I just want to share a warning about a dreadful hotel experience we had to ensure others avoid it. We had the great misfortune to stay in the most vile place due to problems with bookings on our way up to Essakane for the festival in the desert in January.

Anyway we ended up staying one night at Hotel Camping Touareg and I can only warn people about what they face if they do stay there.

We had to sleep two to a bed or mixed in rooms - and this was early into our tour so we didn't really know each other well enough, but we had no choice. This upset one person but from my point of view wasn't the main issue.

My concern was hygiene or rather the lack of it. The first problem was that the only shower in any of our rooms (ours) backed up immediately. The owner (an Austrian woman, not a local) didn't seem at all concerned and couldn't understand why we thought it was a problem. By the next morning the toilet in our room was also backing up and the stench would have turned my stomach if the previous night's dinner hadn't already.

Four of us were sick after eating dinner there. It really was spag bol to die for! The next morning I found the remnents of dinner floating in the sink out the front - in six inches of muck. I was glad that I'd done my washing in that sink the day before when it was free of food. Ick! This meal was her second attempt as she'd burnt the first and it couldn't be eaten. Even the mice it the kitchen seemed put off by it.

There are more stories I could share about this place but that would take days. The main thing is that I would like to save people from her if at all possible, just cos it can prove dangerous to stay there.

I certainly don't want to discourage people from travelling in Mali. I had the most wonderful time. So good in fact that I'm going back again in December. Everywhere else we went was fantastic and I can wait to do it all again, just without the food poisioning this time. We were safer in the areas without electricity and running water.

Got to Mali but avoid this one hotel (it really was our only bad experience) located pres do Monument de la Paix in Quartier Abaradjou.