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Reviews of Lake Kivu Serena Hotel

4 out of 5
Lake Kivu Serena Hotel
Gisenyi Rwanda, Gisenyi

Reviews

8.6

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 41 out of 79 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 26 out of 79 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 7 out of 79 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 4 out of 79 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 79 reviews" "

8.8/10

Cleanliness

8.8/10

Staff & service

7.4/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.6/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Catriona, Newar

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The Serena Hotel in Lake Kivu was lovely. We had a great room with a lake view. Since we traveled with a guide we did not use any of the extra guest services but we did take a boat ride out to the Nyamyumbo hot springs which was quite an experience. The opposite of a hotel spa! Staff were very pleasant and accommodating. I would recommend this hotel!
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

David

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

6/10 Okay

YOUKYOUNG, New Orleans

Traveled with group
Liked: Staff & service, amenities
Disliked: Cleanliness
Great lake view, beautiful landscape and relaxing place. It was a nice stop after hiking Volcano National Park. The property is a bit outdated. Carpet and chairs in our room had lots of stains. Bathroom door was dusty, but shower (hot water & pressure) was good.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023
Response from Herman on Oct 1, 2023
Dear Youkyoungthank you for the feedback we thank you for giving us the opportunity to be of service to you.We have process to replace all room carpets following next month.Best regardsHerman.

10/10 Excellent

Murithi

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Enjoyed the stay on the serene , quiet and scenic environment. The service and hotel dining is great
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Georgia

Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Claude

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The staff are really good. They provide high level customer care.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2023
Response from Herman on Apr 19, 2023
Thank you very much for your constructive feedback

8/10 Good

Adeola

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Would recommend
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2023
Response from Herman on Apr 19, 2023
We are glad you had a memorable stay.Best wishes

8/10 Good

Michal

Traveled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Hotel is run down with most in-room amenities in bad shape. Food was decent
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022
Response from Herman on Jul 17, 2022
Dear Michal, Thank you for your review and feedback, We have taken note of your concerns and rest assured we shall action on them. Best rgards, Herman- Hotel Manger

10/10 Excellent

Rosemarie Jeanne

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Everything was as expected from a 4 to 5 star hotel.
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2022
Response from Herman on Jul 17, 2022
Dear Rosemarie Thank you so much for your rating we do appreciate. Best regards Herman

8/10 Good

Aderemi

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice and comfortable
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2021
Response from Sales & Reservation. on Jan 8, 2022
Thank you for considering to stay with us and hopefully we can host you again in the future.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Always love the Serena, especially for the pool + beachfront and excellent breakfast. Rooms are a bit dated (small, older TVs and AC units) but they recently updated to new mattresses and all rooms have balconies. Also the grounds are beautiful!
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2021
Response from Duncan - General Manager on Jan 11, 2021
Dear Valued Guest I take this opportunity to first of all thank you for choosing to stay with us. it was an honor to serve you. I sincerely thank you too for sending us this great review and we are delighted that you loved our location and did enjoy your stay. We can't wait to host you once again. Thank you

10/10 Excellent

Alexander

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020
Response from Duncan on Feb 29, 2020
Thank you Alexander for the great review. We are glad that you had a nice time.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with group, Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff were courteous, very solicitous, and helpful at every turn. Perched on the lake, the location of the property is superb.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020
Response from Duncan on Feb 12, 2020
Dear Valued guest Sincerely thank you for having chosen to stay with us on your last visit to Gisenyi, Rwanda. We thank you too for having taken your time to review us and we are glad that you loved our location and enjoyed the great customer service from the staff. Thank you and welcome back. Regards Duncan - Hotel Manager

2/10 Terrible

Raz, Goma

Traveled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
There is nothing in the rooms listen in the booking list. Even not a hairdryer or a toothbrush available in the bathrooms.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019
Response from Duncan on Feb 12, 2020
Dear Raz Thank you for having been our guest and more so taking your time to review us. Indeed we do provide hand dryers in all our guest rooms normally placed on the dressing table drawer. Tooth brushes are provided on request. Apologies for the inconvenience caused and we shall take our time to orient you better on our room facilities next time you visit us. Kind regards General Manager Reghards

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staff very helpful and supportive. Special the receptionist called Love she was magnificent and very supportive. Breakfast was excellent variety of different types of food and excellent taste. All the staff were excellent and excellent location with private beach. The hotel required to be upgraded to modern style
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2019
Response from Duncan on Dec 17, 2019
Dear Our valued guest; We thank so much for giving us an opportunity to be of service to you. We are grateful for the positive feedback and indeed your suggestions on improving the product will be followed through. Thank you and welcome back. Duncan - Manager

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

Disliked: Staff & service
It was loud the two days I was there . Music blaring from 730 am until 830 pm. It’s not a place to go if you need down time like I did
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Place is ok stay overnight but nothing special. Location is nice.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019

4/10 Poor

lionel

Liked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service
serena
The hotel is perfect but the restaurant is not clean have been ill all the 2 days due to the food intoxication certainly fish not fresh
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Jill

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Cant wait to come back!
What a great spot! Three nights = total relaxation. Gorgeous room (upgraded to a suite!), fabulous pool, great breakfast included and wow was Leon Munyeshuri a super accommodating front desk assistant manager. Thanks for making the stay truly unforgettable!
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Duncan on Jul 14, 2019
Dear Jill Sincerely thank you for the great review and feedback. We are glad that you loved our location and facilities especially our Executive Suites. We look forward to hosting you once again in future. Thank you Duncan - Manager

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Stayed 1 night in May 2019
Response from Duncan on Jul 14, 2019
Thank you so much for reviewing us. Appreciated. Duncan - Manager

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with family and small children, Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property and staff were very good BUT the mattresses and pillows were not.....it’s too bad because everything else was good especially the food. Maybe they will get enough negative reviews about their mattresses to do something
Stayed 2 nights in May 2019
Response from Duncan on Jun 1, 2019
Dear Valued Guest We thank you for the feedback. We are glad you were greatly satisfied with our food and service delivery. We take note of your comment on our mattresses and management will look into this with the sole motive of ensuring this kind of inconvenience is not experienced by any other guest visiting the hotel. Thank you and welcome back Duncan - Hotel Manager

10/10 Excellent

Jack

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Will go again
I had a great time and was extremely well looked after, Duncan the GM offered an upgrade which was very welcome. Leon and Loce at the Front Desk were also eye helpful assisting me with scanning and copying of documents. Philbert in the restaurant was most attentive along with all of his colleagues - all in all a great stay and well worth it.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2019
Response from Duncan on May 14, 2019
Dear Jack It was a pleasure hosting you and we are grateful you enjoyed your stay. Thank you for reviewing us too and definitely looking forward to be of service to you once again in future.

8/10 Good

Arista

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful lakeside view
The hotel was real nice, clean, room spacious and we had an excellent seaside view. The room was clean and serviced well. The bed was really soft so be warned for those with back issues. The checkin was excellent. Service at restaurant was really slow.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019
Response from Duncan on May 14, 2019
Thank you Arista for the feedback well received. We are glad you were impressed with our facilities and location. Thank you for having chosen to stay with us and rest assured the issue of slow service in the restaurant shall be addressed with immediate effect. Thank you

10/10 Excellent

Charles, Geneva

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing Experience
It was really amazing experience. Friendly environment and an excellent location by the beach on lake Kivu. Very clean with many amenities, including fast internet.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019
Response from Duncan on May 2, 2019
Dear Charles We appreciate your feedback and review of our property. Grateful that you not only loved our location but was impressed by the level of cleanliness and quality of amenities. Thank you Regards Duncan - Hotel Manager

10/10 Excellent

TK

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Fantastic holiday...quite exclusive! Perhaps opprtunity too access a broader market. Staff all very very friendly, very enthisiastic, welcoming and very hospitable throughout. Rooms and general environment spotless.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2019
Response from Duncan on Mar 29, 2019
Dear TK Thank you for a heartwarming review of our property and customer care standards as experienced while staying with us. We always endeavor to provide unmatched hospitality and it gives us unparalleled joy when customers leave our premises completely satisfied. We can't wait to once again be of service to you...always welcome. Thank you

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel, a bit dated. Not too much else near by other than the Lake, which was beautiful.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2019
Response from Duncan on Mar 29, 2019
Dear Valued Guest Thank you for your patronage. We are glad that you found time to review us and sincerely thank you for your honest feedback. Indeed plans are at an an advanced stage to have a face lift for the property and we are all excited about it. We look forward to be of service to you next time you visit Gisenyi.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
From having stayed at several different serena locations and seeing the very nice pictures online we thought the serena hotel was a no brainer for our stay on lake kivu. When we arrived we were surprised to find an old looking place that clearly had it’s prime time in the 70’s (green carpeted floors, dark wood everywhere) in short is was not the modern inviting place we had expected. Besides the look the room was clean and fairly comfortable, but be careful not to close the balcony door behind you when you step out as it has no outside door handle and we locked ourselves out on our own balcony. Awkward. The pasta I ordered for dinner was more salt than pasta, the eggplant spinach dish was pretty good. The service is slow, I went to the bar to ask for a towels for the pool and waited 30 minutes just to find out they brought them to my room even though they saw me at the pool, why woul I want them to my room? Same happened with bottles of water. The pool seems like no one ever uses it, some tiles on the floor of it are broken, the longchairs definitely date back to the 70’s as well and the pool table must have been out of service since then too. We made the best of our stay but this hotel was definitely a bit of a dissapointment.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2019
Response from Dlewa on Feb 1, 2019
Dear Orbitz We sincerely thank you for having taken your time to review us. In deed the detailed feedback is important to us since it goes along way in helping us amend where we fall short in our service delivery. Please rest assured that all issues mentioned above will be acted upon gradually to improve on our guest experience in future. Lastly I take this opportunity to thank you for having been our guest and we do apologize for the inconvenience caused. Thank you Regards Duncan

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2019
Response from Duncan on Jan 8, 2019
Thank you for staying with us. Regards Duncan

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Could do with a facelift, however location is great and facilities good. Service is ok for Rwandan standards but not for a 4star hotel
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2018
Response from Duncan on Jan 8, 2019
Dear Valued Guest Sincerely thank you for having chosen to stay with us. We are more delighted that you were impressed with our location and facility. In deed we have taken note of the areas mentioned which did not meet your expectations and promise to work on them to better our clients stays in future. Thank you Regards Duncan

8/10 Good

Zoe

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful relaxing spot on Lake Kivu
Lovely hotel with beach lake front or pool to relax by. We really enjoyed our stay here and would highly recommend this spot after hiking the rainforest. The staff were really helpful and the breakfast overlooking the pool was excellent. The food and alcohol for lunch or dinner was expensive and on our first night we were encouraged to have the buffet which was disappointing.There are many other places to dine in the village and I would encourage you to try those - Tam Tam bar is where the locals go and is fun, walking distance from the hotel. We really enjoyed our time here and in fact booked an extra night.
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2018
Response from Duncan on Jan 8, 2019
Dear Zoe We are grateful for your detailed feedback. We are delighted that you loved our property and it's location. Your opinion on the food/alcohol prices too is noted and management will look into it to with the aim of making a little bit customer friendly. Sincerely thank you for having chosen to stay with us and we look forward to another opportunity to be of service to you in future. Kind regards Duncan

4/10 Poor

Didace, Kigali

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
Poor service at check in and check out. The AC is too loudl. Poor breakfast
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2018
Response from Duncan on Jan 8, 2019
Dear Didace Thank you for your valuable feedback which I trust will go along way in informing us on how to better our service and offers in future. We look forward to hosting you on your next visit to Gisenyi. Kind regards Duncan

8/10 Good

Rachel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Overall good
Dinner was amazing with fantastic service. However check in receptionist was quite rude - he asked if we had proof of payment, as though he didn't believe we had a reservation, even though it was in their system.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good location and comfy beds, but pricey
Great location and comfy beds. The prices are pretty high for what you get and there are other nice places to stay with more affordable prices.
Stayed 1 night in May 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
By far the best hotel in the city. Everything is top notch. Still not worth the money imo. Location is great.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2018
Response from Aimee on May 11, 2018
Dear Sir/Madam, Thank you for your feedback; we really appreciate it and hope to host you in the near future regards, Aimee

10/10 Excellent

Ulla

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It was a little oasis! Beautiful!

10/10 Excellent

Andy, Aptos

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place near Lake Kivu
Wonderful time with staff and room was amazing - highly recommend...

10/10 Excellent

Kimberly, Bronx, NY

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
All Around pleasant
I just stayed one night, but very nice. Great staff, very attentive. Great breakfast in the morning which was free. Nice amenities like the pool and gym. I wish I could have stayed longer.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great lakeside escape with good food
I am a regular guest. Food generally very good by Rwandan standards. Pool view rooms are best - the ones on the other side are noisy due to music from a nearby bar (at least on weekends). Efficient service except for breakfast - tables often are not cleared / re-set and cutlery / juice glasses have to be requested.

8/10 Good

Francisco, Rome

Programme Manager
Our stay al the hotel was pleasant but felt that the children playground needed a substantial upgrade. The child seat for use at the restaurant was also very old and dirty. The President of the country was visiting the area during our stay at the hotel so there were many soldiers patrolling the hotel grounds and the lake waters which was not very pleasant. The cleaning of the room was also conducted very late in the day, around 4:30 pm in the case of one of the days.

10/10 Excellent

AMELIA, Los Angeles, California

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Delightful surprise!
The view of Lake Kivu is so gorgeous, it can't be captured by photographs so none of the pictures do it justice. The hotel is stunning and the staff is superb. This was such a pleasant surprise and good value for the dollar, I was amazed at how beautiful the hotel really is!

8/10 Good

Richard

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

8/10 Good

Brandy, Los Angeles, CA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Kivu Serena
We loved our stay at Kivu Serena! It was far from the gorillas and such, but was worth the long drives to be next to the lake. I missed the misquito net over the bed, and found a few bugs in the room. And found the food to be over priced. Otherwise -- a really great experience. A great place to rest after days with the gorillas and monkeys.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Best hotel in Gisenyi but.....
Pleasant experience in standard 4 star hotel. Could be anywhere! Very nice to sit by pool and service available. It was irritating to be moved on so that staff could set up for bbq dinner poolside. Otherwise unremarkable. Weather wonderful!

10/10 Excellent

Lacy, NY

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lake Kivu is Awesome
And the Serena was lovely and the staff was very courteous and helpful. The private beach was perfect. We double canoed around the lake and got a righteous sun burn. The hotel should update its lake equipment, though.

10/10 Excellent

Joeph Mbugua, Nairobi,Kenya

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A lovely paradise
food,waiter service,accomondation and cleanliness were all impressive and excellent.I would visit it again and again

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

JI, Kigali

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Serena Lake Kivu: Very nice hotel.
Nice hotel and very child friendly. Food Ok and nice pool with poolbar. Watersport facility (surfing, lake swimming, kayak and jetski)

10/10 Excellent

Salim, Muscat

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A paradise gate away
Location and friendly staff.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Mediocre and overpriced
A very average hotel that attempts to pass itself off as a luxury hotel. Average is OK and would be fine under most circumstances. What made it unacceptable in this case were the astonishingly high prices. Both the room and the restaurant were way, way overpriced. Rarely have I paid so much at a hotel for so little. The hotel clearly suffers from a lack of competition from other hotels in its purported category. That's why it's able to get away with such mediocrity. It's essentially the only game in town. Put this hotel in Kigali, where there IS now lots of competition, and it wouldn't last very long.