I am a guest now for 1 night in Kigali, Rwanda with hosts from US and England. Young couple in their early 30s.
All started with us not being able to find the place for … 3 hours… in a taxi!. Yes the driver was an idiot who not only didn’t have knowledge of the area but couldn’t even read a map we gave him. So we had to take matters in our own hands and asked about 50 people where tha house is finally we found it. At the very end the host told us that he is near junior academy and when we asked people many knew exactly where it is. So if he mentioned anything about it before we would t suffer through 3 hours of taxi ride without AC and on top of that driver wanted to charge 6 times more than we agreed on.
When we arrived the host was apologetic … somewhat… and said : no one before had problem finding us as everyone have Internet and can find us following the pin.
So… “everyone” who stayed at your house has a smart phone? Or unlocked phone, or actually knows about sim cards. My phone is still locked and I couldn’t use sim card and T-Mobile has no coverage in this area.
Later on I couldn’t refuse myself a pleasure of showing him his reviews by guests who said exactly that/ it’s very difficult to find Colin, use their own taxi driver who knows exactly where to go.
Here I asked him: you have your own taxi driver? Then why we didn’t use him???
Later on he was very pleasant with offering us drinks and we had for half an hour very nice chat.
Then he gave us suggestions on where to go.
When we entered the room we were quite shocked. The room was tiny, very warm and without TV.
The reason why I describe the room is show how incredibly overpriced for the area the listing was. Honestly it was a joke. In countries like Rwanda where prices are more than reasonable i always book hotels. The room was 22$. There are plenty of very nice hotels in Rwanda for this money. With big rooms , TVs and privte bathrooms. And on top of that amenities . This was just a miserable tiny room with bed. After I put there my luggage there was no space to even walk. The only reason why I booked it is because I had credit and I wanted to use in the last week of my trip.
I could pick a room for 10$ but I thought for 20$ it will be something nice. Also reviews said that room is spacious and I didn’t really pay attention to TV as they had internet.
There was another guest there and I think he just gave me a different room .
But it was just one night stay and I said to myself, o well, I will stay out longer because the room was prettt depressing.
The next day I woke up and found hosts in a kitchen at their computers. They hardly said hi to me and continued working. The woman I never even met and she didn’t even introduced herself. Only after her boyfriend asked her if we met she said/ I don’t remember I was very tired.
So here I am standing in a middle of the room and looking at them starring at computers . I really wanted coffee and breakfast that was included but kitchen was empty when I passed it with no indication of coffe or breakfast.
Few minutes later I asked the guy If I should make coffee myself. He said: will do it. So he makes coffee and because of their behavior I am even afraid to ask them about breakfast . No one offers anything to me or explains how to make that breakfast. I sat on a porch and saw them heading to the door. She told me to have a good day without a smile and they left.
I see the local guy there who obviously works for them and asked him if he knows anything about breakfast. He said yes, he will make me one.
That’s not the end. The hosts told me yesterday about his driver who can drive us to bus station and from there we can take a bus. He calls the driver right before he left and told him to come at 10 am. The only reason why we asked him tc call driver is because it’s impossible from his location to get a taxi.
Since many people in Rwanda don’t speak a word of English I assumed that the host told the driver where to take us : bus station. Driver arrives , we get in a car and start driving. About 5 minutes later the driver asks where we’re are heading . I say : lake. His accent is so heavy that I have a hard time understanding anything he says. When he asked me where we are going only several
Minutes after we drove I thought he is asking us where is our final destination , but not where we going right now with him . I thought he already knows from the host.
40 minutes later I start to have suspicion that bus station is not where he takes us.
.
This a conversation with me and driver:
Me: So, Colin never told you where to take us ?
Him: No, he just told me to pick you up at 10 am.
Me: ok… so you are taking us on 3.5 hour drive without even discussing price? And why it took you the whole 5 minutes to ask us where we are going?
Him: Colin called me once about his guests, to take them to lake and I said price is 100$. So I thought you knew. ( answer about the delay I never got 
).
Me: well… now you need to take us back to bus station since I am not paying you 100$.
Him: ( almost crying) please let’s make a price so I can take you there. It will take me 40 minutes to take you back and I wasted all this gas.
We negotiate down to 70$ and he is beyond happy. I did it because he was really ready to cry and I felt terrible of making him return us to bus station and waste all these gas and time.
So, now may be I am wrong in thinking that my host was a lousy host and not caring person but I called taxies for my guests hundreds of times and I had to be sure there is no mistake and even tell the driver how much it has to be because I know our Miami drivers. Plus some of my guests did not speak English .
Between all of this, or arrival, our departure, crappy room for the price of a nice hotel room, their behaviour in the morning , I am thinking of what review to leave them or any review at all. To think of it:
- I picked a room myself, no one made me take the listing
- It was me who couldn’t find the place , actually my driver, but still …
- It was me who did not get the situation with our ride to bus station and assumed that the host told the driver where to take us.
- As far as the girlfriend goes, may be she was upset by something or very busy and did not act welcoming at all.
I don’t know, I am a totally different host and make my guests feel welcomed definitely. But may be I shouldn’t judge how others are.
With that said even id I am wrong blaming them for my miserable time do I recommend them? I really don’t want to recommend them . I would never stay with someone like this. And especially in that room!
