Philo Leisure Gardens

Name: Philo Leisure Gardens
Address: Kalangala, Bugala Island, Bugala Island, UG

Location: Kalangala, Bugala Island, Bugala Island, UG

Star Rating: 3 Stars

Property Type: Hotels

About this Property

Recreational Amenities and Additional Services
Indulge in our nightclub, rent bicycles, and access free WiFi. Babysitting, tour assistance, and a beach shuttle are available for your convenience.

Dining and Bar Options
Dine at our restaurant, order room service, or unwind with a drink at the bar. Enjoy a complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast every morning.

Featured Amenities and Room Facilities
Benefit from services like dry cleaning, luggage storage, and laundry facilities. Stay in one of our 12 guestrooms with flat-screen TVs, private balconies, and rainfall showers.

Book your stay at Philo Leisure Gardens for a relaxing getaway next to Lake Victoria and Ssese Islands with easy access to Kalangala Golf Course and Kalangala Beach.

Important Information

Enjoy recreational amenities such as a nightclub and bicycles to rent. Additional amenities at this hotel include complimentary wireless internet access, babysitting (surcharge), and tour/ticket assistance. Getting to the surf and sand is a breeze with the complimentary beach shuttle.

Policies

Check-in: 10:00 AM - 08:30 PM

Check-out: 10:00 AM

Instructions: This property offers transfers from the ferry terminal. Guests must contact the property with arrival details before travel, using the contact information on the booking confirmation. The front desk is open daily from 8 AM - midnight. The front desk is staffed during limited hours.

Amenities & Facilities

Free breakfast
Free beach shuttle
Nightclub
Free WiFi
Terrace
Garden
Luggage storage
Designated smoking area
Picnic area
Hiking/biking trails nearby
Free breakfast
Nightclub
Safe-deposit box at front desk
Front desk (limited hours)
Tours/ticket assistance
Wheelchair accessible parking
Braille or raised signage
Free area shuttle
Free ferry terminal shuttle
Snack bar/deli
Free self parking
Free beach shuttle
Free cooked-to-order breakfast
Cave exploring/spelunking nearby
Wheelchair-accessible van parking

Rooms Available

Family Room, 2 Bedrooms, Garden View

1 King Bed and 2 Twin Beds
236-sq-foot room, balcony/patio with garden views

Layout - 2 bedrooms
Entertainment - 32-inch flat-screen TV with cable channels
Food & Drink - Room service (limited) and free bottled water
Sleep - Premium bedding, turndown service, and bed sheets
Bathroom - Private bathroom, slippers, and a shower with a rainfall showerhead
Practical - Free long-distance calls, safe, and desk; cribs (free) available on request
Comfort - Daily housekeeping and heating
Accessibility - Raised toilet seat
Non-Smoking

Max Occupancy: 4 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Safety deposit box
- TV
- Telephone
- Desk
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Slippers
- Bottle of water
- Room service (limited hours)
- Wheelchair accessible
- Daily housekeeping
- Premium bedding
- Turndown service
- Rainfall showerhead
- Balcony or patio
- Free cribs/infant beds
- Bedsheets provided
Deluxe Cottage, Garden View

1 King Bed
193-sq-foot room, balcony/patio with garden views

Internet - Free wired internet access
Entertainment - 32-inch flat-screen TV with cable channels
Food & Drink - Room service (limited) and free bottled water
Sleep - Premium bedding, turndown service, and bed sheets
Bathroom - Private bathroom, slippers, and a shower with a rainfall showerhead
Practical - Free long-distance calls, safe, and desk
Comfort - Daily housekeeping and heating
Accessibility - Raised toilet seat
Need to Know - No cribs (infant beds) available
Non-Smoking

Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Safety deposit box
- TV
- Telephone
- Desk
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Slippers
- Bottle of water
- Room service (limited hours)
- Wheelchair accessible
- Daily housekeeping
- Premium bedding
- Turndown service
- Rainfall showerhead
- Balcony or patio
- No cribs (infant beds)
- Bedsheets provided
Standard Cottage, Garden View

1 Queen Bed
182-sq-foot individually decorated room, balcony/patio with garden views

Entertainment - 32-inch flat-screen TV with cable channels
Food & Drink - Room service (limited) and free bottled water
Sleep - Premium bedding, blackout drapes/curtains, turndown service, and bed sheets
Bathroom - Private bathroom, slippers, and a shower with a rainfall showerhead
Practical - Free long-distance calls, safe, and desk
Comfort - Daily housekeeping and heating
Accessibility - Raised toilet seat
Need to Know - No cribs (infant beds) available
Non-Smoking

Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Safety deposit box
- TV
- Telephone
- Desk
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Slippers
- Bottle of water
- Room service (limited hours)
- Wheelchair accessible
- Daily housekeeping
- Premium bedding
- Turndown service
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Rainfall showerhead
- Balcony or patio
- No cribs (infant beds)
- Bedsheets provided
Superior Double Room, Garden View

1 King Bed
193-sq-foot individually decorated room, balcony/patio with garden views

Internet - Free wired internet access
Entertainment - 32-inch flat-screen TV with cable channels
Food & Drink - Room service (limited) and free bottled water
Sleep - Premium bedding, blackout drapes/curtains, turndown service, and bed sheets
Bathroom - Private bathroom, slippers, and a shower with a rainfall showerhead
Practical - Free long-distance calls, safe, and desk
Comfort - Daily housekeeping and heating
Accessibility - Raised toilet seat
Non-Smoking

Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Safety deposit box
- TV
- Telephone
- Desk
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Slippers
- Bottle of water
- Room service (limited hours)
- Wheelchair accessible
- Daily housekeeping
- Premium bedding
- Turndown service
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Rainfall showerhead
- Balcony or patio
- Bedsheets provided
Deluxe Room, 1 Bedroom, Garden View

1 King Bed
226-sq-foot room, balcony/patio with garden views

Layout - Bedroom and living room
Internet - Free wired internet access
Entertainment - 32-inch flat-screen TV with cable channels
Food & Drink - Room service (limited) and free bottled water
Sleep - Premium bedding, turndown service, and bed sheets
Bathroom - Private bathroom, slippers, and a shower with a rainfall showerhead
Practical - Free long-distance calls, iron/ironing board, and safe
Comfort - Daily housekeeping and heating
Accessibility - Raised toilet seat
Non-Smoking

Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Safety deposit box
- TV
- Telephone
- Desk
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Slippers
- Bottle of water
- Room service (limited hours)
- Wheelchair accessible
- Daily housekeeping
- Premium bedding
- Turndown service
- Rainfall showerhead
- Balcony or patio
- Bedsheets provided

Guest Reviews

Jonathan (7/5): -
Willi (10/5): - Wunderschöne Anlage in einem großen, gepflegten Garten. Sehr freundliches Personal. Super günstiges Preis-/Leistungsverhältnis.
justine (7/5): - Environment Scanty communication
Martin (5/5): No value for money ⁸ - The environment The unprofessional staff and failure to provide even the basics, like toilet paper or drinking water
Ioannis (10/5): - We had a nice and pleasant stay at the philo hotel.
Michiel (8/5): - De prachtige tuin waar overal zitjes waren waar we in rust konden zitten. Een leuke kampvuur plek. Een ontspannen sfeer. Het ontbijt was royaal en goed. De verlichting in de kamer. We misten beddelampjes.
Dams34 (8/5): - Très beau hotel. Restaurant tres bon et abordable avec petite musique locale. Caro la gérante ainsi que son équipe son adorable. Chambre spacieuse . Caro nous a donné tous les conseils de visites. Merci La forêt en contre bas est magnifique Dommage que chambre a pas vu sur jardin. La douche a un pommeau qui est littéralement collé au mur. Moins cool pour se doucher. Le rush pour prendre le petit dej le matin meme ou on doit prendre le bateau pour départ 8h. Dommage la discussion inutile a l arrivee sur le taux de change hallucinant. Solution : Soit mettre le prix en shiling (apparemment impossible sur booking) . Soit accepter dollar. Soit appliquer le taux officiel exemple xe convert.
Marek (10/5): - Breakfast was rich. The hotel was exceptionally clean, the staff friendly. The garden is a quiet place full of flowers, trees, monkeys and birds. You may stay there the whole day if you need a chillout. They give you a ride from and too the harbour for free Had to pay for bicycle even if it was supposed to be free of charge
Namubiru (10/5): The best - Welcoming All was perfect
Charlotte (6/5): It’s a beautiful place but most of the staff was not competent and made our stay more difficult and frustrating. - The big garden, the location and the food. One of the receptionists was incredibly slow, acted like it was her first day on the job, wasn’t interested in supporting us in our stay and didn’t understand us, eg. claiming there was no hot water in even though there was (as we figured out later on our own). Several times we tried to communicate with the staff about for example eating hours which were never met. The power was off during most of our stay which meant that we didn’t have wifi and mobile data doesn’t work at this place and the staff didn’t turn on the generator for most of the time. The wifi is in general not very good. On the upside on morning we left there was another receptionist who seemed very competent.
Fausta (8/5): Beautiful location, lovely gardens, friendly helpful staff. - Location beautiful. Staff helpful friendly and attentive. Twin rooms a little cramped but would stay there again.
Tomaž (8/5): Generally ok, but a lot of details can be improved. - Big garden. Peacefull location. Free transport to Kalangala dock. Portions of food big enough. Cleanliness of the room. Although the laundry lady did the best, the laundry didn't smell nice. Beer in the fridge not cold enaugh, due the fact that the fridge was not switched on all the time. Weak water pressure. Warm rooms and despite mosqito nets, there were some mosqitos inside.
Regina (8/5): Very good -
Realredhair (8/5): Very good -
Musoke (10/5): AMPLE AND RELAXATION PLACE TO BE - First and foremost i liked the location of the gardens the calmness and above all is their cleanliness and hygiene is of high standard not easily found at all facilities food was all I expected to have when there.big up to the management and staff of Philos leisure gardens Nothing. All was fine
Katerina (8/5): Very good - I have loved my stay in Philo Leisure Gardens as it is a very relaxing place not so far from the centre and the ferry (approx 10 minutes bodaboda ride). I really enjoyed the gardens, they are huge, very well maintained with many different plants and monkeys! The staff is very kind and help you with anything. The breakfast fast very good and filling. The island is nice too to explore! I recommend it for those who love peaceful places and love to explore places away from the tourist crowds 😊
Vladimir (8/5): Very good - Clean apartments in separated houses around the large, amazing garden. Wi-fi reachable from the garden. Wi-fi sometimes weak and off....
Mweru (7/5): good - breakfast was good and came on time locality issue is all about network and internet network and internet is extreamely annoying and un available
Dominic (8/5): Very good -
Ssentongo (8/5): Very good - The environment was on point Leaving so early
Vladimir (10/5): Exceptional -
Florentine (8/5): Beautiful Garden, quiet are, helpful people - Beautiful Place in a nice and quiet are. The garden is huge and beautiful with places to sit, hammocks, plants, swings...we even saw sone monkeys. Sitting at the fireplace in the evening was very relaxing. Our room was simple but clean. We had to leave it to get to the shared bathroom. The people working there are very friendly and helpful. Breakfast was delicious and it was a lot too. Before we came a lady texted us to find out at what time we would arrive and then picked us up with a car and helped with our luggage. They also let us leave our stuff in the room because we were checking out a later than 11 am. I would come again. :)
Blair (9/5): Beautiful spot and good value for money ! - Very friendly and helpful staff, super beautiful and spacious gardens, nice bed WiFi only works near restaurant area and in nearby parts of the garden.
Dan (9/5): Superb - The garden, location, staff. Wifi
Nandawula (7/5): beautiful - excellent breakfast. homely location. neighbour's loud music
Mike (9/5): Good work - Location Lake fly
Faith8778 (8/5): Very good - The most beautiful gardens, a lovely oasis
Finnsaway (10/5): Exceptional - Very relaxing place with friendly and helpful staff. The food is delicious and there are beautiful gardens with plenty of birds.
Romuald (9/5): Peaceful place to enjoy the island - A ride is proposed by the manager to get you from the boat. There is a huge garden full of trees, fruits and monkeys. The place is peaceful with several spot to chill. The crew is nice and available and led by an outstanding manager Caroline. Bright and listening, she made her best to meet all our needs. Some activities are proposed as I picked a nature walk. The bedrooms are clean and confortable.
Frauke (6/5): Pleasant - Nice garden, very quiet. We had a nice room, a little hut for ourselves. Free shuttle to the ferry. We came from Masaka and we were told there is a ferry every 30 minutes. Even after telling we heard about a ferry at 10 and the next at 12 they said their driver says it comes every 30 minutes. We wanted to be picked up at 8, but the driver wanted to come at 9. He arrived 15 minutes too late so we missed the 10 o clock ferry and had to wait 2 hours. The transfer wasn't for free and we had an argument about the price. WiFi very low, very little food options for vegetarians, not tasty or healthy. They have some informations in the rooms that say breakfast starts at 7:30,but we were told it starts at 8 (for whatever reason, as the ferries leave at 8 and 9) As we had to take the 9 o clock ferry we asked if we could get some breakfast to take with us, she couldn't tell what options they have. So we got a boiled egg, a toasted bread and spaghetti with little tomato sauce. Very disappointing, especially regarding the fact this was the most expensive room we had in 3 weeks Uganda.
Roundertrooper (9/5): Superb - The place is quiet and surrounded by nice greenery. Good breakfast WiFi is only available at the bar area so not very convenient for work or private conversations. I was the only guest in the compound, which has nothing to offer besides the gardens, so it was a bit boring.
Sitati (10/5): The best place - Very homely and peaceful,, friendly stuff. Alittle bit of network and internet problems
Jelmer (8/5): Very good -
Anna (7/5): many activities on the beautiful island - wide range of fairly priced activities, very large and well-kept garden, free shuttle service to and from the ferry, nice and reliable staff there was no wifi, no hot water and a lot of insects everywhere (which of course is not the hotel’s fault and is the downside of being in beautiful nature), no lake view
Mbabazi (8/5): Very good - silence Cob web at counter
Charles (10/5): Exceptional - Weather and hospitality Natural of environment
Kayaga (7/5): Good - Just not what I expected
De (10/5): Exceptional - amazing location, lovely cozy garden and very kind staff !! not to forget the best breakfast you can get in Uganda :) extremely suggested
Sseruyange (7/5): Excellent staff - The general cleanliness and welcoming staff The Fish was very disappointing to small for the island visitors.
Penrose (5/5): Passable - We loved the environment, so fresh and wild. The staff are very receptive and available when needed. They have hammocks which help if you are looking for outdoor relaxation experience. There is also room service. The WiFi was not so good. The TVs had only two channels.
Joshua (7/5): Good - Not congested The poor lighting system in the gardens
Mr (9/5): Superb -
Michel (9/5): Good place on Sesse island. Better than standard resort with no soul - Nice location and garden
Bethani (7/5): Good - beautiful gardens, great value for money
Frederic (6/5): Pleasant - Wonderful garden Friendly staff, but no management, so no service. Nothing around, no shops, no bars, no restaurants. You are left alone when the kitchen is closed... No wifi
Jet (7/5): Good - green garden ! spacious room! breakfast not my taste … spaghetti for breakfast fruit not so fresh
Lilian (10/5): Exceptional -
Namatovu (8/5): Very good -
Walter (6/5): Pleasant -
Anonymous (8/5): Very good -
Rebecca (9/5): Superb - The location was beautiful, staff was very nice and the food was good! Thank you very much for the stay!
Eric (6/5): Pleasant -
Umar (8/5): Very good -
Umar (8/5): Very good -
Jari (9/5): Relaxed days at Philo garden - Nice location on Ssese Island. Very nice garden and cozy room. :) Bike rental for little money. Lovely to watch the birds and monkeys in the garden. Breaks of the bikes could be better (altough not expensive full-day rental). Further the gears could be adjusted. ;) Food proposed was okay, but not extraordinary.
Richard (7/5): Enjoyable stay in beautiful setting away from the majority of beach goers. - Philo Gardens is set in beautiful grounds with plenty of space outside where you can sit, relax and watch the monkeys playing. The first view of the rooms rather reminds you of a prison, with padlocks on the outside of metal windowless doors. Inside though, things are better, with soaps, body lotion and decent showers/wet room. We even had a TV in our room which actually worked (unlike most Ugandan hotels it seems, that have tvs but they don’t turn on). There were only 2 channels though and no choice, but we weren’t there to watch tv anyway. Wi-Fi is very hit and miss - nothing in the bedroom and only occasionally working in the reception / restaurant area. The staff were almost all extremely friendly and helpful, including the gardener/gate guard who was delightful, as was the manager. Breakfast was excellent and huge - fresh fruit, coffee, fresh juice, pancakes and sausage, fried potatoes, omelette, but no choice - they just served you the lot! Overall, a very good choice away from the ‘beach resorts’ which are located in a much less impressive area, unless you just want to look straight out at the water and ignore the poor housing alongside. We would definitely return. Wifi is advertised as free, but not available in rooms and only occasionally working in main reception/bar area.
Jenny (10/5): Great food, amazing staff, calm place - I was the only guest during my stay and still the where fully staffed and had their kitchen open. The staff members are very nice and open for conversations. Food was exceptional (and very large portions) and fairly priced. I can highly recommend
Monicah (4/5): Disappointing - The staff were 100% friendly. Bonus: When we informed them that we were leaving early morning, they were so kind and packed for us breakfast to take with us. .. the sketchy breakfast was so disappointing and the staff was not flexible. I couldn't eat most of the food they offered for breakfast so I requested to have two saucages and fruits to cover up but I was denied a second saucage. I was told that the saucages were counted😳 The bathroom water temperature couldn't be easily regulated. The water on the floor lagged while we tried to regulate. No internet (wifi) available in the rooms and the reception has wifi that is never available. In the rooms we had booked, the nets to prevent guests from mosquito bites had fallen out of the rails making the nets useless. No provision for tea, coffee or hot drinking water in the rooms and when we requested for warm water, they told us to pay for it.
Sara Mirembe (8/5): Very cute and cosy - The staff welcomed us by the ferry where they came to pick us up. They were warm and nice. The rooms were cute and cosy. Food was made by order. They would always ask if we wanted to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner and asked what time we wanted it to be ready. They were very polite and helpful when we wanted to find out where town was and where we could go for swimming. When leaving the place we had to leave early due to the ferry, where the staff had packed a small breakfast for us to take with us on the ferry. All in all a good experience.