zedthedeadpoet

I'm starting to get a little nervous.

About three weeks ago I decided to book a last minute exotic trip. We landed on the two O&O properties in Rwanda. I booked two three-night stays at each of the properties on their respective websites. After doing so I didn't get a confirmation email. Weird. But ok.

I emailed the two properties directly looking to confirm my reservation. No answer. Weird. Especially for such a luxury brand. So I tried calling. I was connected to an office in Dubai. The person I talked to there confirmed my reservation on the phone and via email.

I then emailed the hotels to book spa reservation. 36 hours go by - no answer. I then replied all to my email asking if they got it. 12 hours later I got email confirmation (and by confirmation I mean an email saying "Yes, we look forward to seeing you at our spa" - thats it).

Another week goes by and they respond on that same email chain asking for my credit card security code. I sent the code to the credit card I thought I used to book the reservation. Another day goes by and I get another email saying that my credit card was declined.

So i try calling. Their phones don't work. I email asking them to call me. She emails back with a different number to call. I'm on the phone with her now. She had the credit card number correct - said it was declined again. But I didn't get any notification from Amex. So i'm now trying a different credit card. But its painfully slow and tedious reading these credit card numbers. She now claims my other amex isn't working.

This doesn't feel right.

Mind you at this point i've gotten better service from the airport westin we are staying in before we move to O&O.

Anyone have similar experience?

This feels a lot like a scam. But i'm calling the hotel directly. Using their website.

Ugh

vuittonsofstyle

I would be very tempted to cancel, as all this sounds really scary!

zedthedeadpoet

They were now able to charge my amex.

I leave day after tomorrow.

Wish me luck!

chinmoylad

Haven't been, but having worked with them had a really good experience - fantastic to work with.

But understand that it's difficult sometimes with reservations teams/central reservations etc, guessing emails weren't being received either.

zedthedeadpoet

glad to hear this.

but still super odd to deal with a $3500/night resort that isn’t good at communicating with prospective guests...

GetSetJetSet

Please report back, very interested in Rwanda

zedthedeadpoet

Got back last night.

Rwanda is amazing.

Wish I could do a trip report that would do it justice.

I still don't understand the snafu with reservation as the One & Only Nguguwe house is hands down the nicest hotel/resort I've ever experienced. Nicer than Aman, Four Seasons, etc - based on my experience. Hands down. From arrival to departure they think of everything. It was a magical introduction to Rwanda - which is equally if not more amazing in its own right.

We spent three nights at Nguguwe House and then transferred to Gorilla's Nest. Considering that Gorilla's Nest is 2x per night we were anxious to see how it would compare.

The facilities are indeed 2x as nice. Maybe 10x as nice. Its the nicest hotel/resort i've ever laid eyes on. Only 22 "rooms" but its massive. Each "room" is its own free standing building/tree house.

That said, they launched a little too early. The resort opened a month ago and their staff have a ways to go. I'm a little irked they charged full price while still working out the kinks. Our safari company told us about some other guests who just left early and demanded a refund.

However, I'm confident that once they have the kinks worked out and staff up to O&O standards - it will be one of the nicest resorts in the world. I can't wait to return.

Happy to answer any questions.....

aCavalierInCoach

I visited the gorillas via a much less expensive package and didn't believe my guide when he told me what rooms were going to go for here (we were driving by in the labor day timeframe). Glad to hear it's so incredible.

jiaotze

Thanks for the reviews!

We will be staying at Nyungwe House for two days in July then transferring to Bisate. Did you feel 3 nights was too much at Nyungwe? Were there ample things to do? We could potentially cut off a night in Kigali and go to Nyungwe a day earlier for a three-night stay.

How did get from Nyungwe to Gorilla's Nest? One can fly back to Kigali and then drive (which is about 2.5-3 hours I hear) or do a longer drive from Nyungwe to Virunga. I can't determine if the longer drive will provide lovely scenery through the countryside or if it's better to just do the fly/drive option.

Any thoughts are much appreciated. Thanks.

zedthedeadpoet

I think two nights at Nyungwe is too short. Three or even four nights would be preferred. Plenty to do. Not near as much as at gorillas nest. But even spending a day or two doing nothing and enjoying the spa and pool and never leaving the grounds would be satisfying.

In terms of transport. We took the helicopter from Kigali to Nguguwe. Highly recommend this. It’s an amazing experience. Also beats the 6+ hour drive after (presumably) long travel day(s) immediately prior.

we were scheduled to also heli from Nguguwe to gorillas nest but weather didn’t cooperate. You should have less of a problem with weather during the dry season. This caused us to have to drive the 5 hour drive to gorillas nest. I’m not a road trip person. Had not been in the car that long in a long while and I can say that it wasn’t bad at all. Very nice roads with incredible scenic views. That’s one thing that I knew nothing about Rwanda before visiting: the incredible topography and vertical relief.

jiaotze

Thanks very much for your thoughts and the information. I'll give serious consideration to adding on an extra day there.

Did you spend much time in Kigali?

zedthedeadpoet

We were on the KLM flight that landed ~7pm. So we spent our first night there which was uneventful. The Marriott is nice enough. We visited the genocide museum (which is a must; and you’ll appreciate why it’s a must as you spend more time in the country) and an art gallery the next morning before catching our heli to Nyungwe. We also spent a few hours our last day shopping at the central market (a must; a bazaar like none other) and ate at the best Indian restaurant I’ve been to outside of India.

Short answer: we were totally satisfied with the amount of time we spent (~ 6 hours) being active in Kigali.

jiaotze

Once again, thanks for the info. It's all very useful. Cheers.

Fliar

Nyungwe was fabulous. We stayed there in the second week it had opened and despite some minor issues it was overall amazing.

MicSanToro

Seeing as it's difficult and unwise to travel at the moment, I have instead been browsing properties and destinations that interest me. In this pursuit, I landed upon O&O Gorilla's Nest. I was intrigued by One&Only's move into Rwanda when it first began and followed the opening of Nyungwe House but didn't really follow construction process for Gorilla's Nest and hadn't realized it was open until just now.

I was just looking at their website and the prices they are charging are insane. For reference I just selected a random 3 night stay in October. Their cheapest room, Forest Lodge King, will cost you US$4,100 per night. Their most expensive room, the Silverback Suite, will cost you US$12,000 per night. Remember that these rates don't even include the pass you need to trek to see gorillas which will run you another US$1500 which gets you one hour with the gorillas.

For comparison sake: These prices mean that every room/suite at Gorilla's Nest except their cheapest offering (Forest Lodge King) is more expensive per night than Beachfront Villas 1-10 at North Island in Seychelles. The Silverback Suite is $2400 per night more expensive than even Villa 11 at North Island (at US$9,600 per night).

For anyone who has had the chance to stay at Gorilla's Nest or any TA's who have booked clients at the property, do you think these prices are justified? What sets Gorilla's Nest apart from Singita Kwitonda (their base rate for 2 people is $600/night cheaper than Gorilla's Nest, their most expensive suite is $6750/night cheaper than Gorilla's Nest)?

Fortunately, I've already had the pleasure of trekking to see gorillas in Volcanoes NP a few years ago. Though I am hoping to return, especially considering the new O&O and Singita properties in the country, I think Gorilla's Nest would have to be among the BEST hotels in the world to be worth that much (especially if going for the Silverback Suite). I'd appreciate any insight you may have!