ザ リトリート(The Retreat)

We stayed twice at the Retreat in December 2023, 5 nights in total. Many travelers seemed, like us, to be booked as part of a tour - ours was with Singita. We stayed in a King Suite and a Pool Villa. Overall it was a disappointing experience, especially at the price point. In an effort to be factual and fair, here is what we observed: GOOD Neighborhood is quiet, leafy, and well-situated. Breakfast offers good variety. Buffet and a la carte are offered, coffee is good. Rooms are quiet. Property is spacious and stylish. Netflix in the room was handy during jet lag. DISAPPOINTING Broken room fixtures that could be fixed easily - the AC, and the shower (pic). Patios are unswept (pic). Hangers are broken (pic). Window shade wouldn't open (pic). Laminate floor peeling near the bathroom entrance. Front desk service, while at times friendly, was unhelpful with basic requests. They exchanged currency with a hefty commission - roughly 15 USD per 100 changed. They were somehow unable to summon a taxi for us. Most disappointing was that the AC repair, the usual housekeeping and additional bottles of water were requested at 9am and by our return from the city at 5pm, the room was just as we left it, without even the usual housekeeping. It was clear staff forgot, as they rushed to the room to begin fixing the situation. We have traveled quite extensively through East and West African countries and at 500 USD per night this kind of service is unacceptable, and surprisingly subpar compared to other reviews. Our cousins were in town at stayed at the Marriott, which is a huge hotel and thus an apples and oranges comparison, but they had an easy and predictable experience. If back in Kigali, it would be a no brainer to stay elsewhere.

A huge pool villa in its own compound. Ultra private and intimate 125 m2 hotel room in the center of Kigali. I have enjoyed the heated sea water pool and the excellent breakfast service and the kindness of the staff. It was also very quiet for a business stay.

The restaurant was out of this world, mostly because of the great staff Fatima and Aline who took care of us in the best possible way. Nothing short of super! Food was good, pricing reasonable. The restaurant and staff gave the place that extra thing that would make us come back again. The rooms how ever where perhaps not 100% in terms of size and the placement. They were clean but the room i got was at the back facing construction rubble on the yard and the balcony was blocked by some sort of bamboo screen which made the room dark. The services that the hotel offered was perhaps a bit overpriced. Having said that the restaurant and especially the immaculate staff Aline and Fatima was the thing that saved this trip for us.

Spectacular gem in a nice leafy and serene neighborhood. Greeted by the staff in a heartwarming welcome song. Clean rooms. Two great options for dinner on site. Nice open air bar with a warm bartender. Great boutique including custom tailored clothing. So good that we ended up coming back for a third night after a disruption in our travel plans. Staff were super friendly!

Dined at the restaurant. Mbabzi was my server, and her service was excellent! The food was good, and rhe ambiance peaceful and serene. My masseuse was also phenomenal. She has amazing hands amd knew how to find my trigger points and worked out the kinks.

This is a special place. The staff exemplify the height of hospitality in an environment which meets international standards while embracing and celebrating all that is special about Rwanda. While pricier perhaps than other options, this hotel and its 2 fabulous restaurants and spa and beautiful, relaxed surroundings more than warrant the price. It is a retreat in every sense of the word. There wasn’t one staff member I met that wasn’t gracious, friendly and professional with a touch of fun and humor. I especially appreciated this while traveling alone for work. And bonus- I had one of the best massages ever here with Teddy in the spa. I also appreciated the story behind Josh and Alissa’s founding of Heaven, and read as much of their story as I had time for there. It’s a special place and I hope to return.

The staff was very attentive to your needs. They really went out of their way to make sure that everything was okay and mainly everything was okay for me I have zero complaints. I have one recommendation and it's not really a big one and that is the portions of the food is a little small the food is very tasty very well prepared but if you are a big eater you might be slightly disappointed in the amount that will arrive on your plate and that's all I have to say about that.

Upon arrival in Kigali we discovered that we needed to quarantine for a few days before touring the country. Given the less than optimal situation, we decided to make the best of it and step up for a Pool Villa at The Retreat. OMG. What a special treat yo enjoy elegant appointments, a private pool, top espresso machine, 65” TV and phenomenal room service ( vegetarian to boot). Once released after days of negative tests we got to enjoy the indoor - outdoor gym and engaging service. We also did take advantage of the spa services with Janet - yeah we built up some stress under quarantine A strong recommendation to check out this hotel and restaurant…also be sure to ask about some local art galleries which are in the neighborhood and worth checking out.

We came for dinner at Fusion. Amazing food. Great service. We wish we were staying here. Mbabazi was a fantastic server. This place is beautiful and a haven in the business of the city. We will be back and will stay here for sure! Love to see a business started by a couple from the US be so successful ❤️