I have a friend who will need to overnight in Harare next week. A last minute change in hunting area and a change in flight schedules means a night in Harare. Any suggestions for a good place to stay would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Alan.

The Meikels Hotel is very good. It is right in the heart of downtown. If you like luxury bungalos better, try the Wild Geese Lodge, which is more at the edge of town. I can recommend either of these without hesitation.

Geronimo

Gecko Gardens is pretty nice...

I know Chifuti recommends Gecko Gardens. I'm chartering directly out of Harare otherwise that's where I would stay.

I have stayed at Meikels. Security, food, service, bar, rooms are excellent. No worries. Only issue is that they have a two tiered rate schedule. If you hold a British or American Passport, you pay more. Mugabe's revenge...........

Having stayed at the Meikels I would recomend it. Though I would not drink through the straws again at the snack bar... Does the large tapestry still hang there?

Generpu my clients up at Pangolin Lodge. Half the price of meikels- but it is not the Miekels! Email pangolin@mweb.co.zw.

There are several other very nice BB's. York lodge is where all the seriously upmarket types who don't fancy the miekels location stay. But there are plenty others - let me know

Gentlemen: Thanks for your replies. I will forward this info. Alan.

We have stayed at meikles and the pangolin lodge and both are good. We prefer meikles for the luxury; I just like good hotels. pangolin consists of individual cottages situated around the grounds with the kitchen a couple of hundred yards away.

All licenced hotels in Zim has a two tier structure, requiring foreigners to pay the USD tariff while locals pay in Zim$. However, with the floating exchange rate, I think the two rates have merged.

Meikles is very expensive.

Try Ihmba Matombo (House of Stone) in the suburbs for less than half the money. Gecko Gardens is small but it's the budget choice.

I was just wondering if there is any nightlife in Harare.Anything happening?Action? I can't believe that people anywhere don't gather and celebrate,and I would like to celebrate with them!

quote:

Originally posted by Bryan Chick:
We have stayed at meikles and the pangolin lodge and both are good. We prefer meikles for the luxury; I just like good hotels. pangolin consists of individual cottages situated around the grounds with the kitchen a couple of hundred yards away.

We agree with Bryan 100%. Wife and I happen to enjoy the Pangolin, but like both. Used them both in Feb-March this year.

I used to do crew layovers at the Meikles several years ago and thoroughly enjoyed the place. Can't comment on the current quality, though. And I doubt if there is much celebrating going on in Harare these days...

I will be over-nighting at a bed and breakfast.Anyone ever stay at one? How was it?

Nightlife is mainly centered around private parties for the white community and beerhalls for the black community.

Miekels is superb as ever, with surprisingly few things missing off the menues as a result of the shortages.

Two problems- If you are a registerd operation government steals 35% of your money as you bank it so that puts costs up. Second problem is the cash shortage. There is almost no Zim cash available- How do you pay for anything that comes through a store? eg. Coke-a-cola and beer is locally produced and sold through the shops. They cannot accept US$ for their goods, but nobody has any zim cash....So the shops are better stocked than they have been for a year because very few people are actually able to pay for anything on the legal market!

So...you buy imported cokes and beer from black market traders (at 20 x the price of locally produced items) simply because you can pay for them in US$!!! Crazy but...

Most of the small B&B's like pangolin, yourk, geko etc operate entirely outside of the formal economy.

quote:

Originally posted by shootaway:
I will be over-nighting at a bed and breakfast.Anyone ever stay at one? How was it?

We stayed at a very nice B&B that Buzz and Kirsty had arranged. It had a beautiful garden area as shown below:

WOW! Thanks MJines.I think I will be staying at the same place.

Gentlemen: Thanks for the updates and photos. I will pass them along. Alan.