The Retreat

We stayed twice at the Retreat in December 2023, 5 nights in total. Many travelers seemed, like us, to be booked as part of a tour - ours was with Singita. We stayed in a King Suite and a Pool Villa. Overall it was a disappointing experience, especially at the price point. In an effort to be factual and fair, here is what we observed: GOOD Neighborhood is quiet, leafy, and well-situated. Breakfast offers good variety. Buffet and a la carte are offered, coffee is good. Rooms are quiet. Property is spacious and stylish. Netflix in the room was handy during jet lag. DISAPPOINTING Broken room fixtures that could be fixed easily - the AC, and the shower (pic). Patios are unswept (pic). Hangers are broken (pic). Window shade wouldn't open (pic). Laminate floor peeling near the bathroom entrance. Front desk service, while at times friendly, was unhelpful with basic requests. They exchanged currency with a hefty commission - roughly 15 USD per 100 changed. They were somehow unable to summon a taxi for us. Most disappointing was that the AC repair, the usual housekeeping and additional bottles of water were requested at 9am and by our return from the city at 5pm, the room was just as we left it, without even the usual housekeeping. It was clear staff forgot, as they rushed to the room to begin fixing the situation. We have traveled quite extensively through East and West African countries and at 500 USD per night this kind of service is unacceptable, and surprisingly subpar compared to other reviews. Our cousins were in town at stayed at the Marriott, which is a huge hotel and thus an apples and oranges comparison, but they had an easy and predictable experience. If back in Kigali, it would be a no brainer to stay elsewhere.

A huge pool villa in its own compound. Ultra private and intimate 125 m2 hotel room in the center of Kigali. I have enjoyed the heated sea water pool and the excellent breakfast service and the kindness of the staff. It was also very quiet for a business stay.

The Retreat is very well appointed and the family enjoyed it with its nice villa , good food and service-oriented and happy staff. We went to Rwanda primarily to see the gorillas in Volcano Park but are extremely delighted to see Kigali , the beautiful city with Retreat as our perfect hub for our unique family experience.

Another good review for Heaven. I had a wonderful stay. Initially I had booked a room with slightly see through curtains (lights were shining into the room) but the staff kindly moved me to a better room. Service in the restaurant and at the reception is top notch! In can highly recommend a ride with their wonderful driver Junior who really goes out of this way to give you the best airport drop-off!

Thank you heaven restaurant hotel! I like everything about the service you provide especially the waiter Viateur

The restaurant was out of this world, mostly because of the great staff Fatima and Aline who took care of us in the best possible way. Nothing short of super! Food was good, pricing reasonable. The restaurant and staff gave the place that extra thing that would make us come back again. The rooms how ever where perhaps not 100% in terms of size and the placement. They were clean but the room i got was at the back facing construction rubble on the yard and the balcony was blocked by some sort of bamboo screen which made the room dark. The services that the hotel offered was perhaps a bit overpriced. Having said that the restaurant and especially the immaculate staff Aline and Fatima was the thing that saved this trip for us.

Spectacular gem in a nice leafy and serene neighborhood. Greeted by the staff in a heartwarming welcome song. Clean rooms. Two great options for dinner on site. Nice open air bar with a warm bartender. Great boutique including custom tailored clothing. So good that we ended up coming back for a third night after a disruption in our travel plans. Staff were super friendly!

Dined at the restaurant. Mbabzi was my server, and her service was excellent! The food was good, and rhe ambiance peaceful and serene. My masseuse was also phenomenal. She has amazing hands amd knew how to find my trigger points and worked out the kinks.

This is a special place. The staff exemplify the height of hospitality in an environment which meets international standards while embracing and celebrating all that is special about Rwanda. While pricier perhaps than other options, this hotel and its 2 fabulous restaurants and spa and beautiful, relaxed surroundings more than warrant the price. It is a retreat in every sense of the word. There wasn’t one staff member I met that wasn’t gracious, friendly and professional with a touch of fun and humor. I especially appreciated this while traveling alone for work. And bonus- I had one of the best massages ever here with Teddy in the spa. I also appreciated the story behind Josh and Alissa’s founding of Heaven, and read as much of their story as I had time for there. It’s a special place and I hope to return.