Inside Bisate Reserve: Rwanda’s Newest Luxury Lodge

On the final day of our Rwandan adventure, we took a detour to check out the shiny new Bisate Reserve. If you’re currently frantically lost and trying it find it on Google Maps, let me help you out: it’s practically staring Bisate Lodge right in the face.

Now, a little history.  Bisate Lodge was the first luxury property in Rwanda, and set a new standard for Widlerness.  It far exceeded anything they had done to date, and was a boilerplate for their refurbishments of DumaTau, Mombo and Jao.  Someone clearly gave them a royal kick up the arse, as they realised their competition (namely Singita) were so far ahead of them that they were in a different timezone.  However, they never directly competed with Singita, as Wilderness were mostly in Botswana and Singita were dominating South Africa and Tanzania.  But just two years after opening, Singita launched Kwitonda in a better location, just 25 minutes from Bisate, and for the first time Wilderness and Signita, two of the juggernauts of the luxury safari market, were in direct competition in the same space.  And now, with the launch of Bisate Reserve, the game continues.

Now, back when I was planning this trip (yes, over a year in advance), Bisate Reserve wasn’t even in the rumor mill. I had already booked Singita Kataza House because it offered a private villa, and as you know, staying in a villa makes you a better human being.  Bisate Reserve, meanwhile, opted for four separate one-bedroom accommodations—a little less “family safari” and a little more “romantic escape.” Although, for the romantically promiscuous, two of those rooms can be connected by a cool little corridor, which is hidden behind a bookshelf.

Let’s get one thing clear. There’s a monumental difference between snooping around a property and actually staying there. I’ve breezed through many hotels where, after about five seconds, I know they’re not for me, and equally, I’ve never had that instant, “I belong here” epiphany just by walking into a place. Bisate Reserve, though, is beautiful. It’s got the visual charm you’d expect from the new version of Wilderness, but with a grander feel. It’s priced about 30% higher than the original Bisate, which makes sense since these rooms are almost double the size and all the amenities have been given a “bigger is better” treatment.  Basically, I struggle to see why you would stay at Bisate anymore, unless you care about trivial things like money.

The interior design is stunning. It’s very much Bisate, just grander, bigger, more polished—as you’d expect and hope.  Not much else to say—it’s the kind of decor that makes you feel like you should immediately be more sophisticated than you actually are  Their shower deserves its own Instagram account.  The layout is open plan, but there’s a partial separator between the bedroom and living room.  That might get annoying, but it looks great.  Outside there’s a large balcony with a hot tub.

Some further thoughts.

Views: Let’s say they’re…fine. Not exactly views that will have you rethinking your purpose in life, but it’s Rwanda, so “fine” still means a lot of green.  Singita still wins this one.

Room Configurations: Rooms #1 and #2 are the rooms that connect. Room #4 is the one you want the best privacy and view.

Spa and Gym: Currently filed under “coming soon”.

Eagles’ Nest: They’ve got this sunrise spot that’s all about sweeping views of all six volcanoes.

Helipad: There’s a helipad right nearby, conveniently positioned for those who prefer descending onto their lodge like action heroes.

The Lounge

Last time we stayed you were basically kicked out on your arse come 10 am.  Not the kindest way to leave your $7,000/n room, particularly when a lot of flights are not until the evening.  To counter this, they have now created a lounge that sits separate to the lodge and is shared between Bisate and Bisate Reserve.  Most airport lounges are dead zones where you just sit, waiting for the sweet release of death. But I actually liked this lounge. There’s a few day rooms to shower in, a restaurant, gift shop and a nice garden to hang about.

Conclusion

Bisate Reserve is basically Bisate on steroids.  It’s grander, bigger, better, and with only four rooms is pretty darn exclusive. Would I book a stay? Probably.  Well, definitely not with children, but if I can ever convince them to stay with their grandpa then Lucie and I would certainly give it a go.