Amazing location and view from the room; quite a large room, bathroom and balcony; very secluded, quiet and in the middle of nature, however not far from the churches (by local transport); great food (albeit limited menu) and fantastic views from the restaurant (sunset is stunning); friendly owners and staff and very good external guide (Kassahun is a star, who also organised local transport including to/from churches and airport); smooth (read almost non-existent) check-in and check-out; great value for money

Wifi was not working; very steep trail from the lodge to the restaurant (which leads to the main entrance/exit) and this is even trickier at night with very little light; the lodge and restaurant only accepted cash (and not credit cards) for payments (no on-site ATM)

The views are amazing, the rooms were excellent. The food was delicious and the staff super friendly and exceptionally fast!

Nothing, all was great.

Environment

Ben Abeba is known as one of the best restaurants in Ethiopia and its recently opened lodge right next to the restaurant does not lack behind. Situated on top of a hill, the lodge offers incredible views on the surroundings, both from the lodge and the futuristic restaurant - and same in its basic and its luxury edition. Haptamo, the friendly owner, is focused on helping his guests in case of any needs and is well connected in town which facilitates tours, hikes, airport pickup, barbecues or the famous coffee ceremony. Food at the restaurant is excellent and the staff really lovely. The bathroom was the best and cleanest during our entire stay in Ethiopia and beds were comfortable.

Super friendly staff, quick and anticipating! Very supportive owner making our stay a real treat! New and luxurious rooms!

Our stay at Ben Abeba was the cherry on the cake of an already spectacular trip to Ethiopia, and what made it even better is that it came completely by surprise. After spending two weeks in the Tigray region we decided to visit Lalibela on our way home and began searching for a hotel in the departure lounge of the airport. All of the hotels recommended in the lonely planet guide were full, but after searching again on Booking.com, I noticed Ben Abeba lodge and remembered the name from the highly recommended restaurant. The rooms looked beautiful and it was very reasonably priced, so I booked thinking at worst we’d be close to the restaurant. It was only when we arrived that we realised just how fantastic of a hotel this is! The rooms are beautifully furnished, very spacious, with a spectacular view over the mountains and valley below. With special touches that really set it apart from other luxury hotels in Ethiopia, like a beautiful bathtub also sharing the view, the rooms at Ben Abeba are far and away the best we have enjoyed in Ethiopia. With the amazing restaurant just metres away up the hill, we had to motivate ourselves to leave the room and go and explore the churches of Lalibela - they are just that good! The view of the sunset from the terrace of our room was one of the most stunning we’ve seen in Ethiopia, and the delicious dinner of locally sourced food, enjoyed under a start filled sky with a breeze in our hair made the whole experience feel almost magical. We can’t recommend Ben Abeba enough! Book now to avoid disappointment as I’m sure their 4 stunning rooms will sell out fast!