Hemingways Retreat Kigali

“This might be the best hotel we’ve ever stayed at. We had the most wonderful experience here! Five stars all around for us. The property itself is gorgeous and well-maintained. The rooms are spacious, clean and comfortable (apologies for the unmade bed in the photo) and the pool area, restaurants, gym and spa were all well done. The food at the restaurants was exceptional as well, especially some of the traditional Rwandan food we were lucky enough to try. Highly recommend the agatogo :) But the biggest highlight for us was the staff and service. Everyone was so accommodating, thoughtful, friendly and kind. With each interaction we were greeted warmly and asked how we are doing, how our day was, etc. They would take the time to talk with us and get to know us (and us them!). It felt really unique and special and we were very comfortable here. Thank you to all the staff here for such an amazing stay. We hope to come back here one day soon ❤️”

“Stayed a night in Kigali on our way to gorilla trekking. Just sorry we didn’t have more time there. Beautiful retreat as the name promises. Dining room and breakfast food terrific. Room super comfortable and an outdoor shower if you so pleased! Perfect stay, hope we can return someday.”

“We are now huge fans of Hemingways! This newest hotel in Kigali (Their first venture outside of Kenya) was a wonderful experience as our first hotel in Rwanda. The staff was extremely friendly, the rooms were spacious and clean, and the property was very welcoming. We had a massage upon arrival which was lovely, and then we had dinner at the poolside restaurant which was great. Our transfers were on-time and they even packed us a little to-go breakfast because we had an early flight out. Overall a really great experience as we began our Rwanda adventure!”

“This is a wonderful hotel with the staff, service and facilities all first class. Special mention has to go to our guide, Andrew. His English was brilliant, his knowledge of his country and culture was amazing. And he was fantastic in a crisis. If you can, ask for Andrew!”

“Chef Jeannette is a gem, but management fails the 5-star promise! We are giving 3 stars solely because of the amazing, lively cooking class with Chef Jeannette. Without her, this stay barely deserved 2 stars. We stayed at high-end hotels across Rwanda, and this was the only place we felt genuinely uncomfortable. Key Issues: • Oppressive Atmosphere: Management openly glared at us for laughing and having fun during our cooking class. The vibe is cold, and staff seem under immense pressure. The warmth of Rwanda is completely missing here. • Service Failures: They claim to be 5-star but fail at basic processes. • Massage: Logistics were chaotic. We were promised a room pickup that never came, then blamed for being late. Noting: we asked twice and were not shown around, so we don’t know where to go! • Housekeeping: Turndown service arrived at 6 PM while we were inside the room—awkward and poor planning for a luxury hotel with low occupancy. • Late Check-Out: Despite a 5 PM check-out, the room was not refreshed or tidied during the day. Verdict: Great cooking class, but the hotel management needs to fix their processes and culture. I cannot recommend staying here under the current leadership.”