Kigali Marriott

Out of all the hotel breakfasts across all the trips, this one has stayed with me. There's something about the room — the double-height windows, the curved staircase casting geometric shadows in the morning light — that makes the whole experience feel genuinely considered rather than just functional.

The buffet itself is extensive and properly fresh. Tropical fruit, east African staples, eggs cooked to order, Rwandan honey. And the tea is Sorwathe — grown on the shores of Lake Kivu — which is worth knowing about even if you're a coffee person.

The hotel sits right in the centre of Kigali, which itself is worth understanding before you arrive: it's one of the cleanest, most well-organised cities on the continent, with a quality of infrastructure that genuinely surprises people who haven't been. The Marriott is a solid base from which to take it all in.

The rooms look out over a city that is quietly becoming one of the more interesting places on the continent. The light at dusk is specific to this latitude — golden, horizontal, completely unlike anything European. You notice it when you're standing at the window with a drink.

One specific thing: pick up Sorwathe tea before you leave. It's served at breakfast but you can also find it locally. It's one of those presents that no one expects and everyone likes.