Bamako

Supermarket Le Miniprix is actually the best one with the best service and with the lowest prices. They have a very clean store and are open 07:30-22:30. They also accept US and Canadian dollars, and euro.

Bistrot/restaurant/bar in a small street. Eating in a courtyard. Very good and friendly service. Daily special includes local dishes, à la carte steak, fish or spaghetti. Well stocked bar. Recommended.

Restaurant serving good authentic African cuisine, on a square just off a main road. Not luxurious but good. Beer and wine are available but, because of the proximity to a mosque, don't be surprised if on Fridays they ask you to keep the bottles out of sight on the floor. They have a second location at the Musée National.

Restaurant and bar. One of the strangest sights on earth. Malians in velour cowboy hats and vests serve Tex-Mex dishes in the restaurant while blond Russian professional women work the bar. Must be seen to be believed. The food isn't bad either.

Another Lebanese joint with slightly higher class food than the rest. Nice shawarmas, pizzas, and good mixed salads are on the menu here

Bla Bla is where Bamako's upper crust go to relax and have a (expensive) cocktail or bottle of champagne. With a small but delicious African menu, a wide range of cocktails, and cold draft beer - it is one of the most popular restaurants to see and be seen. A starter here is around US$15. Also this place frequently has art exhibitions for local artists.

La Terrasse is a very large bar/lounge on top of a night club. Very good atmosphere and salsa music, dancing. Good pizzas and other fare.

Popular Lebanese hangout in Hippodrome with quick food and free Wi-Fi access. Pizzas, shawarmas, and hummus are the stars on this menu.

A Western style restaurant which is pretty much the only place you can find a "real" hamburger with "real" cheese. Also on the menu are breakfast burritos, chicken wings, and shakes. Great if you are missing the comforts of home. Burgers only run US$4 without fries but expect to pay up to $12 for a full starter.

Has a pool, French restaurant and bar. Food good but not cheap. Make and sell their own ice cream! You can pay to use the pool if you're not staying there. The rooms are smallish but clean and air conditioned, with wireless internet.

Rooms are small and make sure that you get a room at the garden side otherwise don't bother unless you like to get up early with the traffic noise. Italian restaurant on ground floor is good but pricey for Bamako. Advantage is the Azar supermarket next door and the café/restaurant le Relax.

Swimming pool, tennis court, internet access. The hotel is by far one of the oldest in town. Nice-sized, very clean rooms with large windows that open. Good service. Restaurant reasonable but the breakfast buffet is a little overpriced. Both the jewellery lady and Tuareg crafts vendor in the lobby will try to massively overcharge you. Give them a miss: you'll do better at the Marché des artisans in town. Small book store in the lobby with a decent selection of Malian books and newspapers. Staff haven't figured out how to clean out the pool - give it a miss. Internet reliable and fast, by local standards.

Most luxurious of the three Azalai hotels in Bamako, and one of the best in town. Very nice pool. Expensive but nice restaurant. Central air, big beds, TV, immaculate bathrooms. Hotel bar popular with "professional" women.

This is probably the plushest of all the hotels in Bamako along with the Radisson.

Laico Hotels took this over from the Kempinski Hotel Chain.

This is one of the newer hotels in Bamako with excellent, large rooms and free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel for guests. The ACI 2000 area of Bamako is however quiet and removed from the hustle and bustle of downtown.