Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs W from Wokingham
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
1
Lodges stayed in
4
Excursions taken
0
Best holiday we have ever had
Rwanda between 30 Jun 2012 and 12 Jul 2012
"The trip was amazing. It was the combination of the history, the culture and the wildlife that made it all so special. Our driver Sam was very good and answered all our questions and was very helpful in taking us to the places we especially wanted to see that weren't necessarily on our itinerary.
The genocide memorial in Kigali was exceptionally powerful and thought provoking and we would advise anybody travelling to Rwanda to visit there, preferably at the start of your trip because then it is even more incredible to appreciate how far the country has come when you see people working together so harmoniously in the fields and villages.
The wildlife is amazing, the views are beautiful and the people so friendly
We would definitely recommend doing two gorilla treks because you get two very different experiences. Our first trek the gorillas were eating and then on the move through the bamboo. Our second trek we arrived during "social hour" so the youngsters were all playing. Grit your teeth and pay the price it is so worth it."
The genocide memorial in Kigali was exceptionally powerful and thought provoking and we would advise anybody travelling to Rwanda to visit there, preferably at the start of your trip because then it is even more incredible to appreciate how far the country has come when you see people working together so harmoniously in the fields and villages.
The wildlife is amazing, the views are beautiful and the people so friendly
We would definitely recommend doing two gorilla treks because you get two very different experiences. Our first trek the gorillas were eating and then on the move through the bamboo. Our second trek we arrived during "social hour" so the youngsters were all playing. Grit your teeth and pay the price it is so worth it."
Hotel des Mille Collines
"Disappointing"
1 night
Arrived
1 Jul 2012
Poor
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Poor
Location
Average
Service
Terrible
Rooms
Good
Food
Terrible
Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel
"Charming but idiosyncratic"
3 nights
Arrived
2 Jul 2012
"This was a charming hotel. The staff were very attentive and service was excellent. The food was excellent and there was plenty of it. The menu is a limited set menu but the main course offered a meat dish, a fish dish or a vegetarian dish.
The view was great.
It does get cold so we appreciated the fire being lit and the 3 hot water bottles in our bed.
The rooms do look a bit in need of repair - for example there were chipped tiles in the bathroom, but this certainly didn't spoil our stay.
Strangely the things that could be improved are very simple - put an extra chair on the balcony, at present there is only one even though two people are sharing the room. Similarly, two bottles of water are provided but only one glass.
The dressing table with the mirror is nowhere near a socket so using a hair dryer / straighteners isn't easy. (There are actually lots of sockets in the room, I think we counted 6)
A torch is definately needed because there aren't any light switches by the bed so trying to negotiate crossing the room and battling with the mosquito net could be a challenge.
It would be nice if there was a little shop on site where local handicrafts, postcards, etc were sold.
Everywhere was really clean and the bed was very comfortable"
The view was great.
It does get cold so we appreciated the fire being lit and the 3 hot water bottles in our bed.
The rooms do look a bit in need of repair - for example there were chipped tiles in the bathroom, but this certainly didn't spoil our stay.
Strangely the things that could be improved are very simple - put an extra chair on the balcony, at present there is only one even though two people are sharing the room. Similarly, two bottles of water are provided but only one glass.
The dressing table with the mirror is nowhere near a socket so using a hair dryer / straighteners isn't easy. (There are actually lots of sockets in the room, I think we counted 6)
A torch is definately needed because there aren't any light switches by the bed so trying to negotiate crossing the room and battling with the mosquito net could be a challenge.
It would be nice if there was a little shop on site where local handicrafts, postcards, etc were sold.
Everywhere was really clean and the bed was very comfortable"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Rooms
Average
Food
Excellent
Moriah Hill Resort
"Not 4*"
2 nights
Arrived
5 Jul 2012
"First the negatives: The room was in need of maintenance. The socket in the bathroom was hanging off the wall. Using the shower resulted in flooding the bedroom. The shower was at a height for people under 5 ft tall so not great. The toilet seat was plastic and had a crack. The towels although clean were grey rather than white.The safe in the room didn't work.
The sunbeds looked very tired
The positives: The restaurant staff were very attentive. Food was good and it was nice to see traditional dishes on the menu - my husband loved the goat!
The setting is very nice and we enjoyed taking the boat ride to Napoleon island. In the evenings it was lovely to watch the fishermen out on the lake and to hear their singing
The hotel is quite a way out of Kibuye and you do need a car to get into town"
The sunbeds looked very tired
The positives: The restaurant staff were very attentive. Food was good and it was nice to see traditional dishes on the menu - my husband loved the goat!
The setting is very nice and we enjoyed taking the boat ride to Napoleon island. In the evenings it was lovely to watch the fishermen out on the lake and to hear their singing
The hotel is quite a way out of Kibuye and you do need a car to get into town"
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average
Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Poor
Food
Good
Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
"Lacked charm but great location"
5 nights
Arrived
7 Jul 2012
"Location is great with beautiful views of the volcanoes and a short distance to the Park HQ for the treks.
Rooms were very clean and comfortable
Food is buffet style which became a bit monotonous and wasn't great for vegetarians. Service was good
The shower is set at a height of about 5 foot so not great for taller people.
Electricity is only available at certain times of the day so if you get back from a trek late then you have to shower in the dark and can't use a hairdryer. Also, after tekking you are offered ginger tea but if you don't like this then nothing else is apparently on offer - I asked for coffee but couldn't have any because the generator was off. There is a kettle in the room and tea and coffee so my top tip would be to take a little flask that you can fill with hot water when the electricity is on.
It was great to have our boots cleaned after each trek - very much appreciated
We were prepared for the cold temperature but even so the fire could have been lit earlier (we had to ask one evening for it to be lit as it was past 6.30 and it does start getting chilly at 4pm). there was no heating in the bathroom and this was freezing.
In the evenings there are numerous people coming to the room - person to light the fire, person to bring hot water bottle, person to check the fire, person to bring your boots - this could be disrupting.
There was certainly plenty to occupy birdwatchers and the manager (we think) Victor is very knowledgable about what birds are around the lodge.
The dancers in the afternoon were really enthusiastic and entertaining"
Rooms were very clean and comfortable
Food is buffet style which became a bit monotonous and wasn't great for vegetarians. Service was good
The shower is set at a height of about 5 foot so not great for taller people.
Electricity is only available at certain times of the day so if you get back from a trek late then you have to shower in the dark and can't use a hairdryer. Also, after tekking you are offered ginger tea but if you don't like this then nothing else is apparently on offer - I asked for coffee but couldn't have any because the generator was off. There is a kettle in the room and tea and coffee so my top tip would be to take a little flask that you can fill with hot water when the electricity is on.
It was great to have our boots cleaned after each trek - very much appreciated
We were prepared for the cold temperature but even so the fire could have been lit earlier (we had to ask one evening for it to be lit as it was past 6.30 and it does start getting chilly at 4pm). there was no heating in the bathroom and this was freezing.
In the evenings there are numerous people coming to the room - person to light the fire, person to bring hot water bottle, person to check the fire, person to bring your boots - this could be disrupting.
There was certainly plenty to occupy birdwatchers and the manager (we think) Victor is very knowledgable about what birds are around the lodge.
The dancers in the afternoon were really enthusiastic and entertaining"
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
We had dinner at the Pool Bar restaurant - our order was apparently forgotten so we had to remind the staff and waited over an hour. When the meal came (vegetable lasagne) it was of a very poor quality.
The hotel was very clean and the room was comfortable"