I will spend one night in Kigali. I initially thought I would stay at Hotel des Mille Collines but they have already appeared so unreliable that I am having second thoughts. Had anyone have experience with them or the Intercontinental? Or any other hotel in Kigali that people would recommend...
Christine

The Milles Collines has been extensively discussed on this forum, with a number of contributors being unimpressed with it. Our experience there was that the common areas were nice and the service good, but the guest rooms were not very nice or well-maintained. We did not stay at he Intercontinental, but saw it from the outside, and talked to several people who stayed there. From looking at it and from hearing the comments of others, I am certain it is far nicer than the Milles Collines. If I were re-planning my Rwanda trip I would certainly choose it over the Milles Collines.

Hi,
We stayed in the Mille Collines last July - 4 words - Do Not Stay There!!! We had some BAD experiences there - you can read all about it in my trip report http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads..._Atl&fid=4

If I were doing our trip again we would definately add a few$ and stay at the Intercontinental

Imelda

For me it wasn't that the Mille Collines was so awful, it was that is was so ... nondescript and well just BLAH. And I found the attitude of some of the workers was like they were the only game in town and they aren't.

So if going back to Kigali I would give another hotel my business.

Thank you all. It's been tremendously helpful.
Christine

Novotel was just fine. Quiet, clean, safe, pool, breakfast buffet.

The IC is now the Serena. There is a long discussion of this on Trip Advisor, including a post by someone who has stayed there since the transition. I stayed at the IC last August and would do so again, especially after coming in from the PNV. I am prepared to wrong, but it is my understanding that the (now) Serena is the only Kigali hotel that is air conditioned. Everything in the mountains (PNV) is so wet, that I did a last minute change from the Novotel to the IC in large part so that I could get all of my clothes, etc. dry. I have heard from only one person who liked the Mille Colines, Lucia 78, on this board. I had lunch there and walked around. Honestly, I found it creepy (although I had seen Hotel Rwanda only about 10 days earlier). It's the (now) Serena for me.

The irony of course is that Hotel Rwanda was filmed at a (nicer) hotel in South Africa

Even the pool scene? We had lunch outside by the pool, and it looked identical to the one in the movie...