Polana Serena Hotel

Mozambique , Maputo
MAPUTO, Ave.Julius Nyerere 1380, P.O BOX 1151, 1380
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100 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

11 Mar 2026

Gina

Throughly enjoyed this property. The spa and grounds are amazing. Service is top tier.

10/10

Exceptional

23 Feb 2026

Maria De Carvalho

Perfect in every way!!!!

8/10

Excellent

30 Jan 2026

Anselmo

The hotel was great, modern and very large room, friendly staff, and beautiful pool and lobby. But it doesn't merit a five. The problem were the staff in the bar and restaurant. I had to ask two people for coffee at breakfast. Also had to ask about a sandwich at lunch at the bar. How can it take almost 30 minutes to get a sandwich?

10/10

Exceptional

05 Dec 2025

Anja Andrea

We enjoyed the pool

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Oct 2025

Domingos

Excellent

Business_and_leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

24 Oct 2025

Shari

I had a wonderful stay!!! The transportation to and from the airport was spot on!!!

8/10

Excellent

19 Oct 2025

Yolanda

Had a lovely facial at the spa. The staff there were excellent. There is also a decent gym to use.
The staff in La Veranda restaurant could do with a bit more training, but they do try hard!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Oct 2025

Bianca

The staff was very professional and helpful with all of our needs. Happy people working at the hotel. Amazing breakfast. The shower needs an adjustment cause the water temperature changes all the time from cold to super hot! 😅

Business_and_leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

12 Aug 2025

Vaibhav

Good location and helping staff

Business

8/10

Excellent

17 Jul 2025

James

Excellent property

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

02 Mar 2025

Nelia

Perfect

8/10

Excellent

31 Jan 2025

Steven

Stylish heritage hotel, but breakfast issues

Good looking classic hotel with good amenities (gym, pool, bar etc.), overlooking ocean and nice history - over 100 years old.

First time I’d stayed there and only negatives: there was very little atmosphere - restaurant and bar were almost empty each night. Perhaps due to the political issues in Mozambique at the time, there were less travellers.

More annoying was breakfast though - after the first morning (which was typical breakfast buffet), they changed without warning to a table service.
I am guessing again this was because they wanted to save money with the hotel not being busy.

I would not have an issue with this, however there were no menus on the tables, so you had to awkwardly make choices as the staff stood over you with the one menu! It also took staff an age to take the order, even though there seemed plenty of staff doing little.

If you want traditional style - I would stay again. For service and food, the Southern Sun is far better.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

21 Nov 2024

Cassidy

One of the best hotels I’ve stayed in. Staff goes above and beyond to help and make you feel welcome and comfortable.

8/10

Excellent

26 Oct 2024

Sylvie

No toiletries on the room unlike other Serena hotels

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

25 Oct 2024

Ngowari

Excellent customer service. The staff was extremely professional and helpful!

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

27 Aug 2024

Loris

Amazing Hotel altogether.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

13 May 2024

Issa

Very friendly, respectful staff and quite professional!! Love the people and the hotel!!

Business Friends

8/10

Excellent

29 Mar 2024

Mark

Second visit whilst on business. Great location and the staff are highly attentive.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

28 Feb 2024

Frances

Midweek break in Maputo

Stay in central Maputo was great. Very safe area, lovely gym and pool and breakfasts at Polana. Very helpful staff for first time visitors. Meals in restaurants within walking distance. Had a few fun filled days. Thank you.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Jan 2024

Amina

The area is very safe, right next to the presidency. I hope they can build elevators that get you from the main building to the rooms on the 4th floor. The views from the 4th floor rooms are amazing!

4/10

Poor

12 Jan 2024

idalia

o Hotel já não é digno de 5 estrelas precisa ser r

o hotel precisa urgentemente de uma manutenção.
a) 2 noites sem dormir por causa de mosquitos no quarto;
b) a piscina com tijoleira solta;
c) as camas da piscina com nodoas e esponja envelhecida;
d) a casa de banho do quarto envelhecida com a junção da tijoleira preta de humidade
De positivo o serviço do hotel, o pequeno almoço excelente e a infrastrutura colonial muito agravel

Self

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jan 2024

Sisa

Old Charm Hotel

Hospitality par excellence, the staff are friendly, kind and patient.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

27 Nov 2023

Juan Baptiste

Excellent !

Business Self

6/10

Pleasant

26 Jun 2023

Mohamad

Not worth the price, outdated

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jun 2023

Petra

Polana is a legend

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Apr 2023

Luis

Polana Hotel was a beautiful hotel and the staff was excellent. Loves the history and that it has been in service for 100 years.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

22 Feb 2022

Tammy

One night stop over

Quick one night stop over - Check in was quick , friendly helpful staff, beds comfy, room 415 great view. No milk for tea and coffee in room. Hotel needs Maintainence
Ate at the a la cart restaurant food was ok

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Feb 2022

Verified traveler

Very good hotel for business or leisure

The service is always good, rooms are well appointed and very comfortable. I prefer the main building as it feels more stylish but the new rooms are great as well.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jan 2022

Milton

Car parking, i was staying at 424 which is far from the parking ..You need to look on that

8/10

Excellent

27 Nov 2021

Andrew

Great Colonial Style Hotel - beautiful
Setting. Friendly staff. Just very slow food service. Rest is great!

8/10

Excellent

24 Nov 2021

Itzik

Hotel is beautiful, staff and service are amazing. Didn’t like the breakfast.

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

17 Nov 2021

Nathan

Staying at the Polana Serena is always a wonderful experience

Business

10/10

Exceptional

26 Jun 2021

Russell

Great spot

Great place to stay while in Maputo. Beautiful views and they took care of scheduling a COVID test for me.

Business

8/10

Excellent

29 May 2020

Verified traveler

Nice hotel and location. Spacey and comfortable all around.

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

12 Mar 2020

Omar

The restaurant, the fountains, the amenities. Pleasant and helpful staff

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

10 Mar 2020

Margo

Just wish they had a map showing facilities. I couldn't find the fitness club or restaurants. Walked around the grounds for a long time, getting lost (but it was a wonderful walk; the grounds are lovely). I finally asked, but it would be nice if their room services book had a map.

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

17 Nov 2019

Inga

Excellent hotel

My favorite hotel! Love everything about it.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

23 Aug 2019

Rick

Stay at Polana Serena Maputo

Gracious, luxurious old style hotel - outstanding service

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Jul 2019

Anna

Polana always great!

The Polana is a beautiful colonial-era hotel. Staff are super friendly and breakfast is amazing. The renovated wing is very nice with all modern amenities but I think loses some of its historic charm, but just depends what you’re looking for!

6/10

Pleasant

15 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Good service

Business_and_leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

22 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

Good and nice to stay

Business Self

6/10

Pleasant

18 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

Can consider

Business Self

6/10

Pleasant

14 May 2019

Michael

Bad senior mismanagement of a charming old hotel.

I don’t really know how to rate this place.
I stayed there twice in the past two weeks. It’s a beautiful old hotel with lots of charm, good food, friendly staff. But my room never had hot water. I informed the reception who sent someone to “fix” it but nothing changed. No apologies from management, no change of rooms nothing.

This week I stayed there again. I wake up yesterday to find the whole main hotel in pitch darkness. Fire doors closed, lifts not working, air con off, room key cards not working, only lighting in passages a few small small tea lights. I nearly walked straight into a glass painting at the end of the passage it was so dark. We sat in that darkness for 10 hours. My phone went dead. My laptop died. Couldn’t do any work at all. Some lame excuse about the backup generator not working. For a 5 star hotel owned by one of the richest men in the world? Really?
So - what did Mr Abishek Negi do to compensate us for this? He was around. He did nothing at all. No letter of apology, no offer of refunds, no free meal, not even a spa voucher. Nothing. Maybe he only does that for VIPs. I asked at reception what they were going to do and they just shake their heads.

Nope. That’s not how you run a 5 star hotel, anywhere, ever.

10/10

Exceptional

06 May 2019

Amy

Location, amenities, breakfast, staff... It's a great hotel and the service is very good too.

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

08 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

Great hotel. The service is well above the rest of the hotels in Maputo and only compare to Souther Sun. The swimming pool needs to clean properly though. It is the best hotel in Mozambique.

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

16 Dec 2018

tom

High class in Maputo

Accommodations and facilities were very nice. If only the air conditioner worked better to cool the room and lessen humidity levels in the room it would have been ideal.

10/10

Exceptional

20 Nov 2018

Mark

This is an exceptional stand out hotel, a real focus on food and service the, setting is absolutely beautiful. Easily the best hotel in Maputo, actually one of the best hotels in Africa at a very reasonable price.

10/10

Exceptional

09 Nov 2018

Dave

All the staff were very friendly and extremely helpful. Cannot blame the hotel for wind and rain for 4 days. Finding things to do was very limited. An excellent heated pool and spa included in the stay with treatments comparable to uk.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Nov 2018

Yilma

I was not satisfied with the first room they gave me and they soon changed it which I liked very much. Their service and courtesy shown by the entire stuff is phenomenal

10/10

Exceptional

31 Oct 2018

Albert

Colonial opulence

This is a gem in Maputo. From the minute you walk through the door the service and impeccable decor alike impress. The details in the decor is noticeable. Carefully crafted woodwork is all over also in the rooms. Has really been a treat to stay here.

10/10

Exceptional

03 Oct 2018

Jay

Beautiful old hotel that’s been nicely modernized in the rooms. Only 15 minutes from airport when traffic is light. Overlooks the ocean, good food, probably a little pricey for Maputo. Great people!

10/10

Exceptional

24 Sep 2018

Verified traveler

Great staff. Nice breakfast. Very clean. Good WiFi.

8/10

Excellent

03 Sep 2018

Verified traveler

Wonderful venue. I enjoyed the suchi at the pool bar.

10/10

Exceptional

03 Aug 2018

Verified traveler

My experience was norhing short of perfect. Staff, food, service etc.was highly professional. The Polana Serena is my new #1 oasis from home.

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jul 2018

Rafael

Like all my stays at this old lady of class, it is always up to par

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jun 2018

Lynn

Our favorite hotel

This is one of the best hotels we’ve stayed at, the history, beautiful building and fittings, views, cleanliness, friendly staff, best breakfasts ever.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Jun 2018

Nokuthula

It was amazing.

Family

8/10

Excellent

27 May 2018

Verified traveler

Great base for business in Maputo

We were in Maputo on business and arrived at the hotel at approximately 10am and were allocated a room immediately. This was greatly appreciated as we could freshen up quickly before proceeding to our planned meetings. Staff were very helpful - room comfortable with pleasant view. Highly recommended to people wtih business in Maputo

8/10

Excellent

27 Apr 2018

Verified traveler

Great view with excellent facilities

Great facilities, especially the spa and gym ....
Staff in the spa, gym and restaurant are excellent and provide very good services.

6/10

Pleasant

08 Mar 2018

Rolf Joachim

Still a good place to stay, but for how long?

The place is beautiful to stay in, with a good ambience. However, it seems their standards are slipping - their cleaning service is really slow, e.g. still cleaning rooms at 16h00 in the afternoon. The quality of their food is also not what I was used to, unimaginative evening buffet, room service delivering cold food (I had the most horrible club sandwich in a long time using room service) or items missing. The potential is there and it should not be difficult to get it back to the high standard it used to be just a year ago. It is not much, just attention to the small details that is required.

10/10

Exceptional

16 Feb 2018

Manfred

Fantastic

This is an amazing hotel. The rooms are luxurious and the grounds are well kept. The elevator is a real treat dating back to the 1950's. The food is excellent and the staff are very helpful and friendly. The gym is wonderful.

8/10

Excellent

02 Jan 2018

Verified traveler

Very good, minor issues with pick ups etc

The staff are lovely, the hotel is well kept, the rooms are nice, the breakfast is superb. Only issue, and its a recurring one, they tend to mess up their airport pick ups. They fail to turn up, are not responsive to changes in flights (for example if your flight is delayed, they are unlikely to be there) and the name on their register may or may not be your name, which means you may find yourself waiting for a ghost guest. Its my only real peeve with this place. Highly irritating to arrive in a flight that has been delayed for hours, only to find its 11 pm and the hotel forgot to pick you up, or worst yet you are the first one out of the airport, but since the guest listed is not you, you must then wait for every last passager to get through customs, luggage etc before you can leave. Its such a silly thing, but it shows lack of planning. Also sometimes the resturant/kitchen is VERY VERY SLOW. Not what you can expect for this kind of hotel.

8/10

Excellent

27 Dec 2017

Dave

Excellent hotel, excellent amenities and our room was very nice, the service was generally good but not necessarily to the standards of such a high-end hotel, at one point the hotel overcharged us for room service and it was unnecessarily complicated to resolve, overall we enjoyed the stay

Family

8/10

Excellent

12 Dec 2017

Habib

Really nice relaxing and quiet comfortable place t

I stayed a total of 4 days - I was lucky to be in the refurbished wing with very good view of the sea. The first room I stayed wasn’t great but was them moved to a really lovely room (room 526). It has a balcony that came handy for chilling with a glass of wine and some relaxing classical and jazz music.

The Aquarius bar was very nice, when there was no rain. Lovely knowledgable staff (at least of the South African portfolio of wine) - teally nice.

8/10

Excellent

12 Dec 2017

Mas

a week stay

Excellent hotel with beautiful view. Not very good food. The buffet is not recommended at all.

10/10

Exceptional

28 Nov 2017

Fabio

Best just got better

I've stay at the Polana Hotel for many times over the past few years on my business trips to Mozambique. Although the hotel has always been a reference, recent changes in management has shown great impact, particularly when it comes to quality of service.

4/10

Poor

19 Nov 2017

Bob

Beautiful Hotel. Terrible Service

The hotel and facilities are beautiful, but the service at the hotel was way below the normal Serena quality. I waited over an hour for my meal with the waiter never coming back to check on me. I was served wine which was quite possibly the sourest glass I've ever had.

Upon checkout, they put me in a vehicle to the airport which ran out of gas halfway there. This is not what you expect from a 255USD per night hotel. I would recommend avoiding until something changes. There are plenty of other hotels in Maputo. Try another. Also, I am a HUGE Serena fan. I try to stay in them wherever possible. But this experience was terrible.

8/10

Excellent

25 Oct 2017

Verified traveler

Good for work, calm and pleasing environment

Lovely place. Classic and nice environment. They forgot my at the airport, but otherwise great. I am not keen on silly excuses for why they forgot me. yes, the flight was 2 hours late, but they had all the details and should have been ale to plan. Everybody else planned.

10/10

Exceptional

05 Oct 2017

Joao Paulo

One of the Best Hotels where I stayed

Fantastic Hotel, fantastic staff, fantastic location

10/10

Exceptional

24 Sep 2017

Jonny

Stylish with history

Grand, beautiful, stylish with history, great backdrop of the Indian Ocean and very near the city centre

8/10

Excellent

03 Aug 2017

Lynn

Charming

Enjoyable as always. The history of this hotel is fascinating.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jul 2017

Lynn

As beautiful as ever

The best in Maputo

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jun 2017

Chris

Maputo Adventure

Great place to stay. Fernando and all of the staff were wonderful. Maputo was a lot of fun but you need to fix the pavements. Abrigado

Partner

8/10

Excellent

06 Mar 2017

Verified traveler

Very well kept facilities and excellent attention of the personnel.

10/10

Exceptional

06 Feb 2017

Rebecca

Extra special honeymoon!

Great service and people! Went over and beyond to add special touches to make our honeymoon feel extra special! Looked after our bags when we left town to visit an island. Nothing was too much of a hassle! Will return.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Oct 2016

Andrew

This hotel is exactly as it reputation precedes - quite simply 5* in every detail. Sheer class.

10/10

Exceptional

15 Oct 2016

Verified traveler

Amazing

Excellent hotel. Would recommend without a doubt.

10/10

Exceptional

07 Oct 2016

Christine

A treat

Great service, facilities, and room. Craft market is not even a 5 minute walk from the hotel. Worth a visit if you are looking for something to take back home. The pool is beautiful. Breakfast is very nice.

10/10

Exceptional

02 Sep 2016

Daney

Gem in Maputo

Very nice place for meetings and relaxation. Easy for guests to find.

8/10

Excellent

19 Jun 2016

Mike

High-class hotel but a bit dated!

Great hotel for a business stay. Close to city centre but away from the bustle. Great grounds but east/west facing so no sun on the pool area after 1530 (June). Colonial style dating from 1922 but great service and good food, though breakfast lacks a decent fruit salad! Bar is disappointing, dull, depressive with no atmosphere.

10/10

Exceptional

29 Apr 2016

Tim

Fantastic headline city hotel.

The detail was amazing. Was embarrassed at times as they treated me like god. Went to the Trip Advisor #1 restaurant but soon went back to the Polana. Plan to rebook for a stay there tomorrow. Very nice professional and friendly staff who looked after this particular demanding employee well. Had issues with IT which were dealt with efficiently and professionally.

10/10

Exceptional

11 Mar 2016

Paulina

I will def go back to Polana Serena

Not much sightseeing but enjoyed our visit to the Tshifina Island and fish market.Not forgetting that we were harassed several times by police,they made us feel so unwelcomed and we definitely felt like foreigners.

Family

8/10

Excellent

07 Mar 2016

Rafael

Great sea view

As usual, my stay here is always great even though my room was not up to scratch this time

10/10

Exceptional

15 Jan 2016

michael

Maputo: Polana Serena Hotel

Fantastic time in Maputo.Friendly people, lovely food, hot weather, lovely eateries and bars on Julius Nyere Avenue and surrounding areas.
Most beautiful is the Polana Hotel,excellent facilities,pristine condition.
Would definately love to revisit!

Partner

8/10

Excellent

07 Jan 2016

Thoko

The service can improve more especially in the pool area.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

22 Dec 2015

Rafael

In and out of Maputo

Booking was a breeze, the hotel excellent, the stay to short.
I will use Expedia for my future bookings, great service

10/10

Exceptional

04 Nov 2015

carolina

Close to the beach and restaurants.

Nice, good rooms, good spa. Good restaurant and cafeteria.

6/10

Pleasant

13 Oct 2015

Eustace

Disappointing

Average hotel, specular heritage property that is managed as if it were an average 3 star hotel.

Great spa.

6/10

Pleasant

20 Sep 2015

Richard

Pretty poor Polana

The room was ok but I had no hot water after the first night. The solution was to change rooms which is a hassle. Breakfast is VERY ordinary compared to the other good hotels in Maputo. Standard rooms aren't in the main hotel which is also a little inconvenient. Can't say I was too impressed and will stay elsewhere next time.

8/10

Excellent

16 Sep 2015

han

I forgot my weddin ring and the hotel staff tracked my flight and had it delivered to me in my seat just prior to take off. Sherlock Holmes could not have done a better job.

10/10

Exceptional

31 Aug 2015

Verified traveler

I requested a room in the main building as most of my meetings will be there. While they could not accommodate me on the first night, the front desk staff helped me to move to a very nice room in the main building for the remainder of my stay. Thank you very much.

10/10

Exceptional

05 Aug 2015

Verified traveler

Must stay!

Great property at a good location.

10/10

Exceptional

31 Jul 2015

Verified traveler

Great hotel with good service and excellent overall experience. One suggestion would be to add more dishes on the vegetarian food options for travellers like me.

10/10

Exceptional

06 Jun 2015

Ernst

It's an experience

Fantastic

8/10

Excellent

24 May 2015

Verified traveler

Great Hotel, old or may be just stuffy room

This is the best looking hotel in Maputo. Service is first class and the facilities, from the pool, to the bar are excellent. There are only two areas that I think they could improve on. First, my room was located in a section at the far end of the pool. The view was nice and I didn't mind the extra walk, but the room itself was quite musty and by the third day I could really notice it. Not sure if these are just old rooms or if the location makes them musty, but it was a bit of a downer. My colleague was in the main part of the hotel and his room was no bigger but did not have the same musty smell at all.

10/10

Exceptional

31 Mar 2015

Shamir

Polana Serena always wins my heart

Excellent hotel, always stay here. Highly recommend. Ask for the main building if possible, newer rooms. Although the other/front building has dated rooms, views are better of ocean and ever room has a small patio.

10/10

Exceptional

24 Mar 2015

Verified traveler

Good choice in Maputo

great hotel service and location. A bit dated in some parts but still very goos.

10/10

Exceptional

03 Feb 2015

Hilna

Awesome

Very sophistic loved the room and the service

6/10

Pleasant

14 Jan 2015

Verified traveler

Pretty nice, but needs maintenance

We stayed for two nights in late December. The staff are very friendly and generally helpful and competent. The restaurant food has reasonable variety, but it is far from remarkable or memorable.

The hotel's hot water system broke down while we were staying; the pipes spewed some brown gunk. When we asked the front desk, they were polite, but completely dismissive, saying there was nothing to be done, which is a bit odd for a very expensive hotel.

Travelers should also know that the hotel's shuttle is not a courtesy. They charge $20 a person. If you have little luggage you will be better off taking a taxi.

Our room was very clean and the beds were very comfortable.

The hotel rating needs a downward update. Polana would be a very good 3-star hotel.

8/10

Excellent

22 Dec 2014

Molton

good hotel

Good hotel but restaurants in-house are not that great.