L'Auberge Lafia

Mali


As far as Bamako cheapies go, the simple, bare and generally clean rooms here are pretty good value, although they can get very hot if the fan isn't working (power cuts aren't common but they do happen). The sleeping quarters are also back a little from what is already a quiet street.

The rooms are ranged around a bare courtyard that could possibly be a microcosm of Malian life - children careering around, men lounging in the shade and, occasionally, women cooking. Among the gathered throng, guides are drawn here but the hotel's friendly owners will sometimes help you to shake them off if they become too persistent. For all the bodies, the atmosphere is generally pretty laid-back and agreeable, especially on a warm Sahelian night. The place isn't signposted, and the owners were thinking about changing the name to Maison Dhoté, but everyone in the surrounding streets knows it by its old name and can point you in the right direction.


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