At one time Maputo, formerly Lorenco Marques, the colonial capital of Portuguese East Africa, was one of Africa’s busiest seaports. On the back of vicious system of forced labour imposed by the colonialists, Portugal had developed a massive agricultural sector whose produce was mainly exported through this port.

After 10 years of a bitter war of liberation followed by a brutal civil war sponsored by Rhodesia and later South Africa - designed to destabilise the Marxist FRELIMO government - a fragile peace was negotiated in 1992 followed by multi-party elections two years later. The country was often viewed as a hopeless case and few believed it had any sort of future, but it stunned the world with its recovery. Despite the recent disastrous floods, there is still a palpable sense of optimism about Mozambique’s future, especially if the promised debt relief is realised, infrastructure improved, off-shore gas fields can be developed and the Maputo corridor project made a success.

Echos of Maputo’s colonial hey day are still evident in the central commercial district where the wide avenues, European-style cafés and still-impressive architectural styles of the Portuguese are evident alongside the modern tower-blocks so beloved by banks and big business.

Welcoming and honest people

I had been told before this, my first visit to Maputo, to be very careful as the city has a reputation for street crime and robberies. My experience was somewhat at odds with this advice. I found it far less menacing than many African cities I could mention and local people invariably welcoming, honest, helpful and courteous towards a stranger who could barely muster a few words of Portuguese.

Mavalene, just five miles from the city centre, is Mozambique’s only international airport. It’s a very modest airport and formalities are executed with little fuss. Mozambique’s currency, the metical, is a soft currency, non-negotiable outside the country. A bank at the arrivals hall will change cash only; if you want to change a travellers’ cheque you must go to the departure hall next door. A taxi from outside the small terminal will take you downtown for the equivalent of $10.

As one of Africa’s poorest nations its a little surprising to find that budget and mid-range hotels are expensive by regional standards. This is partly explained by heavy government taxes, both direct and indirect. VAT is imposed on all transactions and there is also a 2.5% tourist tax. Indirectly, the cost of running a hotel is determined by how much of the fittings and furnishings are imported. In practice everything is imported, from air-conditioning units (there is no local manufacturer) to bed linen, catering equipment to computerised accounting systems. All these items carry heavy import duties which have to be passed on to guests.

There is another reason for the high charges imposed by hotels - the financial system. If a hotelier accepts a credit card it might take two to three weeks for the banks to clear it to the hotel’s account. Similarly, one hotel manager claimed, if payment is made by travellers’ cheques, bank charges can amount to 20% of face value and clearance time is measured in months.

Finest hotel in southern Africa

That said, Maputo boasts one of the finest luxury hotels in southern Africa. The Polana was built at the beginning of the 19th century and has recently been lovingly restored. It has hosted a number of VIP guests including Queen Elizabeth II and Nelson Mandela. Its four storeys are crescent shaped, overlooking a large outdoor swimming pool and elegant gardens. Most rooms have magnificent views over the Indian Ocean. Interior decoration is lavish, and even the more modest rooms are spacious and well furnished. About its only competitor in Maputo is the Lonrho-owned Hotel Cardoso, similarly priced and of international standard but lacking that indefinable sense of quality that the Polana possesses.

By any standard, room rates at the five star Polana are very reasonable. They start at $115 including an excellent buffet breakfast.

The restaurant and service are faultless and there are all the amenities you would expect of a five-star hotel, including a casino. The hotel can also arrange speedboats and charter aircraft to take you to Mozambique’s off-shore islands and resorts. While a business centre is available, this hotel is probably better suited to the well-heeled leisure traveller.

If you are in Maputo for business, it may be more convenient to stay in the commercial district. Hotel Tivoli is the only quality hotel currently located in this district although a new hotel, Hotel Maputo, is being built quite close by.

The Tivoli is one of Maputo’s oldest hotels, one of a chain owned by a major Portuguese corporation. Despite renovations it is showing its age, but it is a very well-run, quiet and comfortable hotel. Its location could not be easier for the business traveller. The Mozambique Central Bank is just two blocks away, while the offices of SASOL, CDC group plc and other important businesses are in a large office building just across the road.

Close by is the port, the railway station, all the major ministry buildings and commercial bank headquarters, while FACIM (the commercial exhibition centre) and the extraordinary Fiera Popular (a complex of bars, restaurants and nightclubs that springs to life each night) are both just a five minute walk along the esplanade.

Excellent conference facilities are on offer, and the hotel’s dynamic manager, Mr Gomes de Sousa, is an inexhaustible source of advice and information. Room rates start at $80 a night.

Alternatives such as Hotel Avenida or the Rovuma Carlton simply don’t have the advantage of location the Tivoli enjoys.

Lower down the scale are a number of small hotels and pensaos (or rooming houses). One of the most popular is Pensao Martins, often fully booked with NGO personnel and aid workers. A single room starts at $65, but while these are spotlessly clean and pleasant enough, they are very basic. With practically no facilities within the pensao, although there are good restaurants and snack-bar s close by, it seems overpriced.

In the same price bracket you could consider the newly built Hotel Monte-Carlo. This is a good-value, modern hotel. All rooms have free internet connectivity and satellite TV, but they are quite cramped and noisy with the sound of the heavy door locks resonating through the paper-thin walls.

Getting around

Getting around Maputo is simple enough. There are many taxi stands dotted around the capital, prices are reasonable and drivers rarely try to overcharge. Reckon on $5 for a trip within central Maputo.

Making telephone calls from hotels is expensive, and they sometimes start their charges after five rings whether or not the call is answered.

Card phones can be found fairly easily, and if you look out for a public phone sign outside cafes and small shops, you can make metered calls from these locations. A GSM cellphone system is up and running, but no short-term hire service seems available.

Banks open for business at 8am, close at 11am and open again at 2pm for just half an hour. Changing money at banks can be a slow and tedious process, and if you want to change a travellers’ cheque you may have to show the original sales receipt.

Hotels will change money, some will change TCs, but at poor rates. Bureaux de change services are available downtown but only for cash. It is not possible to get a cash advance against a credit card in Mozambique, and allow plenty of time if presenting a card for payment of a hotel bill as authorisation can cause a lengthy delay.

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