ZAMBIA’S LATITUDE 15˚

Favoured by discerning travellers

Once a Colonial lodge, Latitude 15˚ is now Lusaka’s stylish boutique hotel. Think design aficionado heaven. Here it’s all bespoke, exclusive, repurposed, recycled, boutique, breath-taking and jaw-dropping. You’ll find statement pieces in every corner; pieces so fine they’ll need to be looked at, studied, sat upon and discussed. Outside the lawned garden is hung, heavy with a collection of giant Acacias, vivid shocks of pink bougainvillaea and leafy palms; there are two aqua blue swimming pools and a collection of enormous parasols. Inside there’s an assortment of worn leather hide chairs, antique rugs, repurposed wooden doors from Zanzibar turned into coffee tables, immense African wall art, walls built with bicycle gear cogs and chandeliers made of recycled copper discs and wine-bottle glass shards. There’s no space wasted here. It’s quite literally wall-to-wall art. One corner displays a collection of agricultural tools, another a long black and white landscape photograph of galloping antelope, beneath which is a sagging old dark wood sideboard. Here everything is on a huge scale, including the personalities that make it work. Like mixologist, Mike Sianchebani, who’s eager to tell visitors about how he got into the business. On the wining and dining side the chefs are creative, designing dishes that take you on an African culinary adventure. There are 35 bespoke luxury bedrooms styled with sumptuous attention to detail. Ask for room 21, which has a walk-in Moroccan-tiled bathroom and doors to its own private garden. 15.thelatitudehotels.com

Clockwise from top left, Latitude’s interiors are created by artists in the local community with an emphasis on recycling and upcycling; The impressive results are shown in the ‘Other Side’ bar; hotel lobby; hotel corridor; business hub ’The Works’