Hotel Palm Beach Ouagadougou
by the TopOfHotel team
Palm Beach is a central CBD spot on the main street of Ouagadougou, with a pool and a free airport shuttle — the draw is the easy price and the handy location in a city where rooms cost more than you'd think.
Palm Beach is a central CBD spot on the main street of Ouagadougou, with a pool and a free airport shuttle — the draw is the easy price and the handy location in a city where rooms cost more than you'd think.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
Hotel Palm Beach Ouagadougou is a compact 54-room hotel in a pale building in the middle of Burkina Faso's capital. First impression is a small lobby that feels homey rather than flashy, with sofas to wait on at check-in and a dark wood counter where staff greet you in French and basic English. Rooms are kept simple in cream-and-brown tones of fabric and wood that are easy on the eye, with a double or twin bed, air-con that's a must in a city that runs hot for most of the year, a flat-screen TV for local news, a small fridge for your water bottles, and a working en-suite bathroom. Some rooms have a small balcony looking out over the pool courtyard and the tall palms that sway in the wind. A few details show this is a hotel that's been open for years, but it reads like an ordinary guesthouse that's kept up well enough — fine for travelers who aren't chasing luxury.
Food and amenities
What makes Palm Beach more memorable than the usual budget hotel is the pool courtyard at the center of the building, ringed by tall palms, lounge seating, and bright African-print umbrellas. In the dry, hot Sahel, dropping into a cool pool after a day out is a small joy that's hard to find at this price. It's quiet around the water, with warm lighting at night — a good spot to sip a cold local Brakina beer and watch the sky over Ouagadougou without rushing. Inside, the restaurant and bar serve French-leaning West African plates and local dishes like poulet bicyclette (grilled free-range chicken) and riz gras (Burkina-style palm-oil rice) at friendly prices, and several reviews say it's the reason you don't have to head out for a late meal. Breakfast comes both continental and local, with fresh baguette, seasonal fruit, eggs, and hot coffee. Wi-Fi is free throughout but strongest in the lobby and restaurant, parking is free, and the front desk does simple CFA currency exchange for guests fresh off a flight.
Location and getting there
Palm Beach's trump card is its spot on Avenue Kwame Nkrumah, the main street through the Ouagadougou CBD, lined with restaurants, banks, embassies, and shops you can walk to or reach by a short taxi. It's a 5-minute drive to Ouagadougou Cathedral, whose terracotta neo-Sudanese architecture is a city landmark, with the National Music Museum nearby and the lively Grand Marché close by for color, fabric, and spice. Ouagadougou Airport (OUA) is only about 10 minutes away by car, and the hotel runs a free shuttle there — which matters more than you'd think in a city where haggling over a taxi after you land can be a headache. For anyone who wants an easy base into the city and a smooth run back to the airport, this works for business travelers, transit stops before connecting on to neighbors like Mali or Ghana, and anyone using Ouagadougou as a base to explore the villages around it.
Things to know before booking
Straight talk to make the call easier — Palm Beach has been open for years, so the rooms and furniture look dated overall, with wear on walls, carpet, and some fittings. Anyone expecting a brand-new room, a plush bed, or the crisp design of a 4-star and up may find it plainer than hoped. The second thing reviews mention often is the in-room Wi-Fi, which is unreliable — the signal is best in the lobby and restaurant, so a serious online meeting from your room may not work; bring a local data SIM as a backup. Third is noise and power — rooms facing Avenue Kwame Nkrumah can catch motorbikes and horns by day, so ask for one facing the pool courtyard, which is much quieter. Power across Ouagadougou cuts out from time to time; the hotel has a backup generator, though you may feel a short lag when it switches over. Last, service runs at a friendly local pace rather than big-chain speed — kind but not instant. For anything urgent, walk down to the desk rather than calling up from your room.
Our take
After reading through real guest reviews, Hotel Palm Beach Ouagadougou sells a central CBD location, a free airport shuttle, a small pool in a palm courtyard, and a friendly price in a city where rooms cost more than many people expect. If your trip looks like landing at OUA and getting to your hotel without thinking about taxis, heading out to the Grand Marché and the cathedral, sipping a local beer by the pool in the evening, then sleeping comfortably on a budget, Palm Beach is a tidy answer. But if you want a new room, fast Wi-Fi you can take meetings on from any corner, or a full spa, this isn't it — you'd need to move the budget up to something newer and better served. Overall we give it 6.8/10, best for budget travelers, short business trips in and out of the city, backpackers using Ouagadougou as a West African transit point, and anyone who values location and the airport shuttle over a polished room.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- Central CBD location on Avenue Kwame Nkrumah, the city's main street, with restaurants, banks, and sights like the cathedral and the music museum only about a 5-minute drive away.
- Free airport shuttle to and from Ouagadougou Airport (OUA), roughly 10 minutes by car — it cuts out the hassle of haggling over a taxi fare after you land.
- Outdoor pool ringed by a palm courtyard and lounge seating, a cool-down oasis that's hard to find at this price in Ouagadougou.
- Rooms start around $63 a night, which is genuinely friendly next to the city's overall hotel rates that sit higher than many travelers expect — a solid budget choice.
- Staff are warm in a homey, down-to-earth way and handle basic French and English; there's an in-house restaurant and bar for a late meal.
- Rooms and furniture look dated. Walls and carpet show long wear in places, so anyone expecting a brand-new room may be let down.
- In-room Wi-Fi is unreliable — the signal is strongest in the lobby and restaurant, so it's a poor fit for serious online meetings from your room.
- Daytime noise drifts up from busy Avenue Kwame Nkrumah, and the city has rolling power cuts the hotel covers with a backup generator.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Ouagadougou
Day tours, attraction tickets and experiences around Ouagadougou — book ahead on Klook with mobile e-tickets.
See activities in OuagadougouAffiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Insider Tips
- Ask for a room facing the pool courtyard and palms — it's quieter than the rooms facing Avenue Kwame Nkrumah, which catch the daytime traffic noise.
- Book the free airport shuttle when you reserve and confirm the pickup time again by email before you travel, so you skip waiting on a taxi with a hard-to-negotiate fare.
- Bring a power bank and a local data SIM in case the in-room Wi-Fi is slow and the CBD hits one of its rolling power cuts.