Maribela Hotel

Set on a hillside on the edge of Lalibela, Maribela Hotel looks across the valley toward the highlands that give the town its name. The rock-hewn churches lie a ten-minute walk from the door, along with Bete Medhane Alem and the Tomb of Adam. Each of the nine room categories opens onto a private balcony, sized either 24 or 35 square metres, with a daybed and views over the surrounding landscape. Rooms run from a single with a valley-view terrace up to family and suite layouts that sleep up to four. The restaurant occupies a double-storey building clad in red stone, its terrace looking onto the mountains and the valley below; the kitchen mixes Ethiopian dishes with pizza, stir-fries and vegetarian options, mostly from produce sourced nearby. A coffee ceremony runs through the day, and the bar serves tej, the local honey wine. Staff are drawn entirely from the surrounding community. Since 2017 the hotel has planted 2,000 trees on an 800 m² plot of once-barren land nearby, now a small mountain park open to guests on foot. The name Maribela comes from the Amharic honorific for King Lalibela, meaning honey eater. Airport transfers, a 24-hour front desk and free Wi-Fi round out the practical side of a stay built on the town's steep terrain and its sunsets.