I have just returned from a week stay at the Djibouti Place Kempinski.

I must say, the hotel is magnificent and I reckon it's one of the best hotel in Djibouti however everything is expensive compare to other cities around the world and the service at front desk are not of a 5 star hotel.

Upon check in, the hotel receptionist did not advised the hotel are under construction and it wasn't mentioned on the hotel website. I checked into a duluxe room overlooking the sea on the 1st floor right next where they are constructing a new wing of the hotel and throughout my stay, there's power surge daily and construction noise. You would think the hotel would inform the guests that the hotel are constructing and ensuring that they are far away from the construction as possible.

The housekeeping staffs are lovely and they clean during the day and then late in the afternoon, however the linens and towels provided smells from deal to not being dried properly. Each evening the housekeeping staff also offer turndown service.

The food is so so. the gym is rather small and it's on the other end of the hotel.

Upon check out, I encountered a problem as I had booked and paid via asiatravel.com and front desk receptionist advised they do not have any negotiated rate with the travel agent and the travel agent did not wired the fund to the hotel therefore I had to pay again. I asked the receptionist why didn't they try to contact me during my stay so that it can be sorted out before I checkout, they have no answered...I think the front desk staff need more training in customer service. I have since contacted the travel agent and they had contacted the hotel directly and I'm awaiting for my refund!!!

Impressive lobby with beautiful pieces of furniture and African art work displayed in the lobby. Great infinity edge pool with pool bar with the sea beyond. The beach, however, is all rocks and the hotel is close to the port, so how desirable it is to go in the sea is a question. Some very pleasant staff, but none appear to have received any training on what service means.

The hotel's architecture is a bit strange in that many of the rooms have views blocked by the front of the hotel so the view is of the roof of the arcade and a bit of the entry to the hotel. The sea-side views are hopefully not so obstructed.

Checking into my room, I found a dirty toilet and sheets that had not been changed although the beds had been made up. A manager came to my room to check and was very apologetic and the sheets and bathroom were cleaned. Unfortunately, for 6 days at the hotel, there was something wrong every day -- no towels one day, smelly sheets two days, A/C that didn't work, no amenities (same little soap bar for 6 days), no water bottles (they normally provide 2 complimentary water bottles/day - most days, I received none unless I called to get them). From hearing other peoples' stories, it appeared that those of us on the 1st floor had uniformly poor experiences while those on the 2nd floor had good experiences.

The restaurants are another story -- at breakfast, you cannot sit and talk after they close the buffet. The wait staff will literally come and take away your plate and cups as you are still eating or drinking as they want to get set up for lunch. And they can be quite aggressive. The prices are ridiculous -- $60 for the buffet and about $40 for anything on the menu -- none of the food is very fresh as Djibouti imports everything. Food is prepared in strange ways -- e.g., pasta bolognese has meat, but no tomato sauce. Most dishes do not resemble what they say they are. The sushi is to be avoided as, I understand, are the pizzas, which several people said were the worst they had had anywhere. On the buffets, the food sits for hours -- including salads with mayonnaise that were not kept chilled. The ice cream was wonderful and a real delight -- the mango was like biting into a chilled piece of fruit.

In the little cafe for sandwiches, you can wait 20 min for a simple sandwich -- they call them paninis, but mostly they are not hot or grilled (when I asked for one that was hot and well grilled, I was served a cold sandwich -- the waitress told me that after 20 min, the grill was just starting to heat up). It is faster to go up to the counter and get what you want -- including the bill -- but you are still in for a wait. We found that the food from room service was the best in the hotel.

A colleague and I wanted peanuts one day, something found easily in town, and were told none of the restaurants had peanuts and we should buy them in the shop. The shop in the hotel has computer accessories, but almost no food stuffs and nothing local -- a very meager selection in a nice large space.

The business center and internet access are free (except for printing at US$1/page) but there seems to be a block/filter on what websites can be accessed. Even accessing email or sites like Expedia and the BBC were difficult if not impossible. Some of us also found difficulties in cell phone reception in the hotel and also in Djibouti.

One begins to feel like a sucker staying here -- you are gouged for every dime possible and at these rates, it would be better to stay at a more modest hotel that actually delivers. And it's difficult to see this as a resort hotel. There were families there, but it doesn't seem very family friendly.

Of concern, if accurate, is that one of the staff told me that many of them work 12 hour shifts 6 days/week for a salary of about $325/month (at a hotel where one night is more than that). If this is an international hotel chain, one would think they would have more ethical business practices.

If you have to stay here, bring your own snacks and buy fruit and water in town (at about 1/6th the cost and fresher).

Understandably so, at $350/night, I had high expectations for the Kempinski Djibouti, especially after reading the reviews on Trip Advisor. There is no doubt that its aesthetics are impressive, but the hotel really does end there.

I must give it to the marketing team, as their pictures of the hotel on brochures make it look spectacular, but the reality is far different.

The food was abysmal; the customer service lacking; and they don't even have an airport shuttle or car service (they had 1 private limo but it was not available).

My tv did not work for the duration of my stay, and it took 3 follow-up calls to the reception to even get someone to come to my room.

There is no wireless internet in the rooms (only the lobby), so you need to use an ethernet cord if you want internet access in your room, and alas, the hotel did not have any available, so I was forced to work down in the lobby in the evenings.

The gym is very small (the size of a standard hotel room), and the air conditioning was not working in the room when I worked out.

As you can see, it was a highly frustrating experience, and the staff were not accommodating to such issues - I am not a fussy traveler, so this review does not come from your typical Type-A personality where they are never happy about anything.

Therefore, I highly recommend against the hotel, especially given the exorbitant cost for little in return. I know the competing hotel is the Sheraton, and I did not visit it, but given it is 1/3rd the cost, yet still arguably nice, I will stay at the Sheraton for future trips to Djibouti.

This is the best hotel in the all country. None of the other hotel can try to match it.
We have been rooming around the country and really enjoyed the luxury of this hotel at the end of our stay.
This hotel is really affordable we will never have manage to afford an hotel like that back home.
Food was exelent, we try the buffet wich was quite cheap and so much choice.
Swiming pool area was great.
Only two downside is that the hotel is not closer to the center. (Still not that far but you have to drive)
And the second one is that we get refuse at the entrance of they night club for not wearing appropriate choose, even so the club was empty and we just wanted to go for a drink.