Omali São Tomé

We stayed at the Omali at the beginning and the end of our Trip to Sao Tome & Principe for 2 nights each time. We booked throuhg a travel-agency, so transport and all was taken care of and worked without a hitch. As part of the "honeymoon-package", we got a free room-upgrade and were greeted with a bottle of Champagne once we got to our room. All in all we were quite happy with our stay, our introduction to the islands and the way we were treated at Omali. Arrival: We got picked up at the airport by a driver clearly identifiable by his wooden sign - though even "rival" taxi-drivers were directing us to him once we explained we had an arranged transfer. Check-in was quick and painless, baggage was taken to our room, which was bigger than we expected and everything worked as it should. Room (we had the Twin Room with Balcony): ＞ AC in both segments of the room ＞ Beach-towels and a bag to carry them to the pool or beach ＞ Shower with adequate water-pressure ＞ Mini-fridge, potable water, lemongrass to make tea and ground coffee to make in a french-press. (Though on our second visit, sadly the lemongrass was moldy) The rooms felt like they were being kept up, small things like slightly visible mold in bathroom seals, balcony doors having some gaps (which will make AC a bit less ecological) were noticed but nothing out of the ordinary for such a humid place. Food: The selection of warm foods for lunch or dinner is good, as is the quality! We felt prices were fair (compared to the CH, maybe not difficult...) - keeping in mind, that on an island, stuff just is more expensive, if you have to import it even more so. The much hyped chocolate-mousse didn't quite meet our expectation, though maybe thats not fair coming from foodies that love desserts and make them all the time. The cookie with peanut ice-cream on the other hand was delicious! Breakfast exceeded our expectations - it is of course not a standard european breakfast, so some things are "missing", but fresh fruits, baked goods (banana-cake, french toast) more than made up for that. Staff: We were always treated very friendly and felt welcomed from start to finish! From pick-up to check-in and being served at mealtime, staff was always accomodating, tried their best communicating in english with us and we always felt seen. Which we later learned, isn't a given even in a more expensive hotel on Principe... Location: Given that Omali was our "warming up" and "saying goodbye" to the two islands, we didn't much use the hotels amenities - gym, pool, tennis court went unused. It is nice though to just step outside the hotel and be greated by the view of the ocean. On our first day, we went on a trip walking alongside the beach to the capital Sao Tome, which was quite an experience. We were a bit taken aback by how quickly we entered what we identified as a slum-like district, but even though we felt like we didn't belong, there wasn't a moment were we felt unsafe. All and all, we enjoyed our time