A double was only 480 shillings, about four dollars each. The only problem was potential noise from the bar next door. The jukebox is always on full blast with screaming Indian vocalists or African reggae and the bar is completely enclosed in heavy duty wire mesh with a tiny hole through which money goes first and beer comes out afterward. It's a great night out but is definitely not for the squeamish. The back bar is quieter and you're more likely to meet someone there whose brains are intact, but this cannot be guaranteed.
Beers are always warm.
The difficulty was that the guidebook specifically warned against loitering in the alley between the bar and the lodge. So we proceeded onward and found another hotel, the Dolat, on the wrong side of Tom Mboya Avenue that offered private bathrooms. The cleanliness, space, and privacy of our room was quite a luxury after living in close communal quarters, often without any facilities at all. Foot traffic is constant day and night on Mfangano Street. In addition to the usual stream of normal-looking pedestrians, a small collection of hustlers hovered about.