Staying At A Hotel In Zouerat, Mauritania (Iron Ore Train 3)
Intro
During our one-night stay in Zouerat, we had no hotel booked when we arrived and had no idea where we were going to sleep that night. As mentioned in my post, around Zouerat, there are no more than 10 hotels.
Only in Mauritania…
What It's Like
We ventured into the center of town once we arrived and came across a hotel (what the name was, I have no idea). We knocked and eventually went inside to find it empty. Yeah, there was no one at reception and no one staying at the hotel, apparently. A very eerie feeling. 10 minutes after waiting for someone, we decided to leave and try the hotel across the road. A man approached us (not even sure if he worked there), and informed he could get us a room for 80$ for the night.
80$? No, thank you…
Across the road was Hotel Mama. A member of the group had been in touch with the hotel before they had left, and they informed her that the hotel cost was around 35$ USD per night.
This was supposed to be a solo trip, but as you know, I met this lovely couple in the airport and it became a group trip. We went for dinner, stayed in the same hotel, took the same car, and even flew on the same plane from Dakar, which got delayed 7 hours.
Once again, no one was at the hotel, lol. I mean, seriously, what is going on in Zouerat? We had already turned down the hotel across the road, so the lady decided to message them on WhatsApp. 10 minutes later, someone showed up.
This was no Hilton or anything of the such. You pay 35 USD (in local currency), and you get a key to a room.
Seeing as the hotel had nobody else staying in, we had our choice of the nine rooms on offer. The rooms are very basic, with a cupboard, nightstand, bathroom, and a bed. Perhaps I was tired since I didn’t sleep the night before, but that bed felt like a marshmallow; it was simply sublime, and I slept 12 hours straight. Additionally, free Wi-Fi was provided, which was enough for streaming a YouTube video as well!
The one downside to the hotel was the bathroom. There was no hot water (working), and the watercolor was properly grim. I’m usually not one to complain ( I go days without showering at times, depending on where I am/what I’m doing, like recently in Mozambique), but there were spiders climbing around the bathroom, rust everywhere, and it was a proper mess.
Lastly, someone will sleep in the main common room during the night for "safety". We had no idea as we woke up and found this guy in a sleeping bag.
Final Thoughts
If you are thinking about staying in a hotel in Zouerat, there aren't too many options. I would recommend Hotel Mama in the downtown area, as it is a close walk to the shops, and cheaper than the competitors. Be prepared to find nobody at the front desk, and to wait a while for check-in.😂
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