Backpacking In Guinea-Bissau🇬🇼: My Stay At The Quirky, Arty, Colonial Style Coimbra Hotel in Bissau

Backpacking In Guinea-Bissau: My Stay At The Quirky, Arty, Colonial Style Coimbra Hotel in Bissau

Bissau, the eponymous capital city of Guinea-Bissau, might be one of the calmest capital cities you ever visit. It is certainly up there with Andorra La Vella in calm stakes. It is a relaxed capital with a very welcoming vibe. Life slows down a notch here in Bissau, which surprised me. 500,000 people live in Bissau, while just over 2 million people live in Guinea-Bissau. But here in central Bissau, where is everybody? Where are these 500,000 people?

I based myself in the capital city for three nights over Christmas. I really enjoyed the charmful chill of it all. This was nothing too wild for Sierra-Leone to come. My first two nights, I knew I had made an inspired choice as I stayed at the Coimbra Hotel and Spa. This place is magnificent!

Housed in a charming strawberry-red colonial building on the city’s main street, Avenida Amilcar Cabral, Coimbra Hotel and Spa is a pure delightful surprise for anyone backpacking in Guinea-Bissau. It’s a quirky hotel with lots of nooks and crannies.

It actually reminded me of a few previous arty hotels I have stayed in down the years, which were –

1.The Hemingway Inn, San Jose, Costa Rica.
2.Posada Los Encuentros, Panajachel, Guatemala (my “Writer’s Lair”).
3.The Queen’s Hotel, Kandy, Sri Lanka.
4.Casa San Ildefonso Mexico City, Mexico.
5.Malecon 663, Havana, Cuba

I knew I could get some inspiration for writing here and indeed I did. Here are my favourite things about my stay here:

1.The Building Itself

The building is magnificent. I had seen a photo of it before my trip, but didn’t dwell too much on it.

This is a magnificent strawberry crimson scarlet painted masterpiece whose façade and interior décor will remain memorable. Just admire.

2.The Library

Seeing books is something that will always inspire me and perhaps the gem of backpacking Africa is that you don’t see any kindle geeks with fake e-books. It’s all real books in Africa and I love that. The old world, the old school. The library here is a place to read, relax and write.

3.The Breakfast

The breakfast was fantastic here, I had it two mornings in a row. The choice of bread is huge from toast, to all types of sweet bread, pastries, croissants and cake. There are lots of fruit (papaya, watermelon, orange) and yoghurt option. There is breakfast cereal.

I was also told by Fabio, the manager, to try the range of juices. They have superb juices here, and in West Africa in general. My favourites are the Bissap Juice and the Baobab Juice. Other options include Mango, Passionfruit, Pineapple and Orange.

Then the hot food which is bacon and eggs. Plus a coffee or a tea as your hot drink.

4.The Internet

I had my desk for blogging and the Wi-Fi worked well here. When you are backpacking in Africa, internet can be excruciatingly slow. This worked well here and I could upload onto my Facebook and Instagram feeds easily here.

5.The Staff

Staff here make you feel at home, feel safe and you are welcomed all the time. When coming in and going out, staff always say hello and see you later. This is a Portuguese speaking country (plus local Creole) and the staff are well trained to speak English too. Adi on reception welcomed me.

It is also possible to arrange an airport collection for a price. I was collected at the airport after getting my Guinea-Bissau visa on arrival, and driven the 10 kilometres or so to Coimbra Hotel.

6.The Location

Coimbra Hotel is bang central! It’s completely downtown, as central as you can get. You are a short walk to the pier, harbour, fort, old town, new town, palace, square. Even the market and government buildings are a mere 20 minute walk. Plus, there is a restaurant opposite, a bar opposite and lots of cool bars, cafes and restaurants nearby. The location is perfect.

7.The Art

Coimbra Hotel is an arty place. These styles of accommodation never fail to inspire me.

8.The Courtyards

I loved the inner courtyards. It wasn’t too busy  on my stay so we could relax on the chairs or sofas, grab a cold beer and chill out in these pretty courtyards.

9.The Room

I was in Room S5 in the outer courtyard and it was spacious, airy, clean and relaxing. Here are some photos of my room.

10.The Peace

Bissau is a relaxed city as I wrote, especially for a capital city, but once you come inside the Coimbra Hotel, there’s a real peace, tranquility and relaxation here. Bear in mind that the Coimbra Hotel and Spa is bang central, it’s very peaceful and the view over the city prove this.

I also enjoyed the cool arty cafe Coqueiros (which Fabio recommended to me) and a short stay in the hostel at Pensao Creola, not far away.

Here are the details for booking a room at the Coimbra Hotel And Spa:

Coimbra Hotel And Spa,
Avenida Amilcar Cabral,
Caixa Postal 1082,
Bissau, Guinea-Bissau

http://www.hotel-coimbra-spa.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067320668254

[email protected]

+245 966 670 836

Here are some videos of my stay at the Coimbra Hotel And Spa:

Here are some more videos from my time backpacking in Guinea-Bissau: