We stayed overnight at Iman’s Hotel, Boundiali in Côte d’Ivoire.
Check in was straightforward and we were soon being shown to what appeared to be the largest of several individual and detached rooms in the grounds. However, having been told Wi-Fi was unavailable in the room due to the distance from reception, we tried a standard room in the main building next to reception. However, as there was still no Wi-Fi, we reverted to the original offering.
A large ante room had a metal framed sofa, two matching chairs and a coffee table with a wobbly leg. It was light and bright for reading and equipped with a TV, empty fridge and a fan. A small lobby with a large wardrobe led into the bedroom which was also a good size and furnished with four more chairs and another coffee table. The double bed was hard, and the only covering was a sheet which was helpful in the heat, although there was air conditioning. Of the two bedside tables one had a non-working plug point. All the soft furnishings were in traditional colourful patterns.
The large bathroom was light and wet room in style, but with a wonky shower rail and nowhere for our toiletries and just a bar of soap provided. The shower was reasonable, but the tepid water could not be adjusted.
The lovely rectangular swimming pool lacked loungers, although during our limited free time it was too hot to sit out.
Around the pool was an open sided restaurant. At check-in we’d been asked to pre-order dinner and although there was an extensive menu, most of the dishes turned out to be unavailable. We were asked if we wanted chicken, fish (but not a fillet) or guinea fowl and we opted for chicken yassa with attiéké, a traditional Ivorian dish of fermented grated cassava.
As the only Wi-Fi was in the restaurant, we went down early aiming to have a drink and check messages before dinner. However, on arrival, we were greeted with a table already laid with a boiled egg salad, huge tureens of the chicken yassa and attiéké, accompanied by a basket of French bread. The food was fine, and with more meat on the bones than the previous night when we’d had the same dish in a different hotel. However, we couldn’t do it justice and once finished, moved to another table to signify completion. The Wi-Fi irritatingly dipped in and out and we were the only guests all evening.
We were also asked to pre-order breakfast with the receptionist suggesting millet. We declined and asked for fruit, fruit juice, bread with either jam or cheese, thinking it would be interesting to see what arrived. Despite eggs not being mentioned, we were presented with a tomato and onion omelette, along with croissant and bread, a brand-new jar of apricot jam, an unopened chilled carton of apple juice, four peeled but pippy oranges, and a massive flask of hot water and Lipton’s tea bags.
This was again, one of the quirkier hotels on our tour of Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire.
