Hotels With Swimming Pools in Western, Rwanda

We know that the state of Ruanda has a strict and tough Corona protocoll and we don`t want to act against this at any time. We stayed from 13.12.2021 till 16.12.2021 in the Gorilla Lake Kivu Hotel in Gisenyi. The staff was very friendlly an helpful but the manager Mr. N.W. failed many times. Mr.N.W. saw at arrival the positive Covid-PCR-Test of my wife (former PCR- tests were all negative) and a negative Rapid-test of the same day, then he asked us to stay in the room, what we did. Then he promised us a medical consulting and examination (I’am a medical doctor too) at the same day and he promised to arrange a new PCR-Test on the 17.12.2021, after 4hours of waiting he gave us the information that he was trying, this was a lie, on the 17.12.2021 he admitted that he had done anything, but in the morning of this day he came with the police and insisted to her to put my wife a GPS-Bracelett on. At this situation I saw flickering $-signs in his eyes. He treated us as prisoners and not as paying guests, we had no daily housekeeping and nobody took care of us, nobody ask us for our personal daily needs, we get toiletpaper, exchanging of towels only on request even the paid breakfast, he was unable to organize the exchange of a not working lightbulb in the bathroom or to give us a moskitokiller, he allowed noisy und loud gardenparties which disturbed us till 4:00am in the morning. He was unable to arrange a personal talk between my wife and a member of the UN which was send by our niece working by th UN in Goma, we stayed on the groundfloor and a talk was easily made over the balcony. I wanted to say ”Good bye” to him on departure day he was inhouse but he didn’t want to see me. We are sorry to say but this is no hospitility or way to treat paying guests, we cannot recommend or appreciate this management. My personal opinion is, he ist the wrong man at this place, a manager’s duty ist to talk to guests and solve problems in a gentle, polite and diplomatic way and make guests feel comfortable and safe. This management is not 3-4 stars worth! The country is very polite, helpful and honest, what we can't say that about the hotel experience in this hotel. We also learned, that we were not the only guests, who make such an experience, really not a recommodation. Thomas ans Annette Guenster

The property is an oasis of beauty in the middle of a village. The large property has lots of native trees and birds, and the pool and fitness centre are a boon with the heat and all the good food. The hotel overlooks a “swimmable” lake (although there is too much plastic and garbage floating around to want to venture in). The staff are very friendly and accommodating. When we arrived, we wanted to ensure we had a quiet room, and I guess knowing they were hosting 2 private functions that night, they upgraded us to a luxurious 2-room suite with private (large!) balcony. Unfortunately we could still hear the booming music from the functions until 10pm, followed by more distant but still booming music probably coming from the local village. The buffet breakfast was wonderful, and the a la carte menu has lots of good options, although service was a little slow. Lovely first-class hotel.

Wow, wow and wow. This hotel treats you like a dignitary. This retreat is geared for the upscale traveler where cost is not an obstacle. It ain't cheap by any stretch of the imagination but like they say, you get what you pay for. They have thought of everything at this hotel. The rooms are immaculate, private and very comfortable. The service is impeccable. The food is gourmet and generous. It is like going to a Michelin star restaurant. The staff is EXTREMELY attentive and glow with appreciation that you are their guest. The hotel common areas are spotless and attended to with great detail, attention and care. Most people come here for the chimpanzee trekking. Understand that unlike the gorillas, chimps are far more mobile and like to climb high up trees. If you are lucky they will come to the ground long enough for you to get a good photo but for the most part, you are shooting up into trees. Once you get to the family, be aware that they may move again. As such, a short trek can easily evolve into a very long trek. Some travelers find that a chimp trek is much less rewarding than the gorillas who tend to be on the ground much longer and travel far less allowing for better photo ops. Having said all that, we got lucky and after a very strenuous 2 hour trek finally found a chimp family that was fairly stationary allowing us to get memorable photos. If you book this experience, go into it with an open mind and understand that there is no controlling chimps so you may have an amazing trek (like we had) or you may be disappointed. Unlike the gorillas which pretty much guarantee a 100% chance of a one hour encounter, chimps are a little less predictable. If you have ANY concerns about visiting Rwanda, put those worries aside. The regional airport in Kigali is very small and easy to navigate. The troubles of 30 years ago are in their history and today's Rwanda is warm, welcoming and very safe. We fell in love with the people, the country's spirit, breathtaking scenery and the wildlife. Being with gorillas is exhilarating and lifechanging. The Rwandan people embrace tourists and we always felt welcomed and appreciated. While not the cheapest destination in the world, it is a MUST SEE and we cannot wait to return.

We know that the state of Ruanda has a strict and tough Corona protocoll and we don`t want to act against this at any time. We stayed from 13.12.2021 till 16.12.2021 in the Gorilla Lake Kivu Hotel in Gisenyi. The staff was very friendlly an helpful but the manager Mr. N.W. failed many times. Mr.N.W. saw at arrival the positive Covid-PCR-Test of my wife (former PCR- tests were all negative) and a negative Rapid-test of the same day, then he asked us to stay in the room, what we did. Then he promised us a medical consulting and examination (I’am a medical doctor too) at the same day and he promised to arrange a new PCR-Test on the 17.12.2021, after 4hours of waiting he gave us the information that he was trying, this was a lie, on the 17.12.2021 he admitted that he had done anything, but in the morning of this day he came with the police and insisted to her to put my wife a GPS-Bracelett on. At this situation I saw flickering $-signs in his eyes. He treated us as prisoners and not as paying guests, we had no daily housekeeping and nobody took care of us, nobody ask us for our personal daily needs, we get toiletpaper, exchanging of towels only on request even the paid breakfast, he was unable to organize the exchange of a not working lightbulb in the bathroom or to give us a moskitokiller, he allowed noisy und loud gardenparties which disturbed us till 4:00am in the morning. He was unable to arrange a personal talk between my wife and a member of the UN which was send by our niece working by th UN in Goma, we stayed on the groundfloor and a talk was easily made over the balcony. I wanted to say ”Good bye” to him on departure day he was inhouse but he didn’t want to see me. We are sorry to say but this is no hospitility or way to treat paying guests, we cannot recommend or appreciate this management. My personal opinion is, he ist the wrong man at this place, a manager’s duty ist to talk to guests and solve problems in a gentle, polite and diplomatic way and make guests feel comfortable and safe. This management is not 3-4 stars worth! The country is very polite, helpful and honest, what we can't say that about the hotel experience in this hotel. We also learned, that we were not the only guests, who make such an experience, really not a recommodation. Thomas ans Annette Guenster

Wow, wow and wow. This hotel treats you like a dignitary. This retreat is geared for the upscale traveler where cost is not an obstacle. It ain't cheap by any stretch of the imagination but like they say, you get what you pay for. They have thought of everything at this hotel. The rooms are immaculate, private and very comfortable. The service is impeccable. The food is gourmet and generous. It is like going to a Michelin star restaurant. The staff is EXTREMELY attentive and glow with appreciation that you are their guest. The hotel common areas are spotless and attended to with great detail, attention and care. Most people come here for the chimpanzee trekking. Understand that unlike the gorillas, chimps are far more mobile and like to climb high up trees. If you are lucky they will come to the ground long enough for you to get a good photo but for the most part, you are shooting up into trees. Once you get to the family, be aware that they may move again. As such, a short trek can easily evolve into a very long trek. Some travelers find that a chimp trek is much less rewarding than the gorillas who tend to be on the ground much longer and travel far less allowing for better photo ops. Having said all that, we got lucky and after a very strenuous 2 hour trek finally found a chimp family that was fairly stationary allowing us to get memorable photos. If you book this experience, go into it with an open mind and understand that there is no controlling chimps so you may have an amazing trek (like we had) or you may be disappointed. Unlike the gorillas which pretty much guarantee a 100% chance of a one hour encounter, chimps are a little less predictable. If you have ANY concerns about visiting Rwanda, put those worries aside. The regional airport in Kigali is very small and easy to navigate. The troubles of 30 years ago are in their history and today's Rwanda is warm, welcoming and very safe. We fell in love with the people, the country's spirit, breathtaking scenery and the wildlife. Being with gorillas is exhilarating and lifechanging. The Rwandan people embrace tourists and we always felt welcomed and appreciated. While not the cheapest destination in the world, it is a MUST SEE and we cannot wait to return.

The property is an oasis of beauty in the middle of a village. The large property has lots of native trees and birds, and the pool and fitness centre are a boon with the heat and all the good food. The hotel overlooks a “swimmable” lake (although there is too much plastic and garbage floating around to want to venture in). The staff are very friendly and accommodating. When we arrived, we wanted to ensure we had a quiet room, and I guess knowing they were hosting 2 private functions that night, they upgraded us to a luxurious 2-room suite with private (large!) balcony. Unfortunately we could still hear the booming music from the functions until 10pm, followed by more distant but still booming music probably coming from the local village. The buffet breakfast was wonderful, and the a la carte menu has lots of good options, although service was a little slow. Lovely first-class hotel.