The Strand Hotel Swakopmund sits right on the beach at the Mole in the Vineta area, and it is the town's headline seafront hotel. With 125 rooms in total, it offers a wide choice: Standard Rooms facing the garden or the sea, Luxury Rooms with full or partial sea views, a Luxury Suite, a Junior Suite with an ocean view and a Presidential Suite. A full-service spa with four treatment rooms, including couples rooms, offers deep-tissue massage and reflexology, with a sauna and steam room. Dining is a strength, with three on-site restaurants, Brewer and Butcher, Farmhouse Deli and Ocean Cellar, as well as a coffee shop. Expedia rates it 9.2 out of 10 from 170 reviews.
Location and getting around: the hotel's position on the Mole puts you steps from the beach, the jetty, the lighthouse and the Swakopmund Museum, and the town centre, with its cafes and shops, is a short walk. Tour operators for Sandwich Harbour, quad biking and Living Desert trips usually pick up from central hotels, so you rarely need a car for excursions. Walvis Bay is a short drive south.
The rooms: sea-view categories are worth the upgrade, as waking to the Atlantic is the reason to stay on this side of town. Standard Rooms facing the garden are quieter and cheaper. Families can choose a Standard Family Room or a Connecting Room, while couples looking to splurge can consider the Junior Suite, which has an ocean view. The spa is a pleasant retreat on a foggy afternoon, and the restaurants mean you can eat in without leaving the hotel.
Good to know: onsite parking is available only on request, so contact the hotel in advance if you have a hire car. No pool is listed on Expedia, so do not book expecting one. Breakfast is not shown as part of the rate on the listing, though reviews praise it, so check your rate plan. The coast can be cool and foggy even in summer, so pack layers. Who it suits: couples, families and travellers who want a classic seaside holiday base with plenty of services. Those wanting a smaller, quieter hotel may prefer a guesthouse or the Hansa Hotel in the centre. Book early for December and Easter, when Namibians holiday on the coast.
Why stay here
- ✓Beachfront at the Mole
- ✓Sea-view rooms and suites
- ✓Full-service spa
- ✓Sauna and steam room
- ✓Brewer and Butcher restaurant
- ✓Farmhouse Deli and Ocean Cellar
- ✓Coffee shop
- ✓Parking on request
Good questions
Does the Strand Hotel have a pool?+
No pool is listed on Expedia, though it has a full-service spa with a sauna and steam room.
Is parking available?+
Onsite parking is available only on request, so contact the hotel in advance to reserve a space.
How many rooms does it have?+
The listing says 125 rooms, from standard rooms to suites, with several sea-view categories.
