About This Property
Hotel No. 5 is a small boutique hotel in a leafy Entebbe suburb, about ten minutes from Uganda’s international airport. Go2Africa frames it as the practical overnight either side of a long-haul flight, a gorilla trek or a game-drive circuit — spa, pool, gym and a proper dinner, without heading into Kampala.
Go2Africa writes of ten quaint upscale rooms. The hotel’s own terms are more specific: five Luxury Twins on the ground floor, five Luxury Doubles on the second floor, and five two-storey Luxury Apartments. Every listed room is air-conditioned, with an en-suite shower, Wi-Fi, a guest safe, a flat-screen television with satellite channels, a direct-dial telephone, filter coffee facilities, mosquito nets and a small outdoor sitting area facing the gardens and pool. Doubles are 20 m² with a king bed; twins are 20 m² with two singles; apartments are 38 m², with a sitting room and open-plan kitchenette downstairs and the bedroom and en suite upstairs.
Shared spaces include a restaurant (cream walls, a garden mural, an international wine list) and a balcony over the pool where Go2Africa flags gin and tonic or Belgian beer at the cocktail bar. A 2025 local feature names the restaurant Cinque and notes a pizzeria — guest notes also mention a pizza oven. There is a gym looking onto the pool and lawn, a spa, and a residents-only swimming pool with loungers.
Entebbe sits on Lake Victoria. You can walk or take a boda-boda into town for craft markets and tailor shops. Go2Africa’s listed outings are a Lake Victoria sunrise or sunset cruise, the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, Ngamba Island for chimpanzees, and a Mabamba Swamp cruise for shoebill. None of those are bundled into the room rate.
Why We Love It
We like Hotel No. 5 because it does the unglamorous job well: a real bed, a pool and a decent dinner ten minutes from Entebbe’s runway, before you head west to the gorillas or after you come back dusty from the parks.
It is small. Official terms give you five twins, five doubles and five apartments — not a tower block. Every listed room opens to the garden and pool, with air conditioning, mosquito nets and a kettle. The apartments add a kitchenette if you land late and do not want a dining room.
We also like the geography. Lake Victoria is the town’s point; UWEC, Ngamba Island and Mabamba’s shoebills sit within a day-trip radius, so a long layover can still include chimpanzees or a sunset cruise without burning a safari day.
It is not a game lodge. It is a well-run Entebbe house for the nights either side of one.
Rooms & Details
Luxury Rooms
Ten hotel rooms: five Luxury Doubles on the second floor and five Luxury Twins on the ground floor. Each is 20 m², air-conditioned, with an en-suite shower and a small outdoor sitting area facing the gardens and pool. Doubles have a king bed; twins have two singles. Maximum two guests per room.
In-room kit includes Wi-Fi, a guest safe, satellite TV, filter coffee, mosquito nets, a hairdryer and bathrobes. Doubles are described with four-poster beds and a sliding door to the balcony. No smoking. Entebbe is the usual first night before a gorilla or safari circuit that may continue to Angama Mara or Angama Amboseli.
Luxury Apartments
Five two-storey Luxury Apartments, 38 m², with a king bed and a maximum of two guests. A sitting room and open-plan kitchenette occupy the ground floor; the bedroom, en-suite shower and a small outdoor sitting area over the garden and pool are upstairs. Same in-room kit as the hotel rooms. A self-catering stay is offered as an alternative to bed and breakfast.
Restaurant, pool, gym and spa
The restaurant looks over the garden, with a balcony above the residents-only swimming pool and a cocktail bar. There is a gym facing the pool and lawn, a spa, a shared lounge, free private parking and free Wi-Fi. A 24-hour front desk and an airport shuttle are listed. From Entebbe, Tanzania itineraries often continue to andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge.
Amenities & Features
Cancellation Policy
Official hotel terms (notification must be in writing): 42+ days before arrival — 20% of the total forfeited; 41–30 days — 40%; 29–15 days — 65%; less than 14 days — 100%. No-show is treated as a cancellation. Reservations are provisional until a 30% deposit or credit-card guarantee is received; individual bookings can be guaranteed by card or 100% deposit. A 6pm release policy applies to non-guaranteed reservations. Check current terms when you book.
Photo Gallery
What's Included
- Breakfast (typical operator board basis; confirm when you book)
- Swimming pool (residents only) and garden loungers
- Hotel gym overlooking the pool and lawn
- Spa treatments (extra)
- Day tours can be arranged (Lake Victoria cruises, Ngamba Island, Mabamba Swamp, Uganda Wildlife Education Centre — extra)
Operators typically quote bed and breakfast. Complimentary Wi-Fi, air conditioning, tea and coffee facilities, the residents’ pool, gym and gardens are part of a stay on published descriptions. Spa treatments, most lunches and dinners, drinks, day tours and airport transfers (unless stated) are extra. Apartments add a kitchenette.
Location
How to Get There
From Entebbe International Airport (about 10 minutes)
Go2Africa lists Entebbe International as the nearest airport and a ten-minute hop. LinkedIn copy for the hotel puts it about 3 km from the airport; AfricanMecca cites about 5 km / 3 miles. The hotel’s about page also lists a shuttle service — confirm whether a transfer is included or charged when you book. Check-in is from 14:00 unless otherwise agreed.
By road in Entebbe
The published address is Plot 5 Edna Road (OpenStreetMap maps the road as Edina Road) in Entebbe. A 2025 local feature places the hotel in Bugonga. Go2Africa notes that Entebbe is easy to explore on foot or by boda-boda. Free private parking is listed on the official about page. The hotel is not inside a national park.
Nearby Attractions
Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC), Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Mabamba Swamp (shoebill cruises), Lake Victoria sunrise/sunset cruises and fishing, Entebbe Botanical Gardens, Waterfront Beach, craft markets and tailor shops in Entebbe
Things to Do
At the property
The stay is built around the gardens and the residents-only pool. Eat in the restaurant or on the balcony over the water; Go2Africa flags a gin and tonic or Belgian beer at the cocktail bar. There is a gym looking onto the lawn and a spa for treatments (extra). Apartments have a kitchenette if you would rather stay in.
In the area
Entebbe sits on Lake Victoria. Go2Africa says the town is easy on foot or by boda-boda, with craft markets and tailor shops. The official about page puts UWEC’s Beach about a 15-minute walk away and names Waterfront Beach, Imperial Botanical Beach and State House among nearby points.
Day trips
Go2Africa lists day tours: a sunrise or sunset cruise on Lake Victoria; Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary; a Mabamba Swamp cruise (shoebill) and fishing; and the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre. These are extra to the room rate. Time them around international arrivals and departures.
Good to Know
Room count: Go2Africa describes ten upscale rooms. Official terms list five Luxury Twins, five Luxury Doubles and five Luxury Apartments (15 in total), matching the 2018 Wild Frontiers / ATTA opening note. Timbuktu Travel also refers to stand-alone Residences that do not appear on the official room or terms pages — confirm inventory when you book.Children: Official: children up to four years stay free if sharing with parents; ages 5–11 sharing with an adult incur an extra USD 50 on top of the room rate (the hotel’s wording also says this child rate applies up to and including 12 years); thereafter 50% of the room rate. Go2Africa flags children under 12 as welcome.Meal plan: Go2Africa does not publish a board basis. Operator cards and guides typically quote bed and breakfast. Apartments have an open-plan kitchenette (self-catering is noted by Yellow Zebra). The restaurant pairs set menus with an international wine list; Go2Africa highlights a cocktail bar (gin and tonic or Belgian beer) on the balcony overlooking the pool.Check-in / out: Official terms: check-in 14:00, check-out 10:00 unless otherwise agreed. A 24-hour front desk is listed on the about page.Day rooms: A 2024 Porini operator card listed day rooms 10:00–17:00 and evening rooms 10:00–21:00. Confirm with the hotel if you only need a shower and rest between flights.Parking and Wi-Fi: Free private parking and complimentary Wi-Fi are listed on the official site.What3Words: No published address found.
Who It's For
Safari travellers who want a quiet Entebbe night either side of an international flight or a gorilla/savannah circuit; couples in the doubles; friends sharing twins; longer stays in the two-storey apartments. Not a game lodge and not a Kampala business hotel. Children are welcome on the published child policy.
Best Time to Visit
Year-round as an Entebbe stopover. For onward gorilla trekking and savannah parks, the drier months are typically June–August and December–February; long rains usually fall around March–May and shorter rains around October–November.
