Friendly and helpful staff. Kule, Trust and Rachel were attentive and supportive and enthusiastic. Ivan the owner helped us book the gorilla trekking for a very fair price. It's a perfect base to go gorilla trekking on a tighter budget. I would highly recommend booking through Ivan and staying here for the trekking. Ivan himself was away, so perhaps we didn't get the perfect experience previous reviews suggest! But he was very helpful and responsive from afar.

A nearby bar played loud music until early hours in the morning, so bring good earplugs. It was a bit more budget than I expected for a deluxe double room and the price. Could have a few more touches to make it more comfortable. The hot shower also didn't work in our room so we had to use a shower in another room. The dinner took a while to make, and only a few items were available on the menu. But if you order in advance no problem at all, and the prices and portions were fair.

A great place to book gorilla trekking at a somewhat “backpacker” price. (for gorillas anyways…) Owner goes out of his way to make sure you have a good stay and have everything you need for your trek, as well as help you arrange anything else you need during your stay. WiFi works well, breakfast is tasty. Rooms are simple, clean, a good match for price. Location is a short walk from bus station.

Nothing. Kosoro isn’t the most happening town, but it’s a base that makes sense for activities in the area.

Food was decent with a good selection on the menu. I did have to send back my dinner though because the hamburger was served cold. The staff and owner are very friendly and most speak good English. Rooms are clean and nicely furnished.

WiFi access is patchy and slow depending on where you are in the venue. I was a bit disappointed about being served a cold hamburger, though it was tasty once reheated.

The rooms are nice and clean and have the bahtroom included. You have the possibility to sit together in the inner courtyard or in the front of the motel. Breakfast and dinner were delicious for a very fair price. The owner of the place is an exceptionally nice guy who took us for a walk to the caldera (with wonderful view over the city), took us to the local market and accompanied us on a boat trip on Lake Mutanda. He provided us with lots of information about the area and its people. We can highly recommend to stay at his place.

If you are there on the weekend you should be aware that the motel is near a larger street and people can have loud music in the later hours (nothing that the hotel is responsible for, but you should know).

It‘s an amazing place in Kisoro. It’s clean, big and cozy. The staff and the manager Ivan are incredible friendly and helpful. He took us for a walk through the authentic Kisoro and showed us the best sunset-viewpoint. He helped us planning all our activities in Uganda and we booked our Gorilla trekking experience with them. We can highly recommend to do this as well. We would stay there anytime again!

Ivan was an incredible host. Not only did he sort out my gorilla tracking excursion at a very reasonable price, but he also came to Rwanda to meet me and collect the money since the permit has to be paid for in cash. I was a little apprehensive about handing over that amount of money but he went out of his way to allay my concerns and I found him extremely trustworthy. He also helped me with my onward travel plans. I can't recommend him enough.

Incredibly helpful staff. Ivan not only helped us book bus tickets, but also brought us to the bus stop and waited with us until it came, which was a couple of hours. We would have been lost without him.

Only a curtain separating the bathroom from the room makes it a bit awkward to go to the toilet.

Ivan and everyone at motel Santaviva made sure our stay was perfect. We enjoyed the great local dishes at the hotel restaurant..Ivan showed us around on a cycling tour, and he even helped us in getting a sim card. Ivan also helped us plan out the rest of our trip in Uganda. Everything was perfect, and he made sure we got on the right bus and remained in contact during our trip in Uganda. Room was big and comfy as well. If you want to experience Uganda, this is the place to stay.

Everything was great.

Santaviva is located in the center of Kisoro what makes the place very authentic. The room was spacious and clean and the bathroom is basic but has everything you need. We traveled by public transport and Ivan, the manager, arranged our night bus from Kampala to Kisoro. It made our journey very pleasant to travel over night instead of during the day. This was if the recommendation of Ivan. It’s also only a 10 minutes walk to from the bus, pleasant. Ivan took us out to a local bar to watch a football match, a place where we normally wouldn’t go I guess. Ivan and the rest of the staff are very kind and helpful. The food is also very good. we enjoyed the place a lot and it was always a nice feeling to come “home” after the gorilla trekking or just wandering around in Kisoro. Highly recommended place to stay in Kisoro.

The bed was very soft. we prefer a bit harder beds. This is a minor thing and just our preference but good to inform I guess.

We were blessed to begin our time in Uganda at Motel Santaviva. This is absolutely the perfect place to begin your time in Uganda if arriving from Rwanda, or the ideal place to finish if you are travelling in the opposite direction. The property is run by Ivan, a brilliant individual who made our stay way beyond expectations. - As backpackers we cannot afford many of the expensive trecks in Rwanda and Uganda, such as the gorilla tracking. But the very good news if you stay here is that Ivan organises lots of amazing tours which are just a few dollars or even free of charge. These include visiting beautiful nearby Lake Matanda and the amazing volcano caldera (with unbelievable views), bird watching, local community projects etc etc. We booked to stay one night but ended up staying 3 as we were finally able to do a lot of things that didn't hurt our pocket. The property itself is right in the middle of town, the breakfast is brilliant (ask about the Rolex breakfast), there's a comfy private area outside to have a beer. Inside there is a restaurant with a great affordable menu, and then there is a lovely inner courtyard and a lounge behind that for relaxing and reading. The room was good with hot water and brand new mosquito nets although we didn't encounter any mosquitos here at all. Ivan also put us in touch with excellent properties in the region where we could stay. Ivan also took us on a free evening walking tour to the local caldera which was wonderful as we interacted with so many local people and saw the most incredible scenery and bird life including thousands of fruit bats in the trees. This is a backpacking property at its best: run for backpackers while not compromising and losing its African spirit. You'll definitely want to stay here a couple of nights. And you'll be sad when it's time to leave.