Amaryllis Hotel Blantyre

ORDINARY

VARIETY WORTHY OF A FIVE STAR HOTEL

The staff were extremely friendly, welcoming, and helpful. They assisted us with our luggage right from the car park to reception and to the room. During check-in, we were offered complimentary drinks, and upon entering our room, we were pleasantly surprised to find welcome snacks waiting for us. The rooms were very clean, comfortable, and the environment was peaceful and quiet. The hotel also has ample and secure parking space. The food was delicious and well prepared. In addition, I made a special request for a room with a view of Blantyre City from the balcony or window, and the hotel was happy to provide it.

The bathroom would benefit from a proper partition or barrier between the shower area and the toilet to prevent water from spreading into the toilet area.

Spacious rooms

First, if you are used to a certain level of "Western" hotel accommodations, this hotel is probably the best in that regard as relates to Blantyre. The Good stuff: nice room and bathroom. Big, spacious, modern. Clean sheets and towels. It is a nice hotel room. The breakfast was good.

I want to give this hotel a better review, but I just cannot. 1) Some of the staff are excellent. But others are just standing around. They have no clue what to do when you ask for help. I don't know why they are there because they are not working - especially in the restaurant area. And given the amount of problems I had with this place, I needed competent staff to help. 2) Let's start with the restaurant. It is VERY over priced. Especially when considering the quality of the food. What I ordered was average at best, but I paid top hotel prices. 3) The biggest problem I had has to do with overcharging. To be fair, I found this to be a problem throughout the city - even at other restaurants. You will order something from the restaurant, but then there are extra charges. For example, they added water though I didn't order it. The price for the main dish was higher on the bill then the on the menu. I had to have staff fix the bill 3 times!! So pay attention to the bill. I actually have copies of the 3 different bills, but decided there is no good reason to post them. My intention is not to shame the staff or the hotel. 4)I had a problem with laundry. I was quoted one price from the list when the staff came to pick it up - but then the total charge was higher when paid at check out. I am sure the staff/hotel will respond to my review with excuses or deny my claims. But I have no reason to make up stories. I have nothing to gain. The above is all true. This hotel aims to deliver world class service. I applaud their effort. But they did not, and perhaps cannot, deliver. In true African style, I encountered financial discrepancies and that is disappointing.