The Highlander Hotel in Mount Hagen is generally known as the best hotel and restaurant in Mount Hagen, but how true is that? Well if 2024 is anything to go by, not all that much so.
We were of course visiting as part of the 2024 Mount Hagen Festival tour, with the restaurant at the Highlander being done of our regular stops.
To read about the nightlife of Mount Hagen click here.
What the Highlander Hotel?
Outside of Port Moresby, which has places like the Holiday Inn and the Hilton most PNG cities are rather lacking decent hotel wise. Mount Hagen thus has but a mere one hotel of a high end standard and that is The Highlander.
The rooms here are very nice to be fair, although more of a 4 star rather than 5 star ilk. The fact is though that during busy times, such as the festival rooms can cost up to $1000 per night.
This means that peripheral places such as the Kuri Lodge where we stay are more abt. Unless you are the kind of cat that can afford 15k tours….
Oh and they have a nice swimming pool. They have been going at least since the 7 years I have been visiting Mount Hagen.
The Highlander Restaurant
The Highlander Restaurant is where all the cool kids hang out on the first day of the festival, such as those in Every Passport Stamp, yep those “people”. Therefore avoid the place on that day.
This is also usually the day when they run a buffet for about $14. Is the buffet at the Highlander Hotel in Mount Hagen any good? No it is awful value and you would be better doing the alacarte menu.
The main menu is full of western and a few Asian dishes, with the steaks coming out at around $25. They are pretty much most famous for their pizzas, which need to be ordered in advance.
On this particular night I went for the Wilhelm Trout (which will get its own article). I specifically asked for no salad and extra fries. I also ordered the soup of the day, pumpkin as my “starter”.
My main course came first and was filled with salad, while I refused to take soup as an accompaniment. The trout though as decent and the fries were passable, but in reality the quality nowhere near matched the price. This is not at all fine dining.
This leaves, in my mind at least Signature Restaurant as the best, while Mount Hagen Club is defiantly the best value! And yes I meant defiant, not definitely.
The Bar at Highlander Hotel
Which leaves us the bar for the Highlander Hotel, which is not all bad. The selection here is good and the drinks are more than passable, the huge problem I have here is how long EVERYTHING takes. This gains extra traction when you factor in that it really was not all that busy.
It is though cosy, there is a pool table outside and usually a bit of Rugby League to keep you entertained.
Overall if you are here long enough you will end up here, but if you are just on a flying visit then you can truly give it a miss.
Highlander Hotel and Restaurant Address
Highlander Hotel
Hagen Drive
Wahghi Parade
Mount Hagen
Western Highlands Province,
281
Independent State of Papua New Guinea