Right in the middle of downtown Kampala, the Kampala Serena Hotel is a lush oasis of tranquility. The 17-acre property of tropical gardens, flowing streams and waterfalls is a welcome escape from the bustle of this busy city, but conveniently central so you don’t have to battle with traffic to get into Kampala.

The multi-story hotel looks like a Moroccan palace, with terracotta walls, columns and palm trees, while inside the décor is minimalist contemporary with an African influence: designer couches, gleaming marble floors and African statues lining the corridors.

Elegant rooms with dark wood furniture are spacious and quiet, while bathrooms are spotlessly clean. All 152 rooms have balconies, but make sure you book a room facing the garden for views over the city (the rooms on the other side of the hotel face an unattractive high-rise hotel).

The Kampala Serena offers pretty much every amenity and facility you would want in a hotel. There’s a huge gym with a juice bar that offers aerobics, kickboxing, dance and yoga classes, a great spa, a hairdresser and a curio shop with a great selection of gifts. The pool area is a definite highlight: palm trees shade loungers set around a curvy-shaped pool that a waterfall splashes into.

As expected of a five-star hotel of this size, there is a range of dining options with both formal restaurants and more casual eateries on outdoor terraces. The Pearl of Africa offers fine dining of the starched-white-napkins sort, while the more informal Explorer, styled like a colonial-era gentleman’s club, has an Italian menu featuring risottos, pastas, meat dishes and pizza. There’s a snack bar at the pool, all-day dining and fantastic Sunday buffet brunches (complete with a live band) at The Lakes, and a classy cocktail bar with whirring palm leaf ceiling fans.

Almost all guests here are business travelers, and it’s easy to see why.  The free Wi-Fi is fast and reliable, there are meeting rooms and a business center with scanners and printers, there’s option of executive rooms and suites with expansive desks and lounge areas for meetings and the addition of thoughtful touches such as the ironing board in rooms to get your shirts and suits ready for meetings.