

08 Dec 2014

Franku

Pleasant stay

The Caravan is a small new hotel which is reasonable at the price.
It is however located in a more undesirable part of Addis Ababa - which wasn't a problem for me as i used the shuttle to & from the airport and i only spent two nights there.
It can be a little noisy at night, located in a residential / street side, vendor shopper area.

10/10

Exceptional

28 Aug 2014

Steve

Great value hotel with a extremely caring staff

Stayed at this hotel for a two-day trip to Addis Ababa alone, first time to Africa. The room was spacious and comfortable, they had all the working necessities of a modern hotel.

The most impressive part of the hotel is its staff! They genuinely care for everyone of their guests. They go way beyond what's expected of them at a hotel of this level. They take their time assuring the guests that they are safe during their day time activities. Also, they care about the general well-being of the customers and will stand up for guests if any issues arise.

Definitely recommend to travelers that come to Addis for the first time.

8/10

Excellent

12 Aug 2014

Doris

Good experience

I enjoyed myself at this hotel. It's in a very good location and fortunately a lot cheaper than other hotels around Edna Mall. I couldn't have asked for more and can clearly recommend giving it a try. The rooms are quiet, comfy, breakfast service is also very good. It's a good deal! They also offer free airport shuttle service.

8/10

Excellent

11 Aug 2014

Verified traveler

Nice, clean with friendly staff

I had a 12 hour overnight layover and decided to book my own hotel rather than using the Airline supplied one. Hotel is clean, quiet with a very friendly staff. By arranging ahead, I was picked up at the hotel and dropped off the next day which is a big plus. Breakfast is included which was a very nice plus. I will certainly stay at this hotel again!