Hello,
I am currently in Luanda and it's the second time i'm here. Last year I spent 3 months here.
Here is a travel agency. I know the owner and they work well. The website is www.charmetours.com
Here are my tips:
Angola requires three things: patience, professionalism and persistence. Plus LOTS of luck. Every time that you succeed in anything, no matter how small, you feel like you’ve climbed Everest.
Accomodation:
Hotel Avalade: Tel. 02 327470
Where we stayed as it has better prices than the Tropico and is almost as nice.
Hotel Trópico: 02 370070
The most expensive place in town, but also the nicest and has a good gym.
Driver:
We hired our driver away from Avis. In general you can get the drivers that come with the cars and then pay them directly. We paid ours $165 per week. Although relatively dependable he was as tricky as they come. You have to be very strict with them.
Avis: although the cars are crappy everyone else in town is even worse and more expensive.
Tel. 02 323182, 321551
Price: 45$ per day long term rent (More expensive now i think)
Banco Totta on the Marginal is where we would pick up our transfers. None of us had accounts. Transfers do take about a week to show up and you need all morning to pick them up, but it works eventually.
We used pre-paid cards from both Angola Telecom and Unitel. It is important to have both companies because many times you can only communicate with people through the same company.
Gym:
We recommend that you join the gym at the Trópico Hotel. It is expensive (550$ for three months) but it will save your sanity. This is a frustrating country and even if you are not a gym person, having somewhere to go to have a sauna or a jacuzzi and ignore the place for a little while is really important.
Restaurants:
There are actually quite a few nice restaurants in the city.
For PR you have:
Tamarindo-a bit stiff and popular at lunchtime
Pintos-GREAT cocktails, and the food is good too.
For fun that could also be PR you have:
Bahia-quite pretty, but the menu is not very extensive, great atmosphere too, especially in the upstairs bar
Caribe-On the Ilha, has its own beach, is very nice and tropical feeling and has good food, although the service can be slow to the point of desperation.
For just fun:
Cais de Cuatro: The restaurant with the best view of the city, this is on the Ilha but does not have a beach. It is on the waterside. Good food, slow service.
Fortaleza: Up beside the old fort this is a nice little intimate place that has very good steaks.
Coconuts-Recently redone it is now one of the places to go for dinner, same style as Caribe and just up the street on the Ilha.
Miami-Ilha, the beach restaurant with the liveliest atmosphere, live music some nights, Sundays are a big day, and pretty good for the social beach. The food, however, can be a bit problematic.
Palos is THE disco, the one that everyone goes to, spacially expats.
Dom Quixote: Just another disco, has gone in and out of fashion several times since we’ve been here.
I think all this info will help you. All the best,
xxx
