Hotels near Mafene Building, Gisenyi

Luxury hotel with large, green lakeshore grounds, a big pool and wide range of lovely buffet food. Very attentive and friendly staff in all parts of the hotel. There is a public beach next door, so you can break out of the tourist bubble and walk out to see who locals enjoy themselves. If you're white, just be prepared to be regarded as a curiosity - in a friendly way.

We know that the state of Ruanda has a strict and tough Corona protocoll and we don`t want to act against this at any time. We stayed from 13.12.2021 till 16.12.2021 in the Gorilla Lake Kivu Hotel in Gisenyi. The staff was very friendlly an helpful but the manager Mr. N.W. failed many times. Mr.N.W. saw at arrival the positive Covid-PCR-Test of my wife (former PCR- tests were all negative) and a negative Rapid-test of the same day, then he asked us to stay in the room, what we did. Then he promised us a medical consulting and examination (I’am a medical doctor too) at the same day and he promised to arrange a new PCR-Test on the 17.12.2021, after 4hours of waiting he gave us the information that he was trying, this was a lie, on the 17.12.2021 he admitted that he had done anything, but in the morning of this day he came with the police and insisted to her to put my wife a GPS-Bracelett on. At this situation I saw flickering $-signs in his eyes. He treated us as prisoners and not as paying guests, we had no daily housekeeping and nobody took care of us, nobody ask us for our personal daily needs, we get toiletpaper, exchanging of towels only on request even the paid breakfast, he was unable to organize the exchange of a not working lightbulb in the bathroom or to give us a moskitokiller, he allowed noisy und loud gardenparties which disturbed us till 4:00am in the morning. He was unable to arrange a personal talk between my wife and a member of the UN which was send by our niece working by th UN in Goma, we stayed on the groundfloor and a talk was easily made over the balcony. I wanted to say ”Good bye” to him on departure day he was inhouse but he didn’t want to see me. We are sorry to say but this is no hospitility or way to treat paying guests, we cannot recommend or appreciate this management. My personal opinion is, he ist the wrong man at this place, a manager’s duty ist to talk to guests and solve problems in a gentle, polite and diplomatic way and make guests feel comfortable and safe. This management is not 3-4 stars worth! The country is very polite, helpful and honest, what we can't say that about the hotel experience in this hotel. We also learned, that we were not the only guests, who make such an experience, really not a recommodation. Thomas ans Annette Guenster