This small and cozy hotel is located in the quiet and leafy residential neighborhood of Bibare, in Kimironko, and is just a month shy of making one year in business. Their slogan, “Kigali’s best kept secret” rings quiet true, in that it is rather hidden away from the beaten track. To get there, just slope down the new road from Rwahama stage until you spot a large Skol neon sign to your left. A ti
led driveway ushers one into the facility, house in a large residential house overlooking the hotel’s umbrella tree-dotted gardens. The fairly large parking lot is situated between the building and the gardens, and from the few times we have visited, it was obvious this is a major draw in itself: the prospect of drinking your beer or digging into your nyama choma with your car in full view. Speaking of nyama choma, it was what was on our mind when we visited for lunch on Thursday. Ours was a small group of five, consisting of people with different expectations, and after about an hour when our collective order arrived, it was a bit of something for everyone: medium grilled fish, and half kilo of goat at RWF 5,000 and 4,500 respectively. We topped this with ugali and sukuma wiki, at just RWF 800, plus chips and kachumbari, at RWF 1,000 each, bringing the bill to RWF 12,300 minus drinks. Although we had made separate orders, when the food arrived we simply shared. The ugali and sukuma combo was the first to vanish from its plate, forcing one of the waiters to rush to the kitchen and back with a complimentary bowl of sukuma, which was also soon gone. The whole fish had been sliced with some thought in that one just pinched it off the carcass like you were picking chips. So serious are they with their sukuma that, after our meal, Roba, the manager took us to small vegetable patch overlooking the rooms, and that was teeming with the veggie. All that you need is to talk to him well, and he will be more than willing to harvest and pack some for you, for your home kitchen. Even better, he will allow you pluck a few stems for your home garden. Generally, their food is all about the grills-pork, chicken, fish, beef, with prices hovering around the RWF 4,000 – 10,000 mark, depending on the portions. They have 16 rooms that go for a modest RWF 15,000 each, and that are semi detached from the main building, while the lone VIP room with it twin beds goes for RWF 20,000. All in all, Roba’s Hub Hotel attracts a mature crowd, people that want have drink and eat good food in a controlled environment. Their music policy is sensitive to this fact, in that the hotel is what you would call a Rumba/Zouk music lovers’ haven. From Wednesday to Sunday, DJ Michael plays back-to-back Rumba tunes from the lounge, and projects the videos on a large screen set out in the gardens. The gardens are by far the best place to sit, and on cold evening, the hotel staff dots them with lit charcoal stoves for some warmth. They offer outside catering services, and do deliveries to customers within the vicinity. The hotel has unprecedented views of the airport at Kanombe, in that you will know which airliner is landing or taking off from the comfort of your seat. Other than rush to airport and endure the RWF 1,000 thirty minutely parking fee as one waits for their inbound guests, some people simply drive into this hotel, and do the waiting over a beer.
