This sensory hotel embodies its nation’s style and warm spirit
By Catherine Marshall
The place
Latitude 0 Degrees, Kampala.
Check-in
Catch water glimpses beyond the trees.
It’s a 45-minute drive (depending on traffic) from Entebbe International Airport to the leafy Kampala suburb of Makindye, where my hilltop lodging awaits. High walls and a security gate checkpoint conceal the sprawling grounds and wraparound views of the city and Lake Victoria. I’ve stayed previously at Latitude 15 Degrees in Lusaka, and immediately feel at home as I enter its sister property’s double-volume lobby with copper-and-sea-glass chandelier, chequerboard floors and statement African artworks. Even the obligatory portrait of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni seems to welcome me from within its pressed metal frame.
The look
A central dining and lounge area wraps around a chequerboard-bottomed pool.
Light floods through the industrial windows, and whitewashed walls provide a canvas for the art and artefacts on display. Wings are arranged around a series of Moorish courtyards; this Arabic influence – complemented by the call to prayer from a nearby mosque – is perpetuated in the minaret-shaped doorways in the spa and the carved lintels incorporated into archways. The central dining and lounge area wraps around a chequerboard-bottomed swimming pool. Leading from this is The Other Side, a members’ and guests’ wing with private dining room, bar, lounge and patio. The Latitude Hotel Group’s signature urban African style is showcased in the lush murals, contemporary artworks and community-sourced crafts and utilitarian objects, and bars clad in tiles or metallic fishtails and topped with leather or polished copper. Hot-desking and private meeting spaces are available at The Works on the mezzanine.
The suite
Suites include handmade lampshades and furnishings from Katundu.
My second floor room is a subdued version of the communal areas: washed turquoise tones, handmade lampshades and furnishings from Katundu, a Malawian social enterprise from which much of the decor is sourced. A free-standing tub is tucked beside the bathroom window; the walk-in shower pops with those Moorish tiles. Drinking water bottled onsite and glasses made from recycled wine bottles are a nod to the hotel’s sustainability ethos.
Food + drink
There’s plenty of European and Asian fare on offer in the three restaurants. But the curious visitor will be most gratified by the heritage menu, which includes local dishes such as baked tilapia with banku (a cassava and maize dough), roasted goat with plantain and katago, a moreish breakfast including lentils and matoke (green bananas), a staple crop in Uganda. The soups on the vegetarian and vegan menu – curried cauliflower, honey-roasted pumpkin – are particularly good. Brew Ugandan coffee in your room upon waking, and at sunset head to the rooftop bar for a view of Lake Victoria, a local cocktail and a fresh sushi menu.
Out + about
The group’s signature urban African style is seen in the bars clad in tiles or metallic fishtails.
Pay respects to departed royals at the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi. If the locals’ bright clothing has caught your eye, visit Kampala Fair for a bespoke kitenge cloth outfit. Stand on the equator on a day trip to Kayabwe, or float upon it while taking a boat across Lake Victoria to the chimpanzee sanctuary on Ngamba Island.
The verdict
This is a deeply sensory hotel that embodies both the artistic legacy and warm spirit so prevalent in Uganda.
Essentials
Rates from $205 for two nights; 64 and 66 Kyadondo Mobutu Road, Makindye, Kampala, Uganda. 0.the latitudehotels.com
Note that earlier this year Ugandan Government adopted a controversial Anti-Homosexuality Act.
Our score out of five
★★★★★
Highlight
Milling with locals as they feast on Sunday brunch and jiving to musician Julius Sese’s fabulous tunes.
Lowlight
Though the view from my city-facing room was invigorating, I would have preferred to glimpse Lake Victoria through the orchid-draped trees.
The writer stayed at Latitude 0 Degrees as a guest of Bench Africa. See benchafrica.com
Sign up for the Traveller newsletter
The latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now.