The Victoria Falls Hotel

WHERE MODERN LUXURY AND HISTORICAL ROMANCE MERGE

Writer: Sarah Kerr Photography: Sarah Kerr

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, is a unique destination, a world wonder in a country ripe with a fascinating history, incredible wildlife and some of Africa’s most hospitable people.

The town by the same name calls visitors back time after time with its heady mixture of an epic landscape, lively dining and entertainment options, abundant wildlife and an illustrious past. Victoria Falls town offers varied accommodation options for travellers of all tastes and budgets but one hotel above all others stands out in the collective imagination and the history of the town itself. Affectionately known as ‘the grand old lady of the Falls’, the Victoria Falls Hotel was the first hotel in the town of Victoria Falls and she looms large in the development of the town.

The hotel was originally built in 1904 to house workers building the iconic Victoria Falls Bridge in a bid to complete Cecil John Rhodes’s vision of a railway network that would stretch from Cape to Cairo. To this day the hotel’s logo features a lion and a sphinx, symbolising Rhodes’s dream of connecting South Africa with Egypt. The Victoria Falls Hotel played an important role in expanding early tourism to the area as it pioneered visits to the Victoria Falls by means of rickshaws, offered cruises on the Zambezi and was a stop on the BOAC flying boat service between Southampton and South Africa.

It is over a century since the hotel came to be and ‘she’ has presided over numerous visits from royalty, seen uncounted visitors and stood steady through two world wars, the introduction of the automobile and the birth of Zimbabwe as an independent democracy. Despite the many changes and the ebbs and flows of tourism to the region the hotel, with its classical façade, manicured gardens and quiet, calm interior has kept her grace and beauty throughout. There are few properties like this left in the world and I was thrilled to visit ‘the grand old lady’ for a night of much-needed pampering. Despite having grown up in Victoria Falls under the watchful eye of this icon of tourism I had never had a chance to stay the night.

The establishment’s striking architecture was designed to take advantage of its unique position and, from the long stretch of the hotel’s front verandah, verdant green lawn sweeps down towards the spectacular view of the bridge spanning the Batoka Gorge and the resplendent spray rising from the mighty Falls.

It was this perfect, carefully framed view that greeted me through the open doorways as I proceeded through the main entrance and grand communal areas to the terrace. Symmetry plays a key role throughout the architecture, with sweeping staircases, colonnades and Edwardian adornments all pleasingly mirrored. The attention to detail, high ceilings and scale take your breath away at each visit.

I was staying in the Stables Signature Wing which was completely refurbished in 2013. Despite new additions, it perfectly matches the older parts of the hotel in style while providing greater luxury such as larger, more modern bathrooms. You would be forgiven for thinking you had stepped back in time when you first enter the tranquil corridors lined with remnants of the hotel’s fascinating past, but closer inspection reveals that the colonial era is long gone. Today, African businessmen mingle with American tourists having high tea on the broad verandah and the amenities have been updated so that modern luxury and historical romance merge in perfect harmony.

After my private check-in, in the lounge of the Stables Wing, I was shown to my spacious and lovely room. The room overlooked the beautiful hotel grounds, and although I could not see the Falls with the screened window open, they could clearly be heard and I spent an incredibly pleasant afternoon reading while being soothed by their sound. The room offered tea- and coffee- making facilities, a mini-bar, complimentary Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, satellite television and an in-room safe. The bathroom featured both a walk-in shower and a romantic ball and claw tub.

The Stables Wing guests are also offered a

complimentary afternoon tea in the private lounge of the Stables Wing. However, given the historic surrounds, my companion and I felt that we should sample the selection of gin and tonics available at Stanley’s Bar just off the hotel terrace. We were not disappointed with our decision when we saw the large selection of gin available and the inventive pairings with each signature gin and tonic. After enjoying our drinks we made our way to the Livingstone Room restaurant. The restaurant is known as a pinnacle of fine dining in Africa and is situated in the hotel itself. The décor tastefully manages to combine elegant art deco of the 1920s with the hotel’s classic Edwardian style; and you almost feel that you are playing a glamorous actress on an Old World movie set as you cross the dance floor while a live pianist plays softly. It is refreshing to enjoy formal dining and silver service and the experience offers a real chance to dress up, although the dress code has been relaxed to ‘smart casual’.

We chose to enjoy the seven-course degustation menu with accompanying wine pairings. The restaurant offers an impressive wine list with choices from across the globe; however, as befits the region, all the wines on the degustation are of South African origin. The meal was a gastronomic adventure, beginning with two freshly baked pieces of artisanal seed and tomato bread accompanied by a mustard butter and an olive butter. The incredible courses included much homage to local produce such as the amuse-bouche of bream tartare, the duo of kudu carpaccio and kudu tartare garnished with a perfectly soft-boiled quail egg and the beef fillet which was quite honestly the best beef I have tasted. Another highlight was the richly flavoured chilled tomato consommé which deceptively appears as a clear liquor.

The Livingstone Room is renowned for impeccable service and the reputation is justly deserved, with all the staff proving to be exceptionally attentive and discreet. The exceptional meal was a great chance to connect and laugh, and around us we could see other guests’ enjoyment; from the honeymoon couple gazing into each other’s eyes to a large table that oohed and aahed over the spectacle provided by the flames of the Livingstone Room’s famous crêpes Suzette.

Deeply content, and with my appetite more than sated, I slept fantastically in a bed dressed with down pillows and high-quality linen. I woke to a crisp winter’s morning with rays of sunlight filtering through the magnificent old trees in front of my room. I immediately felt a pang of regret that I couldn’t stay longer, but that didn’t dampen my enjoyment of a leisurely breakfast or my amazement at how refreshed I felt after my stay.

The hotel proved to be the perfect getaway for the discerning traveller looking for a weekend away or even a longer stay. The Victoria Falls Hotel offers the chance to feel as if you are transported to another world and, importantly, to relax and reconnect with loved ones away from the stresses of modern life. It is an excellent choice for travellers from surrounding Southern African countries as their proximity makes access easy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sarah Kerr

Sarah is a qualified photographer, graphic designer, writer and media maker with over 10 years of experience. She lives in Zimbabwe and is passionate about sharing the diverse beauty and complex stories of her country of birth.

Visit sarahkerrdesign.com to see more of her work.

Info Box

Flight Access:

Victoria Falls Town (Zimbabwe) and Livingstone Town (Zambia) both have international airports. Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe is easily accessed from Livingstone. There are several flights a day from various destinations notably Johannesburg, Cape Town, Harare and Windhoek.

Proflight Zambia operates scheduled flights from Lusaka to Livingstone.