favourite places in Uganda

It seems I will be in Uganda for xmas - lucky me!
Last time I was there was 20 years ago, so I imagine things have changed quite a bit......
Can anyone who has visited more recently suggest a good hotel/guesthouse/lodge where I could spend the xmas/new year week?
Preferably at the cheaper end of the scale - my budget will be around £20 a night.

Thanks!

so I imagine things have changed quite a bit......

And to update you on this change a bit, as recent as October 1st 2011, the countrys currency has become the worlds second-worst performer this year, and the inflation rate in Uganda has jumped to its highest level in more than 18 years – 28.3% – causing cost of food rise 50.4% from a year earlier. Therefore, you might expect a lower purchasing power of your current budget.

The Red Chilli and the Backpackers Hostel fall in your budget range, though I wouldn`t call them favourite places. Any decent place would cost from $40, as said by the previous poster.

Things have indeed changed, you may struggle getting decent accommodation in town for $40. If You are travelling to Jinja for water rafting, seeing the source of the nile etc or even to other upcountry destinations, $40 is good. In Kampala, all the good ones are about $60 and above.

If I find any cheap one I will let you know via this thread.

The Crow's Nest at Sipi Falls (on slopes of Mt Elgon) would be a great place to go for Christmas or New Year, although a week would be too long. Or, even better, stay there for Christmas and then climb Mt Elgon for New Year.

Oh dear, £20 for a room was my splashing out budget - I hadn't planned on taking a tent, but perhaps I should reconsider?

I'm more interested in staying in the countryside anyway. Walking and bird watching are more my thing these days than wild nightlife and Uganda sounds perfect for that!

Thanks for the suggestion of the Crow's Nest. It looks interesting, and as their prices are quoted in usd (and are within my budget) hopefully the falling shilling won't affect them too much. SipiMan, do you know if it's the sort of place that needs booking in advance at that time of year?

Also been looking at the SSese Islands - does anyone have any up to date info on cheap places to stay there?

If you think to track gorillas, the cheapest in Bwindi I think is the Nshongi Camp http://www.nshongicamp.altervista.org/

in their website they say 12USD (around £7,70) for one night

and the place is amazing, just in front of the rainy forest, and 5 min walking distance from the tracking starting point

Kaz, sorry to take so long to reply but, yes, you probably should book the Crow's Nest for that period as it is very popular with ex-pats from Kampala.

I stayed at Red Chilli when I was in Kampala. I forget exactly how much I paid for a single room but think it was definitely a lot less then £20 a night. It's a nice, chilled-out backpacker place. Accommodation is basic but clean and they have a nice bar/restaurant with free wifi.

For the Ssese Islands I can definitely recommend Banda Island (if you're looking to relax for a few days). Backapcker place with great food and a great atmosphere.

Thanks, I've booked a few nights over xmas at Lake Bunyonyi - what looks like a very nice room for well under £20 - then I'll head up to Sipi after New Year. Not sure if I'll have time to fit in the Ssese Islands as well now (so much to see in Uganda!) but if I do, I'll try to get out to Banda Island.

Having now spent some time researching various places to stay around the country, I am surprised by the $40 (£26) figure mentioned by ac2carol and africanexplorer. It looks like this must have been affected by the falling shilling, as most of the places I've emailled have double rooms from around $15 (£10) a night. (Hopefully there are even cheaper places which don't have a web presence....)