Jinja Nile Resort Hotel | Review
Great location but overpriced and outdated
Rating — 3/10
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Situated in Jinja, on the banks of the River Nile, Jinja Nile Resort is set on over 30 acres of landscaped gardens. This property is publicised as a 5 star hotel, and after our stay at the Serena Lake Victoria Hotel in Kampala, we were looking forward to the same standard here. Sadly we were a little disappointed.
Location
Being situated right on the banks of the River Nile, the location of this hotel is one of it’s best features, with every room having views straight onto the Nile. When it would rain int he afternoon we would go back to our rooms and read our books on the balcony whilst watching the rain fall into the nile.
Rooms
Our room was a good size but the decor was a little dated, I doubt anything has been updated since the 70's.
The bathroom definitely could have done with a face lift and a good scrub. There were a few broken tiles and a rusty shower head, and the shower floor was…
We don’t think we booked a family room but we were given one double bed and a single bed next to it. The mattresses were a little soft but we both slept ok
There were no dressing gowns or slippers provided. I know this sounds like I’m Princess, but these are standard things that you expect when booking 5 star. They did provide one pair of old pink flip flops, which may have been left by the previous guest.
Service
The staff are all lovely and friendly, but sometimes not that helpful. They reminded of bit of Manuel from the tv show Faulty Towers. I hope their boss wasn’t like Basil Fawlty.
Some examples.
- They offered to buy an i-Phone charger for us (amazing service). For them to come back with an Android charger, which we then paid for and gave to them as it was no use to us.
- Booking taxis, then having to negotiate the price ourselves.
- Offering a travel operator to book our excursions. We ended up having to book them ourselves, and pay to use the staff’s personal mobile phones, as no phones on reception dialled out.
Food
The breakfast buffet is ok, but on the whole we found the food to be a little basic, especially for the price we were paying. We ended up going out to eat at a place close by called All Friends
Facilities
The pool is a good size and although being a little shabby round the edges, this is definitely one of the focal points of the hotel. It is nice to sit and relax here whilst looking at the River Nile and read your book.
The gym looks a good size, but the equipment maybe is a little dated for a hotel of this sort.
There is a spa, but I took a look in and it doesn’t look like anyone has had a massage there for weeks, so I decided not to try it out. This also goes for the steam room and sauna.
The wifi is extremely good, and we had no problem accessing it from our room or by the pool.
How much would I pay for a night?
If it was between £50 — £100 then I don’t think that I wouldn’t have been as disappointed, but even then I would be more inclined to pay closer to the £50 mark.
Here are some alternative places to stay in Jinja that may be a bit better value and service.
