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Tags: Cubicle Dreamin' / Africa Hotel Reviews / → All Tags

Cubicle Dreamin': Exotic Luxury in Uganda

Where: Kampala, Uganda

Growing up in a Commonwealth country, I always loved the acronym given for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting: CHOGM, pronounced like it looks. How could anyway take a "chogem" meeting seriously? I can't, but I am keen to check out one of the new hotels that's just been built for the 2007 CHOGM in Kampala, the capital of Uganda.

If you're not sure--I admit, I wasn't--Uganda is pretty much right in the middle of Africa, a landlocked nation next to Kenya. Its capital, Kampala, has just become home to the (nearly completed) Imperial Royale Hotel. It's a 275-roomer, with three restaurants and several bars, which will offer 24-hour service, and four floors of parking. A local newspaper had this to say about the Imperial Royale:

If you see the design and the furniture of the spacious rooms and you are asked to price them, you will give them a price much higher than what Mr Karim Hirji, the proprietor of the Imperial Royale Hotel, is asking.

Not only is it in an exotic land that I'd love to visit, but it's good value as well. The CHOGM meeting will be held at the end of November this year, so by then the Imperial Royale should be well and truly open for business. Ready for my end of year vacation, perhaps.

Related Stories:
· Ugandan Hotels Ready for CHOGM [Daily Monitor]
· Africa Hotels [HotelChatter]
· Africa Travel Stories [Jaunted]

Tags: Africa Hotel Reviews / Family Friendly / Honeymoon Hotels / → All Tags

Watch the Real Animal Planet Outside Your Bathtub at Thornybush

Where: Kruger National Park, South Africa

Thornybush may not sound so romantic but it sure looks it. A Game Reserve/lodge at Kruger National Park in South Africa, Thornybush is one of the few luxury African resorts that caters to both honeymooners and children.

We know what you're wondering--has the Jolie-Pitt clan stayed here? The answer, so far, is no.

Nevertheless, Thornybush Game Reserve provides the quintessential African vacation: the chance to see exotic animals--but from the safe position behind the glass window that separates them from your deep-set spa bath.

Finishing-the-Hat's blog brings us straight to this prime bathtub view and also provides shots of the cozy hotel bedroom and well-kept pool. Twenty suites are all stocked with these deep tubs and outdoor showers. But by outdoor showers, think clean and brand new stone tiles rather than mud and a thatched fence.

Thornybush prides itself in making each `moment' unique and unforgettable, whether its when you are watching a lioness with her cubs, frolicking in the sun a few metres away, or sipping chilled champagne in a hot air balloon high above the African bush. We always go the "extra mile" to make sure each memory is extraordinary.

All this said, don't expect the hotel to be free of bugs. You'll still need major "OFF" spray, which could ruin a romantic honeymoon. Also, the hotel doesn't offer up possible conversation tips for when your children watch a pack of lions maul a hyenah.

Related Stories:
· Thornybush Reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Day 7 Thornybush [Finishing the Hat Blogspot]