Villa Kololo Guest House

At checkout I found out that the breakfast meals I'd requested to take away hadn't been prepared, even though the front desk had assured me the night before that they would be ready after the restaurant closed. I left hungry, then sent the hotel a message through the hotels.com app and got no reply for a week. I wouldn't recommend staying here or come back. The room was smaller than I expected, with outdated furniture and no knobs on either the room or restroom doors. There was nowhere to put the soap except on the floor. I also tried pasta at the hotel's Mediterraneo restaurant, but the flavor disappointed me for the price. I was only there one night and had to leave at 6:00 AM.

I've been back several times over the last four years, and this hotel in Kololo has been a consistently good choice. The staff are friendly, quick to respond, and efficient. Rooms are nicely decorated and have comfortable amenities. Breakfast is included and superb, and the Italian à la carte dishes are just as good in the tucked-away outdoor restaurant.

We liked how convenient the location was, about a 10-15 minute walk from Acacia Mall, the cinema, and several good cafés and restaurants. Most of the Mediterraneo waiters were cheerful and helpful. Breakfast was generous and pretty good, though it was repetitive and didn't offer many vegetarian choices. The two dinners we had there were excellent, especially the pizzas, caprese salads, papardelle, and tiramisu. Our room and bathroom were spacious, comfortable, very clean, and well equipped. There was a small fridge, strong hot shower, large TV, two wardrobes, bedside lamps, and lockable trunks for valuables. The construction around the hotel really got in the way during our four-night stay. Christmas decorations being put up at the front caused a mess for over two days, and the garden that first caught our eye on Booking disappeared. Work at the back continued the whole time. A wooden screen was placed in front of our bedroom window, leaving us in darkness and noise for four days. The rooms don't block sound well. We heard drunken, inconsiderate guests at all hours, plus the cleaners chatting and their phones ringing early in the morning. I was hoping for some quiet before returning to work in a very difficult context, so that was disappointing. At breakfast, it would have been nice to sometimes have a croissant or sautéed mushrooms and tomatoes instead of the usual toast, eggs, and bacon.

The location is central, close to lots of nightclubs and restaurants. It has a nice ambience, fantastic hospitality, and generally inexpensive rooms.