Over the December holidays Woody and I planned a trip to Zambia in order to attend the son’s wedding of some very close friends who live in the Serenje area. Since we were going to be in Zambia and I have been getting many requests to add Zambia to our website, we took the opportunity to schedule a few site visits to a couple of hotels/lodges.
As always, the trip from Kariba to Lusaka over the Kariba Dam Wall border was good. If you time it right and don’t get to the border too early in the morning, you are often the only people crossing over and can be done both sides in under an hour. The drive is a pleasant one, with the roads in decent shape; all you have to watch out for are the usual goats, a couple of small areas of potholes on the Siavonga to Chirundu road, and the normal long-distance trucks on the escarpment. A pit-stop on this particular drive saw us find a collection of Red Velvet Spider Mites on the side of the road, something we hadn’t seen in years. It brought back many memories, as I am sure it would with most kids raised in Zimbabwe, of our childhoods when these were often found on the school playing fields.
Our first site visit and overnight stay was at Sandy’s Creations on the southern edge of Lusaka. Sandy’s was the brainchild of Harry and Sandy, who bought the original plot 12 years ago to open a garden centre and landscaping business. Harry named the centre after his wife, Sandy, whose passion is all things garden orientated. Sandy did all the original landscaping (and is so well known in Lusaka she has been commissioned over the years to do 80% of the landscaping at the other hotels/lodges around the city!).
Upon arrival at Sandy’s we were met by a very efficient doorman and escorted to reception, where I met Bertha, who I had been dealing with via e-mail. As it turns out, I also corresponded with her the previous year when she worked in Zimbabwe at Matobo Hills Lodge – what a small world! We were shown to our room, which was basic but comfortable, with air con and DSTV, and free Wi-Fi. I had a meeting with Ramah, the General Manager, who shared all the history of the lodge and showed me around the property. I was very impressed with the conference facilities, which I would highly recommend if you need a venue in Lusaka.
Ramah told me that the newly opened restaurant on the property was named after the owner himself, so Harry now also had his name “up in lights” so to speak, with “Harry’s Grill.” Of course, we just had to sample a meal there, and it was beautifully set up for the Christmas period, creating a lovely atmosphere, that went well with the good food.
Our next stay was somewhere I have always wanted to view, the Southern Sun Ridgeway Hotel. A few years ago, we happened to have lunch there and were impressed with the meal and central location. Now we got to spend more time there and get a real feel for the hotel.
Upon arrival you are met by a very smartly turned out doorman, who expertly escorts you to the reception area. Southern Sun Ridgeway has been open nearly 70 years! Just this in itself is a testament to the fine staff and the service you receive. The entire hotel has recently been completely refurbished, to ensure it keeps up with modern travel requirements and still manages to keep the feeling of an “old school” hotel.
Our room overlooked the gardens from the 3rd floor and we could just make out the pool area. The gardens are so well tended that while we were there, we saw a wedding party make use of the lawn area near reception for their wedding photos. The rooms themselves are beautifully decorated, with new standing showers as opposed to baths. The bar fridge was nice and cold and there is, a good selection of teas and coffees to choose from at the tea station. One of the great features for travellers here is the “block out” curtains, so those who have had to travel and need to have a short nap during the day time, are able to do so without being kept awake by the sunlight. The air conditioner worked well and we had a lovely surprise from housekeeping late afternoon with complimentary chocolates!
After a refreshing nap and relaxing in our room for the afternoon, Woody and I were keen to try out the buffet dinner on offer at the hotel. You can tell when a restaurant is nearly full with walk-in guests, that it must be a good one, Musuku was exactly that. The meal was everything we hoped it would be, with meat that was so tender it melted in your mouth, puddings galore, and a wide variety of cheese on the cheese board. We had a lovely evening there, with good service and wine to boot, and very reasonably priced too.
After a comfortable night’s sleep, we couldn’t wait to sample the breakfast menu. But more than that, I wanted to see my absolute favourite feature of the hotel during the daylight, which is the restaurant’s location next to a courtyard pond. The pond has been stocked with a few small crocodiles and above this the local weaver population has decided it is the perfect location to build their intricate nests in the reeds above the water. How unique to be eating breakfast in the center of Lusaka, where you can’t hear any traffic but only the twittering of the weavers while they plug away at making their perfect nest. Very special.
Both Sandy’s Creation and Southern Sun Ridgeway are great places to spend the night if you need to stop over in Lusaka or do business. Both have fantastic conference facilities and meeting venues with good restaurants on site. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend either of them.
My personal Rating of:
Sandy’s Creation: * Best landscaped ground in Lusaka
Southern Sun Ridgeway: *Best Breakfast Location in Lusaka – Courtyard Pond
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