Good areas to live in Addis

Hi,

Me and a colleague are moving to Addis for a project of at least 6 month duration. Our company intends to rent a house for our accommodation. Can you pls suggest what are the good areas for comfortable living. We would prefer a lively area with enough eating options as neither of us could cook to save his life :-)

Another friend of mine who has been to Ethiopia last year sounded me off to security concerns there. And he strongly recommends staying in a hotel instead of a rented house. Any advice on this?

I would prefer to use my credit card for purchases and would really like to know if these are widely or rarely accepted and whether Amex is accepted?

Thanks!!!