Kefetew Guest House

Absolutely raccomended Wonderful experience enriched by a great room, excellent location for my needs and everything was in order. Cleaness on point and nice staff. The owner very gentle and nice. Absolutely raccomended

We stayed at Kefetew Guest House as part of our vacation in Addis and had a great and memorable time. The owner lovingly takes care of her guests and is also a great cook. Since she knew I was from Germany and liked potatoes, there were potato dishes every day that were so deliciously prepared and seasoned that I liked them better than many places in Germany. The hostess is also very entertaining and helpful. She has experienced a lot and likes to tell about her life, always with a laugh. When I got stomach problems on the second day due to the change of food, she took loving care of me. She brought fresh fruit and baked light meals for my recovery. The amenities at Kefetew Guest House also include five dogs (love to Desta!) who always provide the best entertainment. We even had the honor of taking an excursion by car through Addis in animal company. Last but not least, the hostess showed us many things in Addis that we would not have discovered without her and had even more recommendations for us, e.g. which museums are worth seeing and where we can get good souvenirs. She made our vacation an unforgettable experience and we would choose Kefetew Guest House again anytime. It made our vacation a very personal and social experience, which we certainly would not have had in a hotel in this form.

Kefetew Guest House was our landing point for two days after arriving Ethiopia. Genet is a well-seasoned host, having lived and managed restaurants extensively in the U.S. before returning to her country of birth after the death of her father. As we were traveling with our two teeen daughters, we were covering a family room in the first floor. The room was spacious and clean, the beds were comfortable, the bathroom was excellent with ample of hot water. What sets this guesthouse apart, however, is the quality of food. Genet and her kitchen crew manage the perfect fusion between traditional Ethiopian food and dishes that are more easy to the Western palate. As traditional food is healthy and tasty, you will get used to it very fast, but if you travel with children, Genet's kitchen is a very good starting point from a culinary perspective. I would also like to remark that we left two suitcases at Genet's house for a charity to pick up in the following days. Not only was this not a problem to Genet - she even gave us an update once the goods were collected. Kefetew Guest House is located at CMC road, which is quite a busy road leading to the airport. At night however, the neighbourhood is quiet. You might however get an early wake-up call by the muezzin of a mosque situated nearby. To us, this was not a disturbance, as we considered this an exotic increase of our vacation experience. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - We would like to add the following general observations which we found helpful at the time of our travelling through Ethiopia (April and May 2023). These observations are not related to above review, but should considered as additional input for readers considering to travel to and in Ethiopia: 1. At the time of this writing, Ethiopia still suffered from the consequences of two years of Covid and 16 months of civil war. Tourists were still scarce, therefore we were both regarded as a source of potential business and as a welcome change in perspective. The Ethiopians we met were friendly, open and curious. We responded friendly and open ourselves, but remained firm when things got too overwhelming. 2. The majority of Ethiopians are orthodox Christians with a minority of Muslims. Although people are tolerant and friendly, they take their religion seriously. When visiting churches and mosques, the tried to treat these institutions with utmost respect and dignity, also with our dress attire (no tank tops please). If visiting a church on Sunday, we would recommend buying a white shawl to cover shoulders and (women) head, they cost almost nothing, make a good souvenir and earn you the respect of other churchgoers. Most of the churches have guides eager to explain paintings and structures - and bear in mind: If a curtain is covering an entrance or a painting, it is there for a reason and not as an invitation to boldly go where no tourist went b

Yes, as others have said, it was noisy (dogs, call to prayer, road, breakfast prep) but moteover it was kind, welcoming, authentic and beautiful. It attracts lovely, interesting guests and the owner and staff cannot do enough for you. It is very much like living in a large communal home than the usual guest house experience. The 6 small dogs are very friendly. The food is a little repetitive but delicious and bountiful. The immediate area is safe to walk around abd there is a good supermarket nearby. Massagescan be arranged.Taxis are easy to get and owner can advise you of what they should cost to avoid overpaying. She can also advise what is a reasonable tip to give her staff at the moment the end of your stay.