Maputo - Negotiate the Mozambique border crossing with a resolute air and a refusal to pay for the services of the crossing “assistants” and you are almost home and dry.
Well, perhaps, if you don’t hit the outskirts of Maputo on a Friday afternoon in the traffic…
The crawl into the city centre is made bearable only by the African-ness of this unique city. Cars and taxis in various states of decay crawl along in the hot languid afternoon sun.
Maputo is something of a time capsule: buildings abandoned in the 1970s that are reduced to crumbling concrete edifices memorialising the flight of the Portuguese. The obligatory architecturally bereft apartment blocks replete with fading paint and satellite dishes. It is a cacophony of colour and sound.
And then suddenly you are swept into the serene oasis that is the Southern Sun Maputo.
From makeshift hairdressing salons on the street pavements to the cool open expanses of the hotel does set the tone for the weekend.
Everywhere a juxtaposition… exceptionally friendly people let down by a police force so bent on extortion, it is almost comical. These are the realities in a country replete with a history of colonisation, civil war and fractured politics.
If you have even the slightest penchant for seafood, be prepared for a culinary experience that will leave you sated beyond your expectations. Our first meal is a seafood platter that has the table creaking. Washing it down with a choice from the more than adequate wine list, we are all set for the weekend’s offerings.
Hiring a local tour guide to negotiate the city seems a sensible course of action and 40 minutes later (thanks to a spanking new Chinese-sponsored coastal road), we board the ferry to make the crossing over the Nkomati River to get to Macaneta. Now, when I say ferry, do not picture one of those channel-crossing behemoths. Rather, a rust bucket powered by a smoke-belching diesel engine and decked in tractors, 4x4s and locals with their chickens.
At the quaint little Praia de Peixe resort at Macaneta beach, the rain greets and establishes beyond reasonable doubt that lazing on the beach can be crossed off the menu. So what is an intrepid tourist to do? Eat of course!
And what better than a seafood platter – crayfish so large they flop over the edge of the platter, prawns, calamari and the most delectable rock cod. As the Portuguese say, Tens mais olhos do que barriga (You have more eyes than belly).
Back in Maputo on Saturday evening, there is a smorgasbord of inviting restaurants to choose from.
Make no mistake, Maputo may be stuck in the past, but there is no shortage of truly great dining and dancing establishments.
Sure, there is enormous poverty but if I can’t subtract from it does that mean I should add to it?
Sunday is a sightseeing day and you have choices from the world-class beaches to travel highlights such as Inhaca Island, Maputo Elephant Reserve, Casa do Ferro (The Iron House), Parque dos Continuadores, the Natural History Museum, Maputo Central Market and many other fascinating sights. Not exactly First World but interesting and an opportunity to experience the melting pot of cultures.
The Maputo equivalent of a red-light district is an eye-opener.
The FEIMA – Feira de Artesanato, Flores e Gastronomica market – is perfect if your declared pastime is hardcore haggling and Samora Machel T-shirts or assorted Africana your fancy.
The game is a mixture of temporising and dawdle interspersed with outrageous oscillations in price that would make a NYSE day trader giddy.
The Southern Sun is a welcome place to return to and champagne under the old fig tree the perfect elixir to a hot and dusty day.
The fig tree is rather special – when the hotel was refurbished recently there was much petitioning to save it.
At the expense of some lucrative revenue-generating seafront suites, management capitulated and the tree survived. In place of the suites is a great little private bar for the exclusive use of the guests.
Just another touch that would lure me back.
A perfect venue for conferences
The newly renovated Southern Sun Maputo Hotel is the largest hotel in the Mozambican capital and a perfect conference and events venue.
The Tsogo Sun hotel went through a 4-month, $30 million (R428m) refurbishment last year, which included the addition of conference facilities and 111 rooms, refurbishing of the existing 158 rooms and public areas, and expanding the restaurant, lobby and back-of-house facilities.
The hotel is an hour’s flight from Joburg or Durban and seven minutes from Maputo International Airport. It is located on the beautiful tropical beach on the Bay of Maputo and offers guests breathtaking views of the bay and the Indian Ocean.
The new conference venues, which feature natural light and magnificent ocean views, can accommodate both large and small conferences or events in a range of venues. The largest venue, the Mphama, is ideal for meetings and seminars and is over 216m², with cinema-style seating for up to 150 people.
Mphama 1 and 2 can be used for smaller conferences and can be subdivided for up to 70 and 80 people each. The Acacia and Mikaya rooms can seat 18 people each and can be used for small intimate meetings. A fully equipped business centre in the hotel offers office work space and facilities, should they be needed.
The 269 guest rooms in the hotel include nine executive rooms, four deluxe suites and a presidential suite – all of which are luxurious and beautifully appointed. The close proximity of the beach also allows organisers to include beach activities in their programmes, such as team building, themed lunches, or even tea breaks. Excursions can be arranged from the hotel including day trips to Xefina Island, Portuguese Island and Inhaca Island. Other must-see attractions include the railway station, fortress, central market, city hall, cathedral and the famed Mafalala cultural and political district.
Catering can all be arranged through the Evolve Restaurant.
l www.tsogosun.com
Saturday Star