Issue 19

After the friendliest, quickest and most painless check in in all my life, we are welcomed personally by GM Niklas Jonsson and agree to meet for drinks later.

A beam-me-up-Scotty quick lift whisks us to the seventh floor where an astounding view over both the ocean and the city reveals itself. The room is grand – not gargantuan but stylishly fitted with beautiful furniture and carpeting in soft shades of grey. Clean, contemporary lines and lighting are in keeping with the modern ocean theme and with the design of the building as a whole which can be observed for miles around due to its height. Boasting first-class amenities such as individual climate control and free high-speed Internet access, all 154 rooms and suites are luxuriously comfortable and contemporary in style.

There is immediate internet access and swift service which I discover when I call room service. Like a buffoon I was wondering why my cell phone wasn't charging. They were at my door in what seemed like seconds and kindly informed me that I need to put the key card in its slot. With red face I apologize - this isn't my first rodeo after all.

The hotel's 20 luxury suites are comprised of 16 junior suites, two senior suites, one ambassador suite and one presidential suite. The hotel is also the most disabled-friendly hotel I have ever stayed at and rooms are available with roll-in showers, grab bars next to the toilet and tub, transfer seat to tub, wider guest room and bathroom doorways, Braille elevators and a wheelchair accessible lobby, public entrance and public restrooms. It infuriates me sometimes that so little care and thought are given to disabled people, so this aspect of the hotel gives it ten out of ten alone.

The bathroom has the best view I have ever seen – the sun starts whispering over the city and the sea in hues of yellows and blues and pink as it sinks below the horizon, while I sink into my bubble bath observing it all.

And there on the table, this note: "Dear Miss Kromberg. Because we thought you could enjoy some refreshment, please ad ice a double tot of Bacardi and a single tot of Mojito and top up the glass with soda water. Garnish with fresh mint and lemon. Enjoy your Mojito!"

This all next to laid-out glasses, Bacardi, mint, ice, soda, lemon and Mojito mix. It's these little, personal touches that put this city hotel in another class entirely.

And this welcoming refrain was to continue for the duration of our stay with the widest smiles, most wonderful food and best service.

We make our way to the Oceano Bar for drinks with Niklas. This chic bar is a lively place to catch up with friends or make new ones while enjoying afternoon tea or pre-dinner drinks. Premium beers are served alongside exotic cocktails and refreshing fruit juices and I enjoy an amazing Mai Thai before dinner. Niklas is a fascinating, funny and inspiring person and having worked at Radisson Blu hotels in Sweden, the Middle East and now Africa, his passion for the brand and its people and guests is palpable.

Dinner is served at the sophisticated yet unpretentious Filini Bar & Restaurant which serves delectable Italian cuisine prepared with the freshest seasonal ingredients and complemented by masterfully chosen wines. The head chef combines traditional recipes with contemporary flair to create the true flavor of Italy. With its beautiful terrace, the restaurant is an elegant and inviting setting for a light meal, a business lunch or a romantic dinner.

Though not exactly cheap, the food is magnificent and the service simply outstanding. We have the tomato soup and carpaccio respectively – delicious! - and our marvelous waiter Zeca enquires whether we would like our red wine chilled or at room temperature. Another waiter brings a third chair for my handbag. These people truly understand what it means to deliver a 5-star experience.

For the main course, I feast on the biggest, most succulent prawns, since eating prawns in Mozambique is of course de rigueur. Izak has the seafood casserole with calamari, prawns, clams and mussels and he pronounces it heavenly.

The dessert comes in the form of a sublime and intoxicating poached pear with cinnamon, black pepper, vanilla white chocolate and parmesan shavings…. It is light as a feather and quite simply a triumph. The word alchemy springs to mind in fact…

We retire for the night and snugly squared away in the huge bed with its percale linen and black-out curtains keeping away any light, sleep comes quickly and soundly.

We sleep late and meander to breakfast only at about 10 a.m. the next morning.

The breakfast buffet is what one would expect from a 5-star establishment with an array of pastries, juices, teas, hot and cold main choices and smoothies!

We contemplate the rare and underestimated art of doing nothing for most of the rest of the day as we laze about by the beautiful pool and have an afternoon snooze overlooking the ocean. As the hotel brochure says so eloquently: "'I don't want to be alone, I want to be left alone' - Audrey Hepburn. Here at the Blu it is totally understood that we sometimes want to do a Hepburn and retreat to the sanctuary of our own special space."

Leisure options aside, the Radisson Blu is primarily positioned as a business hotel and the state-of-the-art conference facilities attest to this. Perfect for events ranging from large conferences to board meetings, the hotel's facilities include three elegant meeting rooms, a conference room spanning 252 square meters that can be divided into three and a flexible pre-function area spanning 153 square meters. All rooms are air conditioned and feature the latest audio visual equipment, as well as free high-speed Internet access.

In the afternoon we eventually venture out to explore our surrounds.

A range of attractions are situated within a stone's throw of the hotel including Coconuts Entertainment Center, the Polana Casino, the Natural History Museum, the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Fatima, and the cultural and artists' center of Associação Núcleo de Arte. The hotel is located on Maputo's main beach road near the Sommerschield diplomatic quarter, a beautiful stroll in the sunshine next to the ocean. The city center, Maputo International Airport (built by the Chinese) and the Joaquim Chissano International Conference Center of Maputo are all easily accessible from the hotel.

The air is positively crackling with growth and development in Maputo, much of attributable to the Chinese. Diplomatic relations were formally established on 25 June 1975 between China and Mozambique, soon after Mozambique gained its independence from Portugal. In November 2006, Mozambique became the thirteenth African country to be added to China's official list of tourism destinations. China has also become an increasingly important player in Mozambique's construction industry; over one-third of Mozambique's new road construction is now carried out by Chinese contractors. In addition to trade, China provides millions of dollars in development aid to Mozambique as well.

It is with great reluctance that we check out the next morning after breakfast. I could easily stay here for another week and in the words of Audrey Hepburn, not be alone, just left alone…

The Radisson Blu Maputo is an experience not easily forgotten. Get there!

Meals to seduce you

A welcome Mojito hits all the right buttons

Getting there:

There are currently no direct flights between China and Mozambique. One-stop flights are available to South Africa with airlines such as Cathay Pacific and Emirates.

LAM flies to Maputo from Johannesburg almost daily. Go to http://www.lam.co.mz/en for more information and bookings.

Contact:

Go to https://www.radissonblu.com/en/hotel-maputo for more information and reservations.