Esplanada Hotel

Perhaps because we are a corporate group we are being very well looked after but I think this place has a reputation for be the third best Hotel in Dili so I'm guessing that makes it good for everyone, not just the 15 of us who expect to be housed here for the next couple of years.

The hotel has about 35 rooms with a rate of about US$110 per night. That's expensive when you compare it to Bali but the prices here in Dill are inflated due to the UN cash being spent in the sity.

Each room is serviced daily by the very efficient housekeeping staff. Mine has a king sized bed, en suite, fridge and tea making facilities, plus a tv that I haven't yet bothered to turn on.

My air conditioner hums away every night to remind me that somewhere else rain might be falling.
Not here though. Each morning I get up and dressed, walk past the salt water pool and go up to the open air restaurant for breakfast and to enjoy the spectacular view out over the sea towards Atauro Island.

I have enjoyed breakfast, lunch and dinner here for a week now and I still haven't gone through the whole menu. If I do then I can start making up my own dishes and the chef will create it for me without hesitation as long as he has the ingredients.

The waiting staff are superb and dining is indeed a pleasure. It's no wonder the place is busy on weekends.

Meals range from US$7 - US$13 and the menu has a good selection of the three usual courses; Entree, Main and Deserts.
If the set menu doesn't excite then there are always some interesting dishes on the Specials Board and that changes each week.

The Hotel Esplanada Restaurant doubles as a bar and often turns into a nightclub when it hosts parties for the usual events like birthdays or Contingent socials that UN staff may decide to have.

My room is tucked away at the rear of the complex so I don't hear any of the music which sometimes continues until 1am.

On the whole I can see why NZ has put us here since 2006 and I expect the Kiwis will be here for another 3 years at least.

Don't expect Dili to come down in price until the UN departs.