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Protea Hotel Walvis Bay Pelican Bay, Namibia [Master Thread]

Protea Hotel Walvis Bay Pelican Bay, Namibia [Master Thread]

Old Dec 18, 2020, 5:58 am
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Protea Hotel Walvis Bay Pelican Bay, Namibia [Master Thread]

Protea Hotel Walvis Bay Pelican Bay

1 Review | 100% Recommended

Protea Hotel Walvis Bay Pelican Bay

Walvis Bay, NA

Protea Hotel Walvis Bay Pelican Bay Review (14 Photos)

Protea Hotel Walvis Bay Pelican Bay

After a crazy driving tour of Namibia on my own I decided to slow down rapidly and went to Walvis Bay, instead of Swakopmund. Admittedly I let myself be directed by the fact that there are no Marriott properties in Swakopmund, which is generally considered the more desirable place to be. However, I do not regret it.

This is a COVID period review, so everything is pretty much empty or not in demand. I initially booked this hotel for one night, then booked another night. Then a third, and then 5 nights additionally. All on points.

Check In

The first night when I checked in, I arrived at 20:30. I tried to check in with the lady at the front desk, not realizing she was only security. She had to call someone else to check me in. Apparently this other person was not well trained. I was given the cheapest room category that I had booked.

The next day the reception proactively reached out to me and upgraded me to a spacious Pelican Suite (what they also internally designate the Presidential Suite).

Again, Protea hotels do not seem to quickly get the bookings from Marriott, but they were able to find it with the confirmation number.

As an Ambassador member I got breakfast each day (I think everyone does). I was also offered the option of 500 points which I also received.

Room

The original room was a standard room with view onto the ocea and an outdoor patio. I liked the room in general, but you could tell that it was really beat up and in need of repairs. Slats in the closet doors wer loose or broken, the faucets could literally be twisted as a whole, etc. I did not take any photos of those rooms. I did notice that they were keeping all of the room doors open in the entire floor. I suspect this was to prevent dampness or mold to set into the rooms given the low occupancy.

Starting the second night I was moved to a very spacious suite. The suite is probably less frequently booked and seemed to be in much better condition. It consists of two bedrooms and 2.5 baths. The master bed also has a mosquito net (only decorative) and the master bath has a jacuzzi function in the bathtub. There is a large dining table for six, seating in front of a fireplace. Pretty much there are lounging areas everywhere. In addition there is a large warp-around outdoor terrace.

I was not able to get the fireplace to work (I suspect that there is no gas). I might ask the hotel if it generally works.

One negative about this room is that the wifi works poorly in the main room and terrace, so I end up having to sit at one of the desks in the bedroom to have a strong enough connection to meaningfully do anything.EA908D05-E19E-4ED5-9464-4C42A5713F57.jpeg6C223FA9-BAAD-489B-8EF8-2DB09D5B0FCE.jpeg98DF09E8-7C71-4BB0-B82D-51102A481B68.jpegEFE00636-7504-4251-813E-CF373EF6F622.jpeg9D14BB07-C4FB-4C9A-97D6-7F7E1B86E4F6.jpeg76640FF7-49A4-43FD-A380-47FA1E107B84.jpeg9B8945EC-6159-4094-BCFC-75ED53A17DB0.jpeg98ED5850-4118-4402-94CC-0C0469D549F7.jpeg00B6275B-7721-48A7-9A87-42006C6A38C1.jpegAEA46FC1-A938-4305-B239-FE4D5C363206.jpegCC95963E-9DAE-4235-AD51-DD98B7203AA8.jpeg23A8E688-5D27-4307-B7B3-4CC0D9FD82EE.jpegC9ACC06C-6870-4540-BBD3-D55C021718C7.jpeg6DB3C91F-F6AC-4C6D-9CBE-4E6D223117B8.jpeg

Location

The hotel is located in the souther half of Walvis Bay on the water. 

Nearby is the Raft, with is a decent bar/restaurant on stilts. Further there is another bar direclty next door with billards tables.

What is not so obvious is that if you head towards the yacht club there are actually several bars, restaurants and tour operators along the Harbour. Several options there including what looks like a good seafood restaurant, a grill restaurant, sushi and a sports bar.

The hotel is convenient to the Walvis Bay airport. 

A tip if you want to travel to and from Swakopmund - http://welwitschiashuttle.com. They can often add you to groups coming from the airport heading to Swakopmund. That means your trip can cost as little as 50 NAD one-way. They can also take you back. In the worst case it will be 200 NAD to get back if they have to drive you alone.

Dining

The breakfast has probably been the best of the three Proteas I have tested so far in Namibia. They have an omlette station.

The staff here is generally very friendly and ready to engage in conversation if you want to.

I also had room service brought to me. I had ordered a soup, main and dessert. For the first time in my life, the food was brought per course. Not sure if they normally do it this way, or if their low occupancy allows for this.

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cbellero is offline  
Old Dec 18, 2020, 9:10 am
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I appreciate the review. I'm glad to see an option for a Marriott property in the area. The decor looks very old school but I love a water view. And this looks closer to the Walvis Bay Airport than Swakopmund.
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Old Dec 18, 2020, 11:47 am
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cbellero

Thank you for writing a review of the Protea Hotels in Namibia. I've been watching for Air Namibia to resume flights to Windhoek and Walvis Bay so that I can take advantage of Protea options in that area. It's a steal at 20,000 Marriott Points for 5 Nights.

By the way were you able to get the 5th night free by adding nights one by one?

Cheers!
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Old Dec 18, 2020, 6:39 pm
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Thanks for the review! Glad to know that although it is showing its wear that the hotel is clean! I've booked it already for a trip next November! Thought about the Strand in Swakopmund but this hotel was quite a bit cheaper and as my wife and I are birdwatchers we've heard Walvis Bay is the better location.
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Old Dec 23, 2020, 2:16 am
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Swakopmund has a bit more options for night life and sightseeing, but you can also easily get there. I can recommend Daily Shuttle Swakopmund | Shuttle Walvis Bay | Shuttle Windhoek | Shuttle services Namibia as one way to get to Swakopmund if you do not have a car. If you can catch a bus transferring other passengers to Swakopmund, the ride can be as cheap as 50. If they drive you alone it is 200 NAD.

If you a taxi from Walvis Bay to Swakopmund then it will cost between 100 and 250 depending upon your negotiation skills.

Getting a taxi back can be a bit of a pain, particularly after 22:00 in the evening. I managed it always for a price of around 100-150 shared, but it wasn‘t the most comfortable ride. Make sure that your driver is sober!

https://swakopmund-dial-a-cab.business.site Offers 24 hour service that you can pre-arrange. I did not try them, but they seemed to be a upper-scale outfit. I remember there prices being about double regular taxis.

If you will not be drinking alcohol, then a rental car will probably be the nicer bet.

In December and a bit into January there are roadblocks and they are looking for seatbelts, drivers licenses, alcohol consumption, etc.
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Old Dec 23, 2020, 2:18 am
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Originally Posted by Intl359Widget
cbellero

Thank you for writing a review of the Protea Hotels in Namibia. I've been watching for Air Namibia to resume flights to Windhoek and Walvis Bay so that I can take advantage of Protea options in that area. It's a steal at 20,000 Marriott Points for 5 Nights.

By the way were you able to get the 5th night free by adding nights one by one?

Cheers!
I did not try...I booked one by one and then I booked 5 at once. I think I will book 5 at once one more time.

By the way, the other post about the transit company offers shared shuttle transfer each day to and from Windhoek for 280 NAD. I think it only goes to Swakopmund, though. If you do not have a rental car, then this is certainly an option.

At the moment I am regularly seeing rental cars for under 20 USD per day, so it is probably a better value to get one and not have the taxi hassle. Just be careful with Hertz. They use GPS tracking and will cause you problems if you travel like the locals and not according to the signs.
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Old Dec 23, 2020, 2:22 am
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I was originally planning on staying at the other property in Walvis Bay, but I have given up that target. I like this hotel too much to leave. My next stop will be an overnight again in WIndhoek before heading back out again into lockdown in Germany.
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Old Dec 26, 2020, 1:45 am
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I also discovered this company which does transfers directly from Walvis Bay to/from Windhoek: https://www.carloshuttlenamibia.com. Unlike the Swakopmund Shuttle, which has a single departure point, this bus will pick you up at your doorstep.

Last edited by cbellero; Dec 27, 2020 at 10:35 pm
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Old Dec 7, 2022, 6:04 am
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I had a one night stay at the end of my Namibia adventure and like cbellero, I was upgraded to the Pelican / Presidential Suite and late check out at 2pm was granted. I had booked a junior suite as it was basically the same price as a regular room. At check-in there was a menu of items available as the welcome gift and the room had a huge fruit plate welcome as well. The photos from 2020 still capture the room well but the decorative elements like flowers & candles were absent during my stay, as were the batteries to the tv remote! Dinner was tasty and breakfast was decent.

The hotel is a short walk from the docks many of the tour boats use and it was convenient to leave things in the hotel while on the cruise before heading to the airport (saw many whales!). They do not accept amex, including the Marriott Bonvoy type but other than that it was an overall good experience for my first stay at a Protea, especially at the low rates being charged.
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Old Jun 1, 2023, 12:18 pm
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Availability at this hotel disappears in early July and does not re-appear. Does anyone know what might be going on with them?
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Old Nov 15, 2023, 10:38 am
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Originally Posted by UserMark
Availability at this hotel disappears in early July and does not re-appear. Does anyone know what might be going on with them?
Seems like its now back and appears as a "new" hotel on Marriott, but looks like the same as before.
https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotel...-bay/overview/

There are not many great hotels in Walvis Bay. If the trip is for leisure, I would recommend staying at Pelican Point Lodge. Its located on the peninsula, 40min drive from Walvis Bay and its a guided self-drive (4x4 needed), or they also do pick-ups.
We had a fantastic time at the lodge and one of the highlight was kayaking with the playful seals.


Other lovely places on our Namibia trip were Little Kulala, Fish River Lodge and Damaraland Camp. I found this site and it was really helpful: 10hotels.com/namibia
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