Name: The George Hotel Kiribati
Address: PowerHouse Road, Between Sda & Kpc Church Compound, Bairiki Village, Kiribati, Betio, Betio, Betio, Kiribati
Rating: 8

Location

Red Beach

Bonriki Airport

The George Hotel Kiribati

Betio

My wife and I stayed 3 nights, meeting the hotel transfer at TRW Airport, waiting an hour for a listed passenger that never arrived, then spending an hour on the slow 29km main highway, arriving at 2PM.
A nice receptionist copied our passports before assembling her cleaning staff to discuss available rooms and find matching keys in absence of the manager. After checking a lower deluxe that was close to reception and the restaurant, we were shown a quieter upstairs room that we liked, even with the steep wooden stairway. After a chaotic check in (no toiletries, requesting a 2nd towel & a roll of toilet paper), my credit card was charged. 
Deluxe # 17 was spacious with a wood floor, queen and single bed, new large refrigerator, hot pot, nice satellite TV but missing a remote, chairs, bathroom with open shower with electric hot water and mirror above cold water sink. A side door opens to a balcony with a view over the hotel entry and thatched bar.  This door is behind the couch; the door does not stay closed otherwise.
The AC was quiet, set at 27 degrees (missing its remote control) and the room WIFI, coming from the restaurant (A$1/day) was secure but slow. 
The 6AM breakfast included corn flakes/WeetaBix with milk and many choices at extra cost off the a la carte menu( egg & toast, egg sandwich). We also ordered from the extensive lunch/dinner menu; Chicken sweet corn soup and egg fried rice, timely cooked and enjoyed in their open air palapa.
After crossing the flooded entry road, we walked 300m north, passing the fresh bread store, to the Wishing Star supermarket. We rented their nice hotel car (A$50) for ½ day to see the Parliament, Te Umanibong Museum and the Japanese WW11 Shrine.


Basic hotel near the commercial port with a Chinese restaurant.

George Hotel rooms are quite old now (sometimes with no mirror in the toilet) and most of the place is noisy as in the standard Kiribati life. Betio is not anymore a safe place to walk around especially at night (drunk people, kava, and worse), but the place is welcoming, staff is charming even when they explain to you that there is nothing to eat but chicken and one sort of fish. But George Hotel remains the best accommodation possible in Betio and perhaps in South Tarawa.

As convenient as possible

No cleaning service. AC cannot be adjusted. The toilet amenities are not hygienic. Meals are ok, $8AUD down is a cost for a basic meal. Hotel is far from main shopping area and there isn’t any taxi service available in the country. The hotel doesn’t provide a bus shuttle to transport paying customers to and from shopping areas. The Wi-Fi isn’t free as stated and it costs 1AUD a day. Breakfast isn’t free or included in the package

Minimum standards

Laid back environment with friendly staff. Free wifi for a day. Have laundry services. They can also arrange for airport pickup and drop off for free. Free breakfast also included. But very far from main shopping areas

Affordable and friendly staff

Really lovely buffet laid on for our group of four travellers.  Exquisite crab and lobster and plenty of other tasty items to enjoy.  We only used the restaurant and bar, but are glad we paid the George a visit. The same family has owned these premises for many years.

Excellent dinner

Stayed at The George Hotel for 5 nights, however 3 may have been sufficient. Situated on the densely populated island of Betio, in the far southern tip of Tarawa and 45 minutes from the airport. We emailed direct to book and to request free airport pick up with prompt reply received. Didn't realise how far it was from the airport but it allowed us to get a full tour of the half of Tarawa accessible by the single main road and to get our bearings. Accommodation is within a secure compound and although the hotel is older, it is comfortable, quiet and good by Tarawa standards. Pleasant outdoor gazebos for meals and casual drinks. Also has a large bar area and there is a night club opposite. Good meals and helpful, friendly staff. Walk to Betio wharf and many WW11 sites. Transport by either local mini-vans at a cheap fare, rent the hotel's car ($60) or motor bike ($30) Lots of foreign workers and Korean boat captains stay there. Would recommend.

Ideal short term stay

I was particularly impressed by the friendly and helpful staff both at reception and at the restaurant. They often did more to make my stay pleasant that was really required and it was much appreciated. First the good news:

There is a decent menu and generally good availability for choices along with fast and very friendly service. If you do not want rice with meals, they are happy to provide vegetables instead.Free instant coffee or tea is available 24/7. There is plenty of good parking for rental cars and it is very near the main road about the island so micro-bus service is frequent and cheap. As the shower includes an electric "instant on" water heater, there is never a lack of hot water for showers and shaving. There is an enclosed wardrobe, refrigerator and in-room TV. The bar area is well separated from the living areas so it is not noisy even on weekends.

On the not so good side, I left laundry for washing and got back partly my clothes and partly someone else's. The reception staff managed to make the exchange somehow and the next day I did get my own clothes back -- but it is a good thing I did not send out the laundry the day before I departed. Also the curtains let in too much light at night to get a good sleep. I used a blindfold left over from a long flight that worked fine but without it, I was not sleeping well at all. There was no mirror in the bath so shaving was difficult to do properly. There are few power outlets located in areas that are convenient for computer use in the bed area and none in the bath for electric hair dryers or electric razors. The main entrance from the road is through a 5 cm deep puddle after any rain. They have placed a few rocks in the puddle to avoid the water but they are not easy to navigate in the rain. The worst problem was that cleaning staff sprayed something in the room after cleaning. I am not sure if it was mosquito spray (yes there are plenty of mosquitoes) or air "freshener" but whatever it was it caused my eyes to water and cause some sneezing. WiFi was free but to get decent service, it is best used in the restaurant or lobby area.

Despite the downside, I think the George is easily the best place to stay on Betio and the great staff more than made up for the relatively minor problems.

Close to shopping and government facilities. Nice rooms and very pleasant staff

We had a nice lunch at this  hotel’s restaurant.  Menu is mainly Chinese, with lots of choices.   I had mushroom chicken with breadfruit chips and the meal was wonderful. Portions are generous.   No desserts were available at the time we visited.

This review is for the hotel restaurant

From Airport pick up to every engagement with the staff they could not be more cheerful and happy to help. I was impressed with tyem. The Hotel has everything a traveller may need. A bar, basic rooms with good air con, WiFi (not always on but fast when the Island network allows.) Food good enough to eat,  and cold beer.

Delightful

The hotel is well located within easy walk to the jetty, post office, shops and bus stops yet on a side street and set back from the road, thus cushioned from traffic noise and dust.
The staff were so helpful and kind. They never seemed to be in too much of a rush to assist and Atata set the perfect 'service with a smile' example for customer service anywhere with a proactive approach to meeting client needs.
(If you need to know where anything is in Tarawa  - such as the museum or shops for particular items, ask Atata :)
My standard  room had all that I needed for an island stay - hot & cold water, a fridge, air con, comfy bed and bonus lounge chair, plus everything worked.

The public areas were spacious and uncrowded offering a variety of options for groups of different sizes and the communal room was always clean, cheerful and inviting of guests to meet and chat while an abundance of couches provided a chill-out space for watching TV.

It was wonderful to see the commitment to recycling plastics and cans with well maintained storage crates on the property. 

You do need to look out for the entrance to the motel (or ask a local) because there is no sign on the street or at the gate.  See attached photo for view from the street.

The George Hotel Kiribati

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