The closest thing in Rwanda to a five-star hotel of international quality is this one, the plush InterContinental. It opened in 2003 on the site of the former Hotel Diplomates on the shady Boulevard de la Revolution, just 10 minutes' walk from the city center and a 15- to 20-minute drive from Kigali International Airport, depending on traffic conditions. It forms part of the South African Southern Sun group and has all the facilities one would expect of a four- to five-star hotel in Johannesburg or Cape Town. Wherever possible, however, food and most other items are sourced locally to benefit the local economy.
The main four-story building, painted creamy yellow on the outside, has a large courtyard-like reception area with a glass front, pale tiled floor, and several
sitting areas with soft chairs and glass tables.
There are two options for eating. The elegant indoor Diplomat Restaurant serves classical Continental cuisine in a sedate candlelit atmosphere. The funkier poolside Banana Jam Cafe has a more contemporary menu that represents a fusion of North American, European and African cuisine.
The grounds of this hotel are rather small and lacking in character, but there is a pleasant swimming pool area where you can relax in the sun. Other facilities include a 550-seat conference center, several shops and boutiques, 24-hour business services, and a free air-conditioned airport shuttle.
This hotel is ideally located for those with business in central Kigali, as it lies within a flat 10-minute walk of the city center. For tourists, Kigali is more of a place to pass through en route to Volcanoes National Park than a destination.
The guest rooms here are probably the smartest in Kigali, and the contemporary decor and furnishings include king beds, dark-wood writing tables, brown pastel-hued tiles, carpets and curtains, and comfortable sitting areas with glass tables. Excellent facilities include satellite TV, a minibar, direct-dial phone, personal safe, tea- and coffeemaking facilities, Internet connections for laptops, and efficient 24-hour room service. Baths have a tub and shower, and robes are provided. The suites are comfortable and the best on offer in Rwanda.
In most other contexts, this would be a fairly unremarkable international-style four (or possibly five) star city hotel, studiously lacking in character but with all the amenities to make business travellers comfortable. In Rwanda, it simply excels, and though its aura of breezy internationalism can feel positively surreal to anybody coming in off the streets of Kigali, it is undoubtedly the best urban hotel in the country and must be recommended over the rival Milles Collines to those who can afford it.