With doubles starting at around the $150 mark, the Pestana Rovuma is a clean, central, and comfortable mid-range option for Maputo. It’s one of the most imposing hotels on the city’s skyline, with bland Communist-era architectural features, but it’s centrally located right next to the beautiful whitewashed cathedral, and a two-minute walk from the French Cultural Center (which has a great cafe and regular movie screenings) across the street.

The lobby is in need of updating, but its 1970s safari-style theme certainly makes it stand out from Maputo’s other hotels. If there’s a line at reception, you can sink into the leather sofas and admire the overdone decor, with its wooden artefacts and warrior shields. The lobby stands in direct contrast to the outdoor swimming pool deck and terrace, which has more of a modern vibe; the small but clean pool is ringed with greenery and wooden slats, while the balcony gives pretty views of the cathedral and beyond. Service, too, is pretty reasonable, and there’s a handy foreign exchange service at the reception desk, as well as several ATMs in the small shopping mall that extends out from the hotel.

The double rooms won’t blow you away, and this certainly isn’t a spot for romance, but the beds are comfortable enough, and the air-conditioning units are effective, if a little noisy. Rooms come with small televisions, Wi-Fi access and en suite bathrooms – also in need of updating, but still acceptable thanks to a decent daily cleaning service. The Monomatapa restaurant, adjacent to the pool deck, offers decent dishes (think everything from pasta to Mozambican staples like piri piri chicken) and you can take a seat at the circular bar afterwards, to catch up on sports on the big screen.

Sure, it’s not Maputo’s best hotel, but this hotel is a perfectly acceptable option for a flying visit. It’s worth booking ahead, since it’s a popular choice with Mozambicans — particularly with visiting government officials. There’s also a taxi stand several feet away, as well as a big car park, if you’re arriving with your own vehicle.