Stipphotels, Kiyovu

As a University academic from Scotland I was looking for somewhere to bring a small group (seven of us) to stay centrally in Kigali to use as a base. I've stayed in several hotels around Kigali and Kiyovu in particular over the years, but Stipp Hotel seemed like a good balance between price, location and facilities for our needs. I will admit I was a little cautious as there were very few reviews and not much information about the hotel online, but decided to make the booking in any case. First of all, after contacting the hotel in advance to arrange airport transfer, they replied quickly, and on arrival they were waiting for us in the hotel bus. Perfect. Now there is no glossing over the fact that in the hotel itself the public areas, the bar / restaurant and pool areas are quite tired and need some care and attention. But to be fair, this is all cosmetic and not serious. The rooms were again quite tired, but very comfortable and spacious with everything you need from a hotel in this price range. Beds are very comfortable also. Food is good in the hotel. It does have to be said that it takes a long time from order to arriving at your table, maybe an hour or so, but when it does arrive the food is great, and definitely value for money. I've seen some people complaining a little about breakfast, but for us it was excellent! Every morning (we stayed for a week) a table of 7 was set for us, and we had a selection of tea or coffee, bread and pastries or pancakes, cereal, fruit, cheese, and plain or Spanish omelettes. Plenty and a decent selection. In the evening, beer, wine or spirits from the bar without a problem no matter what time we arrived back to the hotel. The best thing about the hotel though was the staff. Very professional and friendly all the time whether reception, housekeeping, bar or management. A couple of times we had to use the hotel bus at short notice and it was never a problem. The staff were by far the best thing about the hotel and all are a credit to the place. So all in all, a good stay. I can understand some initially being put off by the cosmetic features, but at the end of the day, you can have an ultra-modern hotel where the staff are awful (been there), and that is definitely not the case here, where you will be made to feel at home. Hopefully we will be back again in the future.