Avani Gaborone Resort & Casino

Rooms and decor

Picture a resort spread across a wide plot in the middle of Botswana's capital — you drive through the gate to green lawns, sered trees and big shade trees around a garden. That's the first thing Avani Gaborone Resort & Casino greets you with. This is the flagship of Minor Hotels (the same group as Anantara, out of Thailand) in Gaborone, and it reads as a city resort rather than the solid tower most chains put up — low buildings scattered around a pool at the centre of the campus, with shaded covered walkways linking one zone to the next. The lobby is open and done in the warm brown tones that are classic Avani, with work by Botswana artists on the walls and sofas that, by several accounts, make the wait at check-in painless. The main building dates back to the 1980s, when Gaborone was just finding its feet as a capital, and the last big renovation in 2019 freshened up the lobby, the main restaurant and the rooms in the Garden Wing. The overall feel keeps a South African flavor mixed with the clean, modern lines of an international chain.

Food and amenities

All 196 rooms and 8 suites are arranged around the pool and the central garden, most facing the green, and some upper-floor rooms have a small balcony for the cool morning air of the Botswana winter (May to August). King beds are soft, the cotton sheets are good, suites get a walk-in closet, and there's a sofa by the window that works for an afternoon of reading or laptop work. Bathrooms in the renovated wing are roomy, with a separate tub and shower and citrus-scented Avani toiletries. The outdoor pool is the headline — reviewers talk about it more than anything else, larger than you'd expect for a hotel in the capital, with clear water, loungers, umbrellas and a pool bar pouring cold Savanna cider and St Louis beer. Slip out of a meeting in town and float here in the afternoon and it feels like you've left the city without driving anywhere. The campus also holds Avani Spa, a 24-hour gym, a tennis court and a garden event space that, by many reviews, is a favorite for weddings and parties in Gaborone. For food there's a choice — Mokolwane for main meals, serving both the breakfast buffet and an a-la-carte menu of South African and international dishes; Sefalana Café for lighter bites by the pool; and a late-night spot in the casino zone. The breakfast buffet is the one reviewers agree on: well stocked, plenty of fresh food, a made-to-order omelette station, proper boerewors sausage, tropical fruit and a pastry corner that changes daily.

Location and getting there

Location is the big reason this hotel is a favorite of business travelers and diplomats from around the world. It sits in the Gaborone CBD, in the heart of the government quarter — under a 10-minute walk to the Government Enclave, the ministries and the national conference centre. Anyone in for a SADC meeting or with an embassy appointment saves real time. Game City Mall, the big shopping stop, is about 7 km away, an easy 10-minute drive, and Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (GBE) is just 14 km out, roughly 20 minutes in normal traffic. The hotel runs airport transfers by arrangement, bookable up front or through the concierge. If you're planning to tack on some nature, Mokolodi Nature Reserve with its free-roaming rhinos is about a 20-minute drive, and Gaborone Game Reserve in the city is under 15 minutes — the hotel arranges half-day tours at prices many reviewers say beat booking outside.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. The first thing reviews agree on is that rooms vary, old to new — the 2019 renovation didn't touch every wing, so some older rooms still have drab curtains, worn carpet and a 90s-style bathroom that doesn't match a 5-star price. Ask at booking for a room in the renovated Garden Wing; the difference is fairly clear. Second is Wi-Fi: the in-room signal is uneven, and rooms at the far end of a wing can be weak enough that you'll head down to the lobby or café — so bring a backup pocket Wi-Fi if you're online a lot. Third is the casino: it's on-site and open 24 hours, lively in a good way, but cigarette smoke and bar music can drift into the corridors at times, so ask for a room well away from the casino wing if you want quiet. Last, getting around Gaborone — the city has no public transport that's easy for visitors, and while taxis and Uber/Bolt exist, the pricing isn't steady, so if you'll be hitting several spots, renting a car or using the hotel car by the hour works out better.

Our take

After reading through hundreds of real guest reviews, Avani Gaborone Resort & Casino is the hotel that plays the role of Botswana's "5-star flagship in the capital" most completely right now — a central spot in the government quarter that business travelers and diplomats rate as their first choice, a wide resort campus that feels like an escape from the city without a drive, a 24-hour casino for the night-owl crowd, and that genuinely warm Botswana service that brings people back. If the picture in your head is a morning meeting in the capital, an afternoon by the pool with the African breeze, and a trip out next week to see wildlife at Mokolodi or Chobe, this is about as well-placed a base as you'll find. But if you expect the fully modern, design-forward rooms of a new 5-star in an Asian capital, dial expectations back a little and stick to the renovated wing. Overall we give it 8.4/10, best for business travelers who want convenience plus comfort, families who want kids to have space to run in the capital, and travelers using Gaborone as a base before heading out into Botswana's wild.