Eminently Eve.
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- Introduction
- About La Rochelle Centre
- Booking, contact details & fees
- Directions, road conditions & best type of vehicle to use
- Accommodation & meals
- Activities
- Other Amenities
- Conclusion
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Introduction
I could feel my heart shattering into pieces with every curve, as all that I once knew of this remarkable hill had been replaced with several patches of illegal mine dumps. I had never been to La Rochelle for some reason, even though I had been on this road a number of times visiting Small Bridge Dam. It actually ended up being a blessing in disguise though because after the underwhelming & disappointing drive, I most certainly needed a huge heartwarming surprise and La Rochelle Centre ended up coming through for me in ways I hadn’t even imagined. The historical building and elegant antique furniture in the main lounge were nothing short of amazing. The orchids also took me by complete surprise & so did the splendid landscape with the stunning dam and the alluring island which is perfect for lovebirds. I felt so much at peace in this picturesque garden. I was in awe the entire time, from one section to the other!
So please do allow me to walk you through the experience you can expect at this definite must visit place whenever you are in Mutare… the one & only magnificent La Rochelle Centre.
About La Rochelle Centre
La Rochelle Centre is a mixture of Nature, History & Arts. It is located just under 20km from Mutare and is currently being run by the National Trust of Zimbabwe (NTZ). It started off as a home to the Courtaulds, Stephen and Virginia in 1951, who built it to a point where it was deemed the finest private collection centre in sub-Saharan Africa. This was because they had managed to fill it with plants, furniture, art pieces and paintings collected from all over the world. The marvellous gardens were designed by John Mitchell of Kew Gardens and what was soon to become the greatest private orchid collection in Africa was started.
In 1964, Stephen Courtauld set up the National Trust and bequeathed the property to them. The trust managed this property quite remarkably, maintaining the original standards until the 2007-2009 hyperinflation period which sadly saw the estate, gardens and buildings deteriorating. The journey to revive it then started in 2012 when NTZ and Acumen Africa – chaired by Luke Ngwerume came together with the goal of reviving La Rochelle Centre back to what it used to be and also developing it into a creative focal point of educational, cultural and environmental excellence in Southern Africa. Currently, this centre is in immaculate state and is being successfully run as a hotel in the famous country house with several amenities. It also hosts conferences, weddings and other suitable functions. The Botanical Gardens and art features at La Rochelle Centre are also a huge source of attraction to visitors.
Booking, contact details & fees
Day visits do not require bookings, however, I always encourage you to make enquiries before visiting any destination to make sure that it is actually open on the day of your planned visit. You also want to check that your activities of interest are still on offer and that prices haven’t changed. This will help to avoid disappointments or wasting time and/or fuel. We arrived at La Rochelle at around 8 am and made our entry fee payment of $5 per adult at the gate. La Rochelle contact details for overnight stays or enquiries on hosting conferences, weddings or any other enquiries are for the Office: +263(242)885065; Direct: +263(20)2422250 and Cellphone: +263714610803 OR for reservations email: reservations@larochellecentre.com, Event Enquiries: events@larochellecentre.com and Trade Enquiries: marketing@larochellecentre.com.
One thing that disturbed me quite a lot is that the ticket stated, “This entry fee is redeemable by the person whose entry it pays for on the day of receipt. Please enquire at the gate, reception or nursery to redeem this ticket”. After our tour of the place, we then went to the reception to ask about how this ticket could be redeemed. The lady at the reception we saw literally acted like we were crazy and she had no idea what we were asking her about. We then handed her the ticket and asked what it meant and she just sat there nonplussed. The least I was expecting was an explanation of what a “redeemable ticket” means to them (an image of the ticket is attached above). I think the garden is remarkably gorgeous and $5 is most certainly worth the amount of work being exerted into maintaining it. However, that “redeemable ticket” does not sit well with me because it takes away power and opportunity from visitors to decide while still at the gate whether they want to make that payment or not as they will proceed under the impression that they will be able to redeem the money in some way. After expressing this concern to them, including via email, (though without any response), it still is my sincere hope that they actually do away with this ticket and introduce a ticket with a lot more accurate information on it.
Directions, road conditions & best type of vehicle to use
La Rochelle Centre is located just 16.4km from Mutare. Starting from the Aerodrome road & Robert Mugabe road (A3) intersection roundabout in Mutare, you drive 7.5km in the direction to Harare on A3 & reach the Penhalonga turn off. If coming from Harare, this turn off is just before Christmas Pass Hotel, on your left, before a fuel station. Coming from Mutare, take that right turn and drive until your trip meter reads 13.3km at which point you should be at Imbeza turn off. Follow the Imbeza Estate sign post which is directing you to your right and at around 16.4km you will come to the La Rochelle turn off. Turn right and in about 2km you would have arrived at your destination.
The road is all tar, in relatively good condition but with some few potholes. It is suitable for any type of vehicle though. If you wish to hire a vehicle from Harare at affordable prices you can contact Presley Car Rental on +263772546880. The first part of the trip is devastating because of illegal mining happening everywhere which has robbed us of the beautiful view treat we once had there (& still could have). The serene vegetation that once upon a time beautified that road has been heavily deforested due to mining. The second part comprises mainly gum & pine plantations. At least the soil is protected from erosion with these trees; however, every time I drive on this road I can’t help but daydream of what the native vegetation would have looked like, the plant species it comprised & the different animal species that inhabited the hill because that unfortunately, was all gone by the time I was born.
Accommodation & meals
Due to time constraints, we did not get the chance to check out their accommodation options or experience them so I can not tell you for a fact whether it’s good or bad. If the state of the garden, restaurant, lounge area and the bathroom I saw is anything to go by then I would say it’s probably very much worth it. I do hope to visit and spend some nights there soon and when that happens I will definitely come back with feedback.
According to the information that I got, they have four accommodation options which include the 7 “Courtauld Rooms” in the historic Courtauld House, a “West Wing unit” with 5 rooms which sleeps 10 people (can be booked as a self catering unit), “The Basic Cottage” which is self-catering and then the “Fantasy Honeymoon Suite” which is perfect for lovebirds. All their rooms are said to reflect the elegance of the Art Deco era of the 1920s.
We left at around 10:30am so we ordered scones and rooibos tea with milk just before leaving. I loved the white tea set which gave a luxurious ambience. The scones were fresh and appetising. That made me wish I could have stayed for lunch but unfortunately it was not possible on this day. I do hope that next time will be coming soon so that I can try out their different courses.
Activities
Activities at La Rochelle Centre include:
1. Botanical Gardens Tour
2. Swimming
3. Boating
4. Spa treatments
What drew me to La Rochelle the most is definitely the Gardens. If you know me well enough then you know that my first love when it comes to nature was plants and that is thanks to my mom who got me so curious about them from a very young age. “Destroying” plants (by her definition) is one thing that we got into some real serious trouble for and she would always say, “if you can’t create it, why destroy it!”. This experience got me intrigued and fascinated, such that any chance I get since getting a bit older, I definitely want to be surrounded by nothing else but plants, having some much needed intimacy with them. So as soon as we drove in the gates of La Rochelle, I could feel that the atmosphere had totally changed. The stunningly aligned trees along the driveway, providing shade almost all the way to the parking lot, are such a landscape architectural statement.
From my observation, the garden has several partitions which are humanly impossible to explore in just a couple of hours (which sadly is all the time we had on this day). So the partitioned sections include the Aloe and Succulents section, Cycads section, Bromeliads section, Camellias section, Nursery section, Dam section and the General Gardens section. The plants in these sections are such valuable plants but unfortunately some of them are under threat. Therefore, in the efforts of trying to save & protect them, being found with some of them, e.g. cycads, will attract a 9 years jail sentence here in Zimbabwe.
As soon as I heard that the orchids were in the nursery, that just had to be my first stop. Orchids are the most breathtaking, colourful, eye grabbing plants I have ever come across. They also make up one of the two largest families of flowering plants on the entire planet (the other family being the Asteraceae). Before this day, I had only seen a couple of orchids live. So you can imagine the thrill I felt as I walked into this haven with all kinds, shapes and forms of orchids. I didn’t even know where to look. There were also some tree ferns, ponds, fish and many different gorgeous plants at this nursery section. I was completely lost in my own world full of all this precious life.
Sadly, we had to leave and take a walk at the Dam and General Garden sections. At first I was doubting I would actually enjoy these two considering a bit of ache I was feeling from leaving all those orchids but soon I would realise I was wrong. The sound of birds chirping, mixed with those of Samango monkeys chattering and gibbering grabbed my attention immediately.
We headed towards where most of the sounds were coming from and as we got down the well kept, footpath stairs, I was then met with this cosy, luscious dam. Such a romantic spot to set up a picnic and enjoy soaking in all the natural sounds being produced by mother nature. We walked down with hubby holding hands and just let that moment sink in. I wanted it to stay with me forever and it most certainly did because I don’t see myself forgetting that experience any time soon. The small wooden bridge that goes to a little island on this dam was just the perfect icing on the cake. We stayed there for a while until it was time to check out the general garden with these humongous trees from all over the world. I loved that each tree had a placard with its identity engraved in it and also information of where it is native to. Whenever I come across such huge trees I am just so impressed because literally most of these trees have been around since the 1960s. If we could verbally communicate with them, I’m sure we would have so much history & knowledge to gain from them.
10:30am has never come so quickly like it did on this day. I definitely plan to visit again because imagine I didn’t even get to explore the Aloe and Succulents, Cycads, Bromeliads and Camellias sections. I also would love to visit during summer so that I can soak my body in the cosy swimming pool, do a bit of boating and check out the fish in the dam. I most certainly would also love to spend some nights in the “elegant 1920s inspired art decorations” accommodation.
Other Amenities
Once you have driven in the gates of La Rochelle, you are less likely to lack anything, experience any form of discomfort or boredom because this centre is well equipped. Some of the amenities include:
a) Free WiFi
b) Swimming pool
c) Restaurant,
d) Lounges
e) Coffee Shop
f) Bar
g) Spa
h) Conference room
Conclusion
I really had a great time at La Rochelle Centre. I saw so many plant species which I was seeing for the first time. I was completely immersed in nature and the intimate moments I shared with it will forever be cherished. The fact that there is a restaurant, swimming pool and so many walking trails make it such a perfect place. If you ever head in the direction of the Eastern Highlands, whether to explore the highlands or en route to Mozambique, La Rochelle Centre is a great place to add to your list of stop-over places. It is just about 12kms from the Mutare/Harare highway and if you are into historical buildings and art pieces, you will totally love it there too. Do also pass through Small Bridge Dam for more activities (you can find more information about it on this link), it is located approximately 20km from La Rochelle Centre. I do hope you visit and when you do please share your experience with me here, on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram or WhatsApp. I would really love to know how it went 🙂
Remember to always have a little intimacy in your life, & as always I’m talking about Intimacy With Nature.
