Kivu Hilltop View Resort

We ended up leaving after 2 nights instead of the 3 we’d booked, even though we’d driven 5 hours each way. The hotel promised a refund for the unused night for 2 rooms, then stopped communicating after we left. They offered a voucher for the same hotel, which was no use to us given the experience. The food arrangements were a mess. There wasn’t a proper restaurant, so we ate in a makeshift living room without a proper table. Dinner took over 2 hours because the chef had gone home before closing and had to be called back. The breakfast buffet wasn’t available the first day. On the second, there was dry bread and almost no choice. The hotel had recently moved, but that wasn’t disclosed when we booked. The rooms felt more like part of a makeshift apartment than a proper hotel, and the place was unclean and felt unsafe. Poor hygiene, disorganized service, and unprofessional refund handling. I wouldn’t recommend it.

We booked for 15-18 dec, but an emergency meant we had to head back to Kigali early. We were told clearly that we’d get a refund, then communication stopped once we’d left. No refund came, just an offer of a voucher for somewhere we wouldn’t return to. The stay itself was disappointing too. Our room had a shattered window with a hole, and there was no hot water until later in the afternoon. The food tasted good, but took almost two hours to arrive. Broken promises, poor communication, and unacceptable conditions. I wouldn’t recommend this resort.

The setting by the water was lovely and completely quiet, and the grill really stood out. Those were the highlights of a disappointing family stay. The worst part was the food: everything except the grill made our whole family ill with food poisoning. I hope management deals with that urgently. We were also told we’d have exclusive use of a private balcony, but found other guests dining there. The table wasn’t cleaned until midday the next day. Our room and bathroom felt very cramped, the wardrobe smelled unpleasant, and the beds weren’t very restful. The location and grill show potential, but several things affected our stay.