Beautiful Gift

Quick catch-up of the week just past. Had a lovely time on Tuesday exploring a new hotel near Sonatubes. My friends Jo and Eva are in charge of marketing and management, respectively. After pizza at the weekend, me and Amina went for a mosey round. There's something quite strange about being in an empty hotel. It's due to open to the public shortly.

I got a little lost and ended up at another hotel next door called The Rainbow, where I discovered a swimming pool I never knew existed! I'm definitely going to return.

The Rainbow is cheap and cheerful, but this new hotel, The Gift, is going for all-out luxury. It was originally two houses which have been converted, and the finishing is beautiful, all marble tiles and intricate ironwork.

I think there's about eighteen rooms: singles, doubles and luxury, a conference room, lawn, and a bar area with stunning views across Kigali.

The bar is still being built, and the restaurant chairs are awaiting covers. It's fascinating to see what goes into the opening of a hotel and all the little details that need to be considered. 

Panoramic - click to enlarge.

Michael, the French chef who was also at pizza, managed to rustle up some finger food. We relaxed on the porch, being ladies wot lunch.

There's even a gym. I'm hoping that if I can find them some business I might get a gym pass. I could do with some exercise, and just imagine throwing yourself in that pool afterwards! Yes please.

Then it was home for some proper grub. I created a variation on my pasta dish using noodles, chili, honey, and peanut butter. Went down rather well.

Yesterday was busy. I met up with an old friend, Gerard. He used to be a waiter at our most frequented bar: Stella in Kisimenti. The bar is no longer there (travesty!) - well, it is, but it's changed names, which means it's not really the same - and Gerard is now head waiter for a big hotel down the road. It was really good to see him again. We had lunch, and I told him all about the new hotel. There may have been a little headhunting involved...

Then it was on to the Post Office where I picked up a bundle of clothes and toiletries before popping upstairs to see my mate Jean, who runs the Panafrica Bar. I'm helping him out with some marketing, and he's helping me out with beer and Wimbledon. There's a private room at the back of the bar with a widescreen TV, an electric plug, and a panoramic view of Kigali. I intend to spend most of next week working there whilst watching tennis.

What the hell's the 'world cup'?

Last night was a little strange. I managed to swing a pass to the Goat & Gorilla, which is a bar at the British Embassy. Went with a couple of friends, having last been there with Kieran. Back then it was very quiet as everyone was at a leaving do for the head of DFID, so I wanted to see what it was like on a regular night. 

Let's just say you can smell the public schooling. A couple of nice conversations (naturally amongst the smokers - you find out everything over a cigarette break. It's not good for your health, but it's great for your social life), but mostly people stuck to their tables. My friend and I decamped to Top Towers Casino up the road afterwards. We'd never been in there, and there's a bar on the very top floor with a three-hundred and sixty degree view of town. 

The bar itself is really odd, as there's practically no lighting. As my friend pointed out: 'good for people having affairs.' On the up-side, it improved the twinkley-light view of town.

We decided it was G&T o'clock and treated ourselves, eventually taking motos home. I flopped into bed at the rather respectable time of 1am. Plan to have a working weekend as I have some stuff to do for a UK client, but intend to designate Monday my day off and spend it poolside somewhere nice.

Chin Chin