Reviews of Kigali Serena Hotel

"The Kigali Serena is a "western" style hotel with all the trappings of a high-end, quality hotel. If what you are looking for is an overt sense of safety, convenience and secession from the surrounding hustle and bustle of Kigali, the Serena is a good choice. Don't expect to get a feel for Kigali, the people of Rwanda or the local culture staying at this hotel. It could be anywhere.

The service was good, but for a hotel of this style and price, it was not great. Food was varied and delicious.

Our visit to the Genocide Memorial in Kigali was riveting as it was tragic. A must see for anyone interested in learning about this horrific chapter in the country's history and how it has managed to chart a path of healing and forgiveness.

Expert Africa arranged a guide in Rwanda for these travellers; they commented:

Ismail was an amazing person. Fantastic!

We do not have enough positive, amazing things to say about Ismail, our guide. Given his relatively young age, we were a bit concerned whether he would have the depth of experience and knowledge we were hoping for. Those were stupid concerns on our end. Ismail is a remarkable man with great knowledge and understanding of the checkered history, culture, economic situation, politics and geography of Rwanda. He is incredibly service oriented without being obsequious. His English is impeccable.

After a few days he also began to share some of his own personal experiences during the genocide and beyond. He never imposed his vies or stories on us, only responded to our questions and genuine interest.

We could not imagine a better guide on a trip to Rwanda. Our experience was amplified manyfold by his service." See all these reviews: 5n in Rwanda; 4n in Kenya

"Room booked for three but no additional bed, which we didn't need after a late arrival.

Room service incredibly slow - lack of menus etc.." See all these reviews: 6n in Tanzania; 3n in Rwanda; 1n in Kenya

"Our first room had a sporadically malfunctioning air conditioner. the service engineer came promptly within 10 minutes. Comparing it to the quiet units in Serena Kivu we thought it was still very noisy.

They moved us to another room without fuss. this made us late for dinner so we were the only diners whilst they were laying tables for breakfast. In the morning a toothpick on the floor of the bedroom (not ours) went into my toe. Only due to the risk of Aids I reported this and the hotel staff (especially Dinah) were very attentive. They could not be faulted in their prompt attention and support. We were very impressed." See all these reviews: 8n in Rwanda

"An acceptable if impersonal 5 star hotel for an overnight stop in the city." See all these reviews: 1n in Rwanda

"No comment made." See all these reviews: 4n in Rwanda; 4n in Zanzibar; 2n in Tanzania

"No comment made." See all these reviews: 4n in Rwanda; 4n in Zanzibar; 2n in Tanzania

"We stayed here twice during our trip and loved it both times!" See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 3n in Rwanda

"Fabulous hotel." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 3n in Rwanda

"On the surface a posh, modern, well appointed city hotel. On safari I find them a necessary evil to help accommodate flight times etc so I may be biased against such places

Like many such hotels nothing is ever as good as the façade. Our meal was very average, the air conditioning in our room too noisy to sleep with if left on and our packed breakfast didn't arrive" See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania; 4n in Rwanda

"This was truly a 5 star hotel! Grounds were lush and terrace overlooking the pool area was a bonus!

The breakfast buffet is large and varied. The design of hotel is very good!" See all these reviews: 5n in Tanzania; 5n in Rwanda; 1n in Kenya