ANIRA Hotel & Suites: Lelydorp's Poolside Home Base Between the Airport and the City
A modern aparthotel with a Travelers' Choice badge, tucked into leafy Lelydorp with quick reach to both Zorg en Hoop and downtown Paramaribo.
Why Go
ANIRA sits in that sweet spot most first-time visitors to Suriname don't know exists: 15 minutes from the domestic airport, 20-25 minutes from the Waterkant, and surrounded by butterfly parks, warungs, and back-road adventure outfitters instead of downtown traffic. It's newer, quieter, and ΓÇö thanks to that outdoor pool and private balconies ΓÇö feels more like a mini-resort than a business hotel.
The Experience
Pull into Soebhasstraat and the first thing you notice is how green Lelydorp still is compared to central Paramaribo ΓÇö coconut palms, cassava plots, and the low hum of the East-West Link a few blocks away. ANIRA itself is a crisp, contemporary aparthotel: air-conditioned rooms with flat-screens, safes, private balconies or terraces, and bathrooms that lean spa-clean rather than tropical-rustic. The heart of the property is the outdoor pool deck, where guests drift back after a day up the Suriname River or a market run in the capital. Because it's an aparthotel, many units are set up for longer stays ΓÇö think workspace-friendly desks, quiet Wi-Fi that actually holds, and enough space to unpack. It earned Tripadvisor's Travelers' Choice designation early, which locally is a good tell that the housekeeping and staff attentiveness are punching above the price bracket.
What to Try
Book a suite with a balcony over the pool side rather than a standard room ΓÇö the extra square footage and the morning light through the palms are worth the small upgrade. Ask the front desk to arrange a driver for a half-day loop that combines the Neotropical Butterfly Park (a 10-minute drive) with lunch at a Javanese warung in Lelydorp; it's the classic Wanica District day and hard to DIY without wheels. If you're staying multiple nights, use the pool as your reset button between big excursions ΓÇö a morning at Fort Zeelandia and Waterkant, an afternoon float back at ANIRA, dinner at a nearby spot like 168 Restaurant or 'T Vat.
Insider Tip
Lelydorp is not walkable to downtown Paramaribo, and Suriname's rideshare coverage is thin ΓÇö so pre-arrange a car. Either book through 88 Car Rental or 4x4xJankie (both minutes away and used to hotel guests), or ask ANIRA to line up a trusted driver for the day at a flat rate. It's almost always cheaper than stacking one-way taxis, and it unlocks the interior ΓÇö Brownsberg, Colakreek, the Commewijne plantations ΓÇö which is really why you came to Suriname in the first place.
The Practical Stuff
Address: Soebhasstraat 22-24, Lelydorp, Wanica District, Suriname. Roughly 15 minutes from Zorg en Hoop Airport (domestic) and about an hour from Johan Adolf Pengel International (JAP/PBM). Free private parking, free Wi-Fi, outdoor pool, 24-hour reception. Rooms include AC, safe, desk, flat-screen TV, private bathroom with shower, and balcony or terrace. Payment is typically in SRD, USD, or EUR cash; card acceptance exists but bring backup cash for excursions and warungs. Aparthotel format means some units suit longer stays and small families.
Pair It With
- Neotropical Butterfly Park — A 10-minute drive from ANIRA and one of Suriname's easiest half-day nature outings ΓÇö perfect morning before a poolside afternoon.
- 168 Restaurant Guide — Nearby sit-down spot that's an easy dinner walk-or-short-drive when you don't feel like heading into Paramaribo.
- 'T Vat Sidewalk Cafe Guide — Classic Paramaribo people-watching terrace on the way back from Waterkant ΓÇö pair it with a downtown sightseeing day launched from ANIRA.
- 88 Car Rental Suriname Guide — Right in the neighborhood, making it painless to grab a car for day trips to Commewijne, Brownsberg, or the coast.
- 597SpeedUp Watertubing Guide — Local adventure operator nearby ΓÇö an easy adrenaline add-on to a Lelydorp-based itinerary.