THIS PLACE WAS LOVELY! The beauty was in its simple and elegant design. Perfect for a quiet reclusive weekend away from the noise, with a lovely quiet road for a run.
I am an entrepreneur in Kigali, and had had a really hectic week, so was looking for a place - any place - around Kigali to get away on my own for some quiet for the weekend. I found this randomly on Google, so I called to make sure there wasn't a wedding there that weekend (hah), and when they said no, hopped on a moto up the mountain! I wasn't expecting much, but this place majorly exceeded my expectations! Here are some things:
1) The grounds are just lovely, greenery all over, and the monkeys playing around are so cute! They have recycled broken bits of asphalt road for some of their paths which I thought was cool.
2) There are rooms for 20K and 30K, and this includes a big breakfast (there's a few options, but I had coffee, an omelet, bread, a fruit plate, and a veggie soup)
3) The service was crazy good - super responsive, caring, sweet.. Mandela was the one who took care of me the whole time and he was fantastic!
4) The rooms are basic and bathrooms small, but super clean with a hot shower and good water pressure! Also, you won't want to spend time in the room anyway since there's a big garden area with a lawn, bougainvillas, and lots of pretty trees.. lovely for reading or writing. The 30K rooms had a little outdoor patio and parking spot, while the 20K rooms were also in their own little secluded area but not much space outside.
5) Kanyinya is on a quiet road that does a loop which is lovely run with gorgeous views of Kigali and the Nyabarongo river throughout. At one point on the loop you can hear the hum of Kigali bustle which made me feel overcome with gratitude for being up here on a quiet mountain and not down there. You'll also find another place where you can go for a drink and a lovely view of Kigali just 10 minutes down the road, as well as a few local bars with friendly people.
6) They give you a toothbrush and toothpaste as well as soap! Score!
I can only hope that there will be a free room at this little slide of paradise on short notice again when I need a reclusive weekend.