The best accommodations Benin

Budget & Tips

As soon as you leave Benin's major cities, tourism is underdeveloped, as is the hotel infrastructure. To discover a region, it's best to secure a bed and breakfast in a town from which you can radiate. Room rates vary from region to region. In the south, and especially in Cotonou, prices are higher than in the north.

In hotels offering rudimentary comfort, rates for generally ventilated rooms range from 6,500 to 15,000 FCFA (except in Cotonou). Room furnishings are generally reduced to the bare minimum: a bed, a chair, a small table and a bathroom. In the most spartan establishments, a bucket of water is used as a shower, but this is rare.

In the superior hotel category, prices start at 12,000 FCFA for ventilated rooms, and range overall from 16,000 to 70,000 FCFA for air-conditioned rooms. In this category, quality establishments are beginning to appear in some towns. Top-of-the-range hotels are becoming increasingly rare, but are mainly to be found in Cotonou.

Please note that a tax of 1,500 FCFA is added to the room rate. We have included this in the prices given in this guide.

As for means of payment, very few accommodations outside Cotonou offer a credit card payment service. You should therefore always bring cash, bearing in mind that all banks in the country are equipped with ATMs and accept Visa and Mastercard.

To be booked

It's best to book your first night in a hotel in Benin, so you don't run around looking for a place to stay when you first arrive. As for seasonality, don't worry, you'll always find a room to put your bags down in. However, if you're planning to visit Ouidah around January 10 (date of the Vodoun festival), it's best to book in advance. And, above all, when the Parc de la Pendjari reopens, if you're planning to sleep there, the only option is the Pendjari Safari Lodge. So book in advance.

What's very local

In many of the country's villages, it is possible to stay with local people. Don't hesitate to ask an incoming agency about this when planning your trip. In the north-west, towards Koussoukoingou, you can sleep in a traditional tata. Unforgettable!