One&Only Nyungwe House — Hotel in Bushekeri

A truly magical and fairytale experience at One&Only Nyungwe House, Rwanda, which has been for a week the Heaven on the Earth for us!!||Where do I even begin? As the words and pictures can’t do justice to the sheer beauty of the location, to the outstanding personalized service and unforgettable moments we had.||However, even is very difficult I will try my best to share the highlights that made this stay a lifetime experience for me and my husband. ||Our journey start right from the airport where our amazing driver Ramazan organized by the hotel was waiting for us, with a luxury car, providing refreshments and WiFi, the trip to hotel was around 5 to 6 hours. ||There was also a faster way to reach the hotel with helicopter and the helipad is just a few minute away from the main entrance, very convenient and easy. ||We personally loved the car trip, the green landscape, the culture and locals which we met in our way, our coffee breaks with view, the rice plantation, corn, tea, etc, and Ramazan sharing the stories and his knowledge of the country makes the time fly. ||Arriving at the hotel we were welcomed with warm greetings; drums.., than escorted to main lodge where we have been served the best tea I had in my life, in the front of a cozy cracking fireplace with the breathtaking and mesmerizing tea plantation view, there was also two lovely ladies from Spa waiting to offer us a back massage after our long trip, which was a very nice touch. ||Watching the surroundings, ambiance, view, and the kind and warm welcome, I felt so much joy and happiness and I was thinking “is this place and this moment even real” ? ||Later we were escorted by Micheline to our||Canopy Treehouse and we couldn’t be more happy, the room was a dream with fireplace, a big bath tub, local art on the walls, and personalized welcome card with fruits basket and bottle of wine, a mind blowing balcony facing the forest from where we could see the sweet colobuses monkey playing which made the room an absolutely fairytale. ||Tired and excited we decided to rest for few hours before the dinner, however we wake up with the sond of drums and people dancing, when we reach the main lodge, the guests were sitting on comfortable sofas around a big fireplace getting served cocktails and canapés while the local dancers performs, they offered us their traditional dress and we were invited to join them for the local dancing, we can’t explain the unique experience we were part of. ||At the dinner we met the One&Only Bosco, his professionalism on explaining the menu and the different dishes and the history behind it , his knowledge is outstanding, our dinners and the tranquility by the fireplace has been nothing but extraordinary during our entire stay. ||Bosco surprised us with a wedding anniversary rose petals set up, which will always remain memorable for us, big thank you! ||Also, thank you to chef Battista who approached us and inquire if we have any special requests or we would like him to make specific dish for us, we felt so special, like we had a private chef, the attention to details was above and beyond expectations, was like nowhere else, truly it’s the One&Only!!!||Breakfast with the Sunny plantation tea and Jonny explaining us the jams and from which country was each, has been absolutely Perfection!!!||Thank you to Micheline, Celine and Valery who always inquired if there is any activities we would like to book for the next day, and we did it all, hiking, biking, canopy walk, archery, spears….||I highly recommend tea tasting and pick up the tea leaves experience, Jack explained to us the tea making process and the hard work involved which absolutely change our perception of the tea. ||We spend some time by the pool and it was amazing, perfect heated water temperature with nature view. Louis at Spa with her magic hands and the Fire Ritual treatment is a definitely must try. ||We loved everything and when we believed that nothing can’t surprise us anymore, we got an upgrade to a stunning villa with bigger windows from where I was able to spy my preferred colobus monkey better and have a bigger fireplace.||On our supposed last evening Micheline surprised us with a wedding anniversary cake and two baby chimpanzee toys souvenirs, the next day we are the ones surprising her as we wanted to extend our stay, it was funny!!!||And lastly huge thank you to Bob, Max and Christian who did miracle and the impossible being possible, calling the airline and assisting with the last minute changing the flight ticket, in addition with the extension of the booking and all necessary arrangements for transportation.||It’s difficult to find the right words to express how much this experience it means to us and how much all of you contribute to it.||Definitely, One&Only Nyungwe House is a place that perfectly marries luxury, adventure and the beauty of nature. Every moment felt special, and every detail was carefully curated and personalized. This was not just a hotel stay; it was a once in a lifetime experience!!!||If you ever have the opportunity to visit, I promise you it’s a journey worth taking.||||PS: Lock the balcony door, colobus monkey are smart manage to open the door and eat my cake and all the fruits, which make me laugh...

I can't say enough about this resort. Everything was impeccable from start to finish. We will definitely be back.

Service - We were welcomed with drummers and all our needs are taken care of. There was always someone in the main lodge to help out with requests (changing money, drinks etc.). Laundry was timely, and so was room service to restock our minibar.

Rooms - They are all nestled up against the forest. While they are clustered in groups of 4, they are all a bit offset from each other so you are not immediately next to any one. The furniture and decor inside were new and comfortable and it had a spacious patio to just look out into the forest. The bed and furniture seemed new and was comfortable. The bathroom was spacious and even had a heated towel rack. It also had a TV with a wide variety of stations, which is great for rainy days, but not needed given the other options at the resort.

Food - Amazing food and every night was different! The first night was a great bbq with different kinds of meat. The second night was a multi-course tasting menu which rivaled many fine-dining experiences. We were lucky enough to accompany another couple for a birthday dinner on the final night and they set up a beautiful candlelight dinner out in the garden. Again, the filet they prepared was cooked wonderfully. I would also like to recognize Igor for very attentive bar service. One funny thing to mention is that they described their lunches as light. I guess that is only compared to their dinner because the lunches had bread, soup/salad, a main dish and dessert

Activities - The resort offered a variety of entertaining and unique experiences. There was a Boma on our first night with dancers and drumming. Drinks were served too. Also, it was a little chilly and they brought a delicious soup to warm us up. Grace and Sam were extremely helpful. Grace took us on an evening nature walk and showed us some constellations. Sam took me for spear throwing and archery. We also did a tea tasting experience. The resort is built in an active tea plantation. We went into the fields and learned the basics of collecting the tea leaves and then we were able to taste the different grades of tea.

Gym/Spa/Pool - The pool was beautiful as it overlooks the forest. One tip I learned is that if you are free and the weather is good, you should go. If you wait (which is what I did), the weather will likely change. The gym was small but they used the space pretty effectively (dumbbells with a bench, multi-use weight machine, 3 types of cardio). My wife loved her...

Magical. Achingly beautiful. Hospitality and smiles beyond compare…||There’s a reason Rwanda is known as the land of a million smiles. We began our Rwandan adventure at One&Only Nyungwe and after three fabulous nights we were sad to depart. This was our first experience with One&Only and we hope we are fortunate to visit more locations in the future. ||The photos do not do the place justice. It is even more spectacular in person. You are ensconced in an intimate setting with the brightest green tea fields imaginable surrounded by the world’s oldest forest. Mountain monkeys jump from roof to roof- only adding to the exotic mystique.||I will ditto what former reviewers have shared regarding the rooms. Private, secluded, impeccably designed perfection. And little surprises at turndown nightly!! ||The meals are varied, delicious and served with the most gracious service. Very special kudos to our friends Sam and John who made us feel like family! Try the signature tree tomato jam- otherworldly! Their green chile pepper oil is also a must-try. |The cocktails and wines were also marvelous! Thank you Yvonne. Sitting by the fire in the stunning lounge area at cocktail hour was a fantastic treat. ||We enjoyed the canopy trek and bridge adventure, the tea experience with the amazing Grace, and an epic chimp trek - very lucky to have seen (and heard) so many of them including frolicking babies. A tip on the chimp trek- do make use of the porters- most importantly, it helps support the local community. But, even if you are fit and able the porters know the terrain better than you do and can assist especially on the steep and sometimes slippery descent.||Our last evening included a wonderful dance and music show with native villagers. So much fun!! And even more smiles. 😄||Merci beaucoup and Murakoze for everything! We will tell everyone we know about your very special...