This delightfully old-fashioned relic of French railway days (1904) is without frills but it's high on atmosphere, with whitewashed walls, birds in the rambling garden and a pot-plant-filled courtyard. The rooms with shared bathrooms are pretty spare; treat yourself to one of the two generous-sized 'presidentielle' rooms. Greek, Italian or French-style dishes (Birr50 to Birr100) can be ordered in advance.
Rooms back across the railway tracks, in a more modern building, feature fans and plumper beds, but have less atmosphere. One downside: both the nearby Orthodox church and Islamic mosque employ loudspeakers to broadcast their prayers at ungodly hours.