Reviews of Nyungwe Top View Hill

"Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel, although not as luxurious as some of the other places we stayed at, was a great base for exploring the area.

The views from the hotel (especially the roof terrace) were excellent. The room was nice, but could do with a bit of updating.

Staff were very friendly and helpful." See all these reviews: 9n in Rwanda

"The hotel was excellent.

I read the reviews for the hotel and was a little worried. But the staff were amazing, the food and rooms were very good.

I had a fire in the room every evening. I don't see how the more up-market lodge can be worth the substantial additional cost." See all these reviews: 4n in Rwanda

"The staff were helpful and the food and service were satisfactory. The rooms are tired and in need of money spending on them. The rooms looked bare and in the bathroom the shower curtain around the bath had been removed, inverted and converted into a curtain for the window which was adjacent to the shower.

This curtain was grubby/mouldy because it was repeatedly wet.When I first arrived there was no water from the taps but the staff rapidly sorted this out.
There was a long printed list of do's and don'ts in the room including advice that you weren't allowed to wash any clothes and if you did you may be charged!

It was cool in the evenings. The staff would light a fire in the sitting area of the room if required and each night I had two hot water bottles placed in the bed, I think that was standard practice.

However the view from the restaurant terrace over Lake Kivu is stunning." See all these reviews: 12n in Rwanda

"Nice hotel in forest but limited electricity." See all these reviews: 12n in Rwanda

"Very comfortable and no real complaints although the hotel is not particularly characterful.

The food was actually pretty good but it was disappointing that the buffet style was let down by the warming devices which were just not good enough leaving the food tepid." See all these reviews: 9n in Rwanda

"A lovely place." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia; 7n in Rwanda

"Weather was cool and largely overcast at Nyungwe, and one minor niggle was having to walk up to the central lodge to ask for a fire to be laid and lit. Whilst appreciating the need to conserve fuel, the combination of altitude and cooler weather, meant that some heat was needed in our lodge to take the chill off in the late afternoon. We were not bothered by the fairly basic standard of the facilities available – the beds were fine, the water was hot, the food good enough, with a decent variety of vegetable soups – but did also notice the lack of heating in the main central lodge. Not helped by the design and keeping the doors open at all times: the poor staff at reception must have been freezing!" See all these reviews: 10n in Rwanda

"The staff were very welcoming and the waiting staff at mealtimes were very friendly and accommodating.

The room was fine. It was clean and tidy, but a bit tired looking. The bath was cracked and the lounge windows let in water when it rained, but neither things bothered us. We liked the fact that there was a separate seating area in the room. We didn't use the balcony as the view was just of overgrown bushes and there were only 2 dining room chairs there, so not too comfy. Loungers would have been useful here as they would have been on the terrace of the main hotel building. Lots of beautiful views but nowhere comfortable to sit to enjoy them.

The food was buffet style and there was always plenty of choice and plenty of it.

Wifi was available in the lobby and main building and was fairly reliable.

This wasn't the hotel that we originally booked, but as they were renovating the other one, this was the best available." See all these reviews: 11n in Rwanda

"Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel is a place I would love to hate. The main lodge is a rather pretentious hulk of stone with second story balconies spanning a turret, most of which are completely useless. We did have lunch on on the western balcony, but only because management had obtained some large Heineken Beer umbrellas to provide a bit of shade from the heat that radiated all around us. The formal layout of the grounds was contrived and unnatural, and completely at odds with the beauty of the surrounding mountains and forest.

The cabins are arranged on a strict linear grid, two rows facing what was intended to be a formal garden, which is elevated by a stone retaining wall as tall as a human being and basically inaccessible. Inside each cabin is a useless large entry way and a sitting room with a single lamp and a large fireplace surrounded by shelves filled with West African (not Rwandan) wooden figurines. There is a wood-burning fireplace, which we did not use, not in small part due to the fire screen that was framed in.....wood.

The beds are okay, and we were grateful for hot-running water and a flush toilet. Each room has a safe, but they are not wired and so you can't use them as intended (combination code). You have to have a key from the front office. How many keys do they have? One. So only one cabin out of 12 can utilize the safe -- hope you are the lucky one when you stay there. We demurred and just left our valuables at the front desk whenever we left the premises.

Food was just okay. The staff is skeletal. I honestly don't know how this place manages to stay afloat. Well, yes, actually I do. It's because of Tito the manager and David the head waiter/bartender/whatever else is required. Those two worked their fingers to the bones. Tito worked such long hours that he sometimes had to sleep on a mattress on the floor of the office instead of being able to go home for the night. Without the two of them, I think the whole operation would have just fallen apart.

Part of my disappointment may be due to the fact that originally we were supposed to stay at the very well-reputed Nyungwe Forest Lodge. Unfortunately, it was closed for renovations at the time of our trip, and so we had to be rebooked at Top View (and the view from the western balacony is nice).

In spite of all of my seeming negativity, we never really went without. There aren't many accommodations at Nyungwe, so I think this lodge has to be measured, at least in part, on that basis. That said, if you have flexibility in the timing of your trip, I might consider waiting until Forest Lodge is (hopefully) back up and running. Without that benefit, we nevertheless had a serviceable enough time at Top View (4 nights) and we're glad to have the opportunity to visit Nyungwe National Park." See all these reviews: 13n in Rwanda

"Very nice staff. The rooms are very private with a sitting area and fireplace. They are very willing to start a fire in the fireplace. The bathrooms need remodeling. They are old, black mold in some areas and the towels are shredding. There is a large outdoor balcony and the views from the room and property in general are gorgeous. The food is very average. The main lodge needs a thorough cleaning as there are spider webs, etc. Some of the furniture is falling apart. We were shocked at the price they command considering the condition of the property. We would not stay here again and would have spent more money to stay at the more expensive exclusive lodge in the area. We stayed here trying to cut the budget and were disappointed in the poor quality and food." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania; 9n in Rwanda; 3n in Kenya; 1n in South Africa