Residential Avenida

São Tomé


An easygoing mix of locals and foreign visitors, this is the best midrange option. Spread out on ground level, it has a communal vibe, with a central thatched-roof bar and restaurant (mains €9 to €15; fish is a speciality) and popular TV. There's a nice spread of clean and simple rooms, including triples and two-bedroom suites, but they're a bit dark. English spoken.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby São Tomé attractions

1. Presidential Palace

0.05 MILES

It's hard to miss the huge pink presidential palace, which faces the cathedral, but unfortunately it is not open to the public. Two bored guards do a…

2. Nossa Senhora da Graça Cathedral

0.09 MILES

While fairly humble as cathedrals go, the Nossa Senhora da Graça is one of Africa's oldest, and a testimony to persistence, as it has been destroyed and…

3. Mercado Grande

0.3 MILES

Alternately fascinating and repellent, the Mercado Grande is divided into two cavernous and adjacent halls, the Mercado Municipal and the newer, and…

4. CACAU

0.47 MILES

The Casa das Artes, Criação, Ambiente e Utopias (House of the Arts, Creativity, Environment and Utopias) is an ambitious attempt to create a true cultural…

5. Claudio Corallo Chocolate Factory

0.61 MILES

Claudio Corallo is both an extraordinary person and a local institution. For over 40 years this native Italian has pursued an overriding passion for…

6. São Sebastião & Museu Nacional

0.65 MILES

São Sebastião is a small fort that houses the national museum, a few rooms of artifacts simply presented. The eclectic, somewhat decaying collection, in…

7. Roça Bela Vista

3.36 MILES

While this roça (plantation) is modest in size, its buildings are in very good condition relative to those found elsewhere, and include the large manager…

8. Roça Agostinho Neto

6.51 MILES

Once the grandest plantation in STP, Agostinho Neto is now the grandest symbol of its decline. The impressive entrance, a wide boulevard leading to the…