The Retreat by Heaven

There are three deluxe king rooms at The Retreat, each 40m2. It features a king size bed as well as a furnished patio. Guests can also enjoy the plasma TV with premium channels available as well as complimentary Wi-Fi. Other features include a minibar, refrigerator, tea/ coffee maker and complimentary unlimited purified water. 24 hour room service will make the stay even more comfortable for any guest who stays here. Other amenities include a turndown service, en-suite bathroom with rainfall shower and organic products such as shampoo, conditioner and body lotion. The room also includes a safe, desk and phone and is wheelchair accessible.

There are six superior king suites at The Retreat, each measuring 60m2. It features a king size bed as well as a furnished front balcony and a private back deck. Guests can also enjoy the plasma TV with premium channels as well as complimentary Wi-Fi. Other features include a minibar, refrigerator, tea/ coffee maker and complimentary unlimited purified water. 24 hour room service will make the stay even more comfortable for any guest who stays here.

Other amenities include a turndown service, en-suite bathroom with rainfall shower and organic products such as shampoo, conditioner and body lotion. The room also includes a safe, desk, phone and has air conditioning for complete comfort. Four of these rooms can be configured as a twin room and two have both a bathtub and shower. Daily housekeeping is also provided.

The Retreat has just completed an entirely new wing of its property with eight Luxury Pool Villas – each featuring a large living area, front and back gardens, and private heated saltwater swimming pools. With both an indoor and outdoor living space, the villas measure at 120m2. With a welcome complimentary 30 minute massage, fruit basket, snacks jar and welcome amenity plate, the stay is luxurious from start to finish. There is also a complimentary minibar and a hotel customised gift.

There are three master king suites at The Retreat, each measuring 80m2. Each room features a king size bed, furnished front balcony and a private back deck. With a separate seating area, guests can also enjoy the plasma TV with premium channels and complimentary Wi-Fi. A minibar, tea/ coffee maker, refrigerator and complimentary purified water is also included as is 24 hour room service.

The private en-suite offers both an indoor and outdoor rain shower, double sinks and organic amenities such as shampoo, conditioner and body lotion. Guests will also be able to enjoy air conditioning., a safe, desk, phone and daily housekeeping. All of these suites have a pool view as well as the ability to be configured as twin rooms.

For ten years, the American founders of Kigali’s top restaurant, Heaven, Josh and Alissa Ruxin, dreamed of opening a fine dining restaurant which merges culinary traditions from around the world with Rwandan ingredients. Fusion – our restaurant at The Retreat – takes culinary traditions from Italy, Mauritius, Morocco and Rwanda and blends them into a single harmonious offer. Perched beside The Retreat’s glorious saltwater pool, rock gardens and native plantings, Fusion is the most elegant spot in Kigali to explore new flavours and experience first-class hospitality.

Heaven Restaurant is known as a hospitality training facility and cultural venue serving a unique modern African menu! The owners, Josh and Alissa Ruxin, custom built and opened Heaven in 2008 (13 years ago) to offer vocational training and employment for Rwandans to become the future leaders in hospitality. They have trained over 1,000 Rwandans in culinary and customer service skills and continue to train interns and others with a passion to build a career in hospitality.

They are known for our famous guacamole and signature Cassava Leaf Beef Filet and also for their incredible homemade cocktails! They host cultural events from art exhibits to dance performances, support Made in Rwanda products in retail areas, and have their own organic onsite garden!

Our Kigali City Tour is designed to give you an intimate view of Kigali on an entertaining packed day. Our curated tours are customised according the the specific interests of each client. They plan the day with a blend of Rwandan arts, history, food and culture. A sample day might include a drive through the old neighbourhood of Nyamirambo, tour a local market, stop by a milk bar, taste of Rwandan coffee, and a visit to an art gallery or fashion designer.

It includes a local Rwandan traditional lunch and banana wine making demonstration at Heaven Restaurant, and often end each tour with a visit to the Genocide Memorial. This tour includes transportation by private vehicle for the day and drop off at the end of the tour as well as lunch.

With international accolades and a New York Times writeup, fashion in Rwanda is a bright example of hope and creativity coming together. On this Fashion Tour, guests have the chance to visit the best local Rwandan fashion boutiques and often enjoy the unique opportunity to meet with designers and artisans. Guests can enjoy an optional tour of the vibrant African “kitenge” fabric markets, and place a custom order with an in-house tailor to make custom clothing during their stay with us!

Guests also enjoy a coffee or tea and snack en route to see artisans in action at their workshops. Return to Heaven & The Retreat for visit to the Made in Rwanda retail boutique and the onsite AZIZI Life Fair Trade Crafts Boutique! This tour also includes transportation by private vehicle for the day and drop off at the end of the tour.

Art has not only been an essential part of Rwandan history, but it remains a vibrant part of modern life. Every Art & Culture tour is customised based on each clients’ interests. Clients will have the chance to meet with the contemporary artists of Kigali, engage with local artisans in a crafting workshop, appreciate public art and potentially enjoy a traditional dance and drumming with a stop for refreshments at a local café or traditional milk bar. This tour also includes transportation by private vehicle for the day and drop off at the end of the tour.

As important as it is to see the sights of a city as energetic as Kigali, it’s equally important to get out into nature and explore. Take an easy hike up one of the Thousand Hills of Kigali through lush forested hills with our guides and enjoy tropical birdlife, flora, spectacular views and a picnic lunch provided at the top! Sample Itinerary: • Hike Mt. Kigali – spend a few hours hiking up the hillside and enjoy expansive views of Kigali.

Extra Activities – You have the option to do archery, zip line, horseback ride in the arena or on trails, bocce ball, trampoline, badminton. If you are lucky, you might see monkeys living in the forest at the top! This tour also includes transportation by private vehicle for the day and drop off at the end of the tour.

Delve into a Rwandan culinary extravaganza! Taste the local fruits at a farmers market, and look for special ingredients needed to create modern African recipes. Enjoy the hands-on experience of making Rwandan banana beer (urwagwa), and participate in a private cooking class with our Chef featuring some of our signature recipes. The bartenders may teach you how to make one of our innovative cocktails.. shush it’s top secret! This tour includes transportation by private vehicle for the day and drop off at the end of the tour  as well as lunch at the Hotel.

Spend the day on a walking tour of a lively, local neighbourhood, visiting and interacting with the owners of hair salons, tailor shops, markets, and resto-bars. Enjoy lunch made by a local Rwandan family in their home! This tour includes transportation by private vehicle for the day and drop off at the end of the tour as well as lunch.

This remarkable community visit covers the history and amazing progress achieved in Rwanda. Visit the very epicentre of the genocide – Nyamata Church Genocide Memorial – and hear directly from a survivor. Then move on to see the incredible progress and prosperity in Mayange village with potential visits to a farmer’s home, the local health centre and a women’s weaving cooperative. The day is customized based on each client’s interests. This tour also includes transportation by private vehicle for the day and drop off at the end of the tour as well as a picnic lunch or lunch back at Heaven Restaurant.

The best coffee in Rwanda doesn’t happen by chance. You will be taken through a short coffee history lesson on the entire coffee production process from growth to harvesting cherries from the trees in coffee farm to the roasting stage. Guests have the chance to taste coffee from all over Rwanda, and create a custom blend  and each guest gets one gift bag to take home. This tour also includes transportation by private vehicle for the day and drop off at the end of the tour.

Designed and hosted by artisans and artists, it is a truly wonderful way to get a taste of the beauty and rigour of rural life and Rwandan culture. Become part of a weaving cooperative for the day. The morning begins with a drive to a nearby village, where you and your interpreter will be welcomed by the ladies of the weaving cooperative. After introductions from your hostess, a morning of family chores begins.

You might help out in the kitchen, collect water from the valley spring, cut grass for the farm animals and get out in the fields for a seasonal agricultural activity. At noontime, you’ll share a simple local meal with your host family, with plenty of time to chat and learn about each other’s lives. After lunch, you will join with the artisan cooperative for an afternoon of weaving. You will learn how to harvest and prepare the natural fibres, and then the artisans will teach you how to create your own piece of sisal jewellery.

You will love sitting with the ladies as you weave and laugh together. The day finishes back at the women’s cooperative where you can browse through some of the beautiful crafts made by the artisans and do a little fair trade shopping. This tour includes transportation by private vehicle for the day and drop off at the end of the tour as well as lunch.

Meet your guide for a morning coffee. Travel to Kayonza district. Meet coffee farmers and live demonstration of each step of growing coffee cherries. Tour of a coffee washing station with demonstration of each step of processing coffee. Farmers will roast coffee and serve the guests. This tour includes transportation by private vehicle for the day and drop off at the end of the tour as well as lunch in Kayonza and coffee gift bag for each guest.

The Retreat knows how important supporting the local community is and have trained over 1000 Rwandans in hospitality skills so far as well as hires many of the locals at the property.

The Retreat has its own on-site organic garden where it grows fresh fruit and vegetables. The chefs then use these ingredients to provide food in the on-site restaurant.

The Retreat is ran on solar power, taking advantage of the naturally hot climate in efforts to reduce their carbon footprint.

The Retreat offers its guests completely organic toiletries in all of its rooms and en-suites.

The Retreat features locally crafted furniture in their property from a Tanzanian sustainable teak farm.