Peermont Walmont at the Grand Palm

Rooms and decor

Picture a scaled-down, Las Vegas-style resort complex on the west side of Gaborone — a hotel block, a theatre, a casino, a big pool, sports courts and several restaurants all spread behind one fence. That's the feel of Peermont Walmont at the Grand Palm. Walmont is one of three Peermont hotels sitting inside this complex, and at 188 rooms it's laid out as low-rise buildings scattered through tropical gardens planted with palms and native Botswana trees, so the mood is open and easy rather than tower-block tight. Step out your door and a few paces takes you to the pool deck; some rooms have a terrace that opens straight onto the lawn where kids can run around. Rooms run warm brown-and-beige tones with African-print fabrics for a local touch, soft beds and a clearly separated bathroom. The overall look is classic southern-African resort hotel — not full-on boutique luxury, but comfortable and roomy. Anyone who likes wide-open space, plenty of trees and none of the city-centre noise should be happy here.

Food and amenities

If this place has one selling point, it's that "everything is in one place" is actually true. The Grand Palm complex has the Mondior Casino, open late into the evening with table games and slots; the Gaborone International Convention Centre theatre, which hosts concerts, shows, stage plays and national-scale events; several restaurant styles, from an international buffet and a steakhouse to a cafe and a cocktail bar; a large outdoor pool in tropical gardens with sun loungers and a pool bar that serves cold drinks to your lounger; and tennis courts, a volleyball court and a gym free for guests, plus a large MICE conference centre that seats several hundred. The breakfast buffet is one of the most-praised parts — a wide spread of hot dishes, fresh pastries, eggs cooked to order, seasonal fruit and coffee and tea — and plenty of guests say it's the meal worth getting up early for before heading out. There's also an in-house shuttle bus that runs between the Walmont, Grand Palm and Metcourt buildings, so you can dip into the facilities of the sister properties as you like.

Location and getting there

The hotel sits in Gaborone West, on the west side of town, about 4 km from the centre and Gaborone's CBD, right on the A1 highway for quick trips in and out — and clear of the bustle around the Main Mall shopping district. It's roughly a 25-minute drive from Sir Seretse Khama Airport (GBE), and most guests get around by taxi, rental car or the hotel shuttle, since Gaborone has no metro or public transport that's easy for visitors. Nearby are the Game City and Riverwalk Mall shopping centres, a few minutes' drive away, and the Three Dikgosi Monument — a landmark statue of three founding tribal chiefs — isn't far. For anyone who wants to get out into nature, Gaborone Game Reserve and Mokolodi Nature Reserve, home to rhinos and other wildlife, are a short drive too. In short, this location suits people who come mainly to settle into the resort complex, then dip into the city or wildlife now and then — more than those who want a base for walking the city every day.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. The point reviews raise most often is that parts of the building and some rooms are starting to show their age — furniture, curtains, carpet and bathrooms in certain rooms look older than the 5-star tag suggests, with a faint 1990s-to-2000s feel that hasn't been brought up to date. Ask for a recently renovated room when you book, or go for a higher room category to get a better-kept one. Second is getting around: it's about 4 km from the centre and Gaborone's main restaurants, with no metro, so if you want dinner out or a movie you're calling a taxi or driving a rental the whole trip — budget the transport in. Last is the complex atmosphere, which gets fairly busy at times, especially on weekend nights when the theatre has an event or the casino is drawing a crowd. Anyone who wants the quiet of a boutique hotel may find it too lively. If you're travelling with small kids, ask for a room on the pool side or deeper into the gardens to cut the noise from the casino-and-theatre zone.

Our take

After reading through plenty of real guest reviews, Peermont Walmont at the Grand Palm is the hotel that sells the "everything in one place" pitch of a Las Vegas-style resort complex that's hard to find in Gaborone — casino, theatre, big pool, sports courts, several restaurants and a large conference centre all inside one fence. If the trip in your head is checking in and never going out — lounging by the pool, swimming with the kids, dinner in the hotel, then a show at the theatre — or a business conference where everything is a short walk away, this is about as neat a fit as it gets. But if you expect rooms that look brand-new and fully modern, or a city-centre spot where you can walk to restaurants and cafes, it may not deliver like other options. Overall we give it 8.2/10 — best for families who want the kids busy all day, business groups who need a conference centre with rooms attached, and anyone who wants a resort-complex break without leaving the gate.