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Introduction
Hilton Windhoek is located in the capitol city of Namibia and is closely located near business and cultural attractions. With Windhoek being a major starting point for safari tours in Africa, the Hilton Windhoek makes for an excellent stay prior to the start of any safari adventure. The delicious restaurant, roof top bar and pool, and luxurious rooms make an excellent use of Hilton Points.
Booking
Windhoek does not have many hotel chains available for award bookings using points. There is one Hilton and a couple of Marriott options in town. For this booking I used 26,000 points for a room that normally would have costed $135USD. Typically, Hilton points are worth 0.5 cents per point, so this award booking points rate was to be expected.
When factoring in lounge access and free breakfast, due to be a diamond member, this booking was a way better option than Marriott. Anyone can become a Hilton diamond member by signed up for the Amex Hilton Aspire Credit Card.
Room (5/5)
The rooms were well decorated with quality materials and no signs of wear and tear. For the standard size room, it felt pretty large with a beautiful bathroom and shower area. The room offered excellent views of the city, however the windows were a bit dirty. I suppose that is to be expected in a windy desert. The word wind-hoek actually means “wind corner” in Afrikaans.
Like my stay in the Hilton Cape Town, I was not upgraded to a better room for having diamond status.
Pool (5/5)
The roof top pool and bar area was a nice surprise providing excellent views of the city. There were plenty of lounge chairs available to sun bath and relax. At times it could get pretty windy, but it was still enjoyable to sit up there and have a few beers.
Executive Lounge (4/5)
Various food options were available in the executive lounge, so much so, that going out for dinner was not necessary. A good selection of local beers were available along with liquor, coffee, tea, and soft drinks.
The staff working the lounge was very friendly and ensured the lounge was spotless. Only complaint was that the WiFi reception was very poor in the lounge and pool area.
Surrounding Area (5/5)
Cultural and historical sights were within walking distance of the hotel along with many shopping areas. The surrounding areas were safe, clean, and providing great opportunities to stroll around the city.
Food (5/5)
Food was delicious at this hotel with one of the best breakfast spreads I have seen. Plenty of custom food orders were available for breakfast along with several types of juices and tasty bacon. The Hilton in Cape Town had no bacon so I was very happy to see plenty of crispy bacon here.
If you are starting a safari after breakfast, be sure to fill up since the first day will likely involve many hours of driving.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Hilton Windhoek is the perfect stay prior to the start of setting out on a safari in Namibia. The comfortable rooms, relaxing roof top pool, lounge, and breakfast buffet make for a great use of points, especially if you have diamond status with Hilton.
Travel in Africa requires many hours of flying and driving, so stopping by this hotel is a much appreciated relaxing experience.
