The Sunday Mail
Andrew Mangwarara
BRONTE Hotel, located in the Avenues area of Harare, is a three-star establishment that was originally built in 1911 as a private house.
It was termed The Garden Hotel because of its lush green and well-maintained environs.
As you arrive at the guarded entrance, large beautiful fig trees (ficus benjamina), which almost engulf the car park, greet you. They provide the much-needed shade for vehicles and visitors.
Beautiful shrubbery ushers you to the reception foyer. The hotel’s front yard is well-maintained, with ancient gorongo cycads (encepharlartos manikensis) carefully laid out in an equally manicured green lawn, where a rectangular water pond adorned with water lilies is also found.
When you have finished all the formalities at the reception area, the real excitement starts, as you open the door to the forecourt.
What greets you is a beautifully designed garden under the 100-year-old jacaranda tree that has its architectural story to tell.
Below the jacaranda tree is the peace lily (spathiphyllum wallissi) overlying a water pond. A brick pathway fits nicely in the garden.
The meandering pathway leads you further into this beautiful garden, where you will make more discoveries. Ancient tree ferns (cyathea dregei) add to the mystery of this Cape Dutch style hotel, which has about 102 rooms.
The famous azaleas will surprise you as they are growing quite well in an area that has a warm climate.
They normally do well in cool areas like the Vumba Mountains.
The beautiful delicious monsters (monstera deliciosa) climbing the ancient jacaranda tree leaves one in awe.
There are a number of stone carvings that intrigue the visitor.
The Beira bush (breynia nivosa) and the calathea near the restaurant veranda form a beautiful combination.
The restaurant overlooks the swimming pool area, where a number of garden chairs under shade provide an ideal relaxing area. The beautiful staghorn fern (platycerium bifucartum) on a tree makes you feel as if you are in a tropical paradise.
The combination of tropical plants has a soothing effect on a visitor.
By the corner of the pathway is the popular handkerchief bush (mussaenda spp.), with its characteristic red leaf-like flowers.
A group of metal baboon sculptures adds to the intrigue in this old garden.
Leaving the service area, as one goes to their chosen hotel room, you still get the chance to see the beauty of plants like the painter’s palette (anthurium andreanum) and the tickey creeper (ficus pumila) that climb or stick to walls of the hotel building.
The gorgeous lawns of the clandestinum variety are a constant reminder of the aesthetics of the hotel.
One area of interest is a brick sitting place with a small hexagonal pond adjacent to potted bougainvillea plants. This greened-up space helps one refresh outside their hotel room.
The gym area provides plenty of options for hotel patrons.
Also present are blooming hibiscus, as well as colourful crotons and hedychiums.
The beautiful purple wreath (petrea volubilis) is also found in the garden. This is must-have plant in a garden as it leaves an impression on visitors.
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