Hotel Thule: Our full report

Hotel Thule is a relatively large hotel, with 25 rooms, perched atop a hillside in the capital’s suburb of ...

... Klein Windhoek. Built in the early 2000s, it boasts stunning views across the city from the pool, the restaurant and a large terrace – which is a great spot for sundowners. The rooms are air-conditioned and spacious with complimentary WiFi throughout the property.

Your first view of Hotel Thule is likely to be of it perched above you as you climb the streets in this corner of Klein Windhoek. Turning onto the palm-lined Gorges Street, there is a large car park ahead of you and a glimpse of the views that make this hotel quite special. Stone steps lead up to the reception desk, a currency-exchange facility and a small curio shop.

Beneath a large palm tree chattering with the birds is the entrance to Thule’s On the Edge restaurant, whose wrap-around panoramic windows offer an uninterrupted view across the city. The restaurant is decorated in neutral colours with dark wood chairs around small round tables or larger rectangle tables for groups. In the evenings, with the Windhoek city lights sparkling in the distance, an à la carte dinner menu is on offer. We understand that the restaurant is also popular with people not staying at the hotel.

Beneath the restaurant is a large, pleasant terrace, where guests can select from the terrace menu during the day or enjoy a drink while watching the sun go down. During our last visit in October 2016, although it was blustery, we enjoyed a wonderful Namibian tapas platter for lunch.

Down a further level, a small pool is surrounded by fake grass and a few tables, chairs and parasols.

Hotel Thule has 25 spacious en-suite bedrooms, decorated in light creams and greys. The rooms are comfortable, if not the most stylish, and benefit from complimentary WiFi and air conditioning. A large triangular, retro-looking console that juts out from the wall opposite the bed is complete with a television featuring a range of satellite channels.

Each room comes with a shower and bath, and complimentary toiletries are provided. There is also one family room that features more space, a sofa, and enough beds to accommodate a larger family unit. Hotel Thule would also be happy to add cots or extra mattresses to the standard rooms if necessary. One of the rooms has also been specially adapted to suit guests with limited mobility.

Our view

With the feel a larger hotel but maintaining the service and standards of a smaller guesthouse, Hotel Thule is a great choice for those looking to stay in Windhoek. Although the rooms are not the most modern or stylish that you will find in the capital, they are perfectly clean and comfortable. The on-site restaurant is also a big plus point during a stay at this property.

Chris McIntyre

Namibia expert

Geographics

Location: Windhoek, Namibia
Ideal length of stay: 1–2 nights
Directions: Hotel Thule is situated on Gorges Street. The drive from the international airport to the east of the city takes around 45 minutes.
Accessible by: Self-drive or Fly-and-Transfer

Food & drink

Usual board basis: Bed & Breakfast
Food quality: An impressive buffet breakfast is served between 7.00am and 10.00am in the On the Edge restaurant. During our last stay in October 2016 this consisted of a large choice of cereals, fruits, meats, cheeses and breads and hot breakfast items cooked promptly to order.

For lunch there is a good choice on the terrace menu, which can be eaten on the terrace or inside if preferred. We enjoyed a Namibian tapas platter with marinated olives, cheeses, beef biltong, droewors and grissini sticks, served with tomato chilli chutney. Two other platters were also available, as well as grilled beef rump steak, calamari rings and pan-fried hake fillet.

An à la carte dinner menu is offered from 6.30pm to 9.30pm. We did not eat here in the evening, but the setting is certainly spectacular and we hope that the food would match. The dinner menu that we saw during our stay included ostrich Carpaccio, prawns or snails to start, Oryx sirloin steak, roasted duck or vegetable stew for main and to finish a Belgian chocolate ganache or sticky toffee pudding.
Drinks included: Drinks are available at extra cost, including a good selection of wines as well as bottled water, soft drinks, beer and spirits. These can be ordered throughout the day from the guesthouse waiting staff.

Two bottles of mineral water are also supplied with in each room.

Children

Attitude towards children: Hotel Thule welcomes children of any age.
Property’s age restrictions: There are no age restrictions to stay at Hotel Thule.
Special activities & services: None
Equipment: Cots, highchairs and extra mattresses are available on request.
Generally recommended for children: Yes, Hotel Thule is well equipped for children and has one family rooms
Notes: As the property is set over a number of levels with stairs linking them, children may need to be supervised. The pool is also unfenced.

Communications

Power supply notes: Large round three-pin plug points are located in each room for charging camera batteries and electrical equipment. Travellers need to bring their own adapter.
Communications: Complimentary WiFi can be accessed in all areas of the hotel.
TV & radio: All rooms have satellite television with a range of channels, including sports, movie and news channels.
Water supply notes: All rooms have a plumbed-in shower and bath and a flushing toilet.

Health & safety

Malarial protection recommended: No
Medical care: There are doctors, medical centres and several hospitals in Windhoek.
Dangerous animals: Low Risk
Security measures: Hotel Thule has a fence all the way round the property, and a guard on the entrance 24 hours a day.
Fire safety

Activities

Cultural excursion

Extras

Disabled access: In Place
Laundry facilities: A full laundry service is available at extra cost
Money: There are digital safes in each of the rooms and currency-exchange facilities are offered in the main reception.
Accepted payment on location: Payments may be made by credit card (MasterCard, Visa, Diners and American Express) and in cash (Namibian dollars and South African rand).