Neem Park Courtyard Lodge, Kabwe, was where I spent 5 nights during my visit to Musosolokwe, Zambia. Though Kabwe is not likely to be in your list of places to visit in Zambia, I would still like to share the experience of staying in one of the better (or even the best) accommodation available in this town.
Kabwe is the capital of Zambia’s Central Province. Founded in 1902 when zinc and lead deposits were discovered, Kabwe is also known as the ‘birthplace of independence’ in Zambia. It is, however, not usually in the radar of tourists or travellers. In fact, it has the unfortunate circumstance of being the most toxic town in the world.
The main entrance and exterior of the 2-storey hotel. With a total of around 20-rooms (I didn’t actually count), there is a mix of single and double rooms. Guest with mobility problems climbing stairs can choose to stay in one of the 2 ground floor rooms. But loud music from the bar at the end of the stretch may mean no early nights for light sleepers.
Neem Park Courtyard Lodge is located off the main road. The stretch of around 50m of road leading to the hotel was unpaved and made for a super bumpy ride.
The main lobby. Simple, no-frill design with striking pink front desk.
The twin room where I spent 5 nights. The rooms use a card key system that worked fine in most cases, though sometimes we had to scan more than once to unlock the door. The real inconvenience was having only one card per room, even if there were 2 occupants. That meant that we had to hunt for our room-mate around the hotel to get back into the room if both of us were out. Thankfully the hotel compound is small.
Simple but utilitarian layout. The single beds were clean and comfortable. A spacious writing desk, a bedside table and wardrobe made up the rest of the room’s furniture. With the night time temperature at around 11 degC, we did not turn on the air-conditioner beyond testing it one night and had to quickly turn it off when we detected a burning smell.
Simple coffee and tea making facilities was provided with a kettle and some glasses. I made a beverage for myself the first two nights and realised they never replenished what I used the next day though. One thing that really bothered us was that the windows could not be locked and the hotel staff did not really follow up with our repeated requests to look into it.
The en-suite bathroom. Disposable toothbrush and basic toiletries of soap, shampoo and conditioner were provided. We had no issue with our water heater in our room. Some of our fellow trippers, however, had unpleasant encounters of mild electric shocks in the bathroom while using hot water.
The dining room. Here they appeared to be under-staff as food can take a long time to arrive.
This was their buffet breakfast spread of bread, jam, butter and beverages.
Besides this, they take orders for the main course. We tried their omelette with chilli and onion, omelette with vegetables, beef sausages and oat meal.
A relaxation corner on the balcony of 2nd storey.
The small bar downstairs where we bought bottled beers for 10 kwacha and our own snacks from the nearby supermarket. Loud music was played together with football matches shown on the TV.
Overall, the stay at Neem Park Courtyard Lodge was good with comfy and clean room. The service standard, though, had room for improvement. Even then, with a rating of 4.5/5 on their Facebook page, I guess this will still remain one of the more sought after accommodation in the town.
Read more about my time in Zambia in A Glimpse into Life in Rural Zambia.
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Useful information
Address: 56 Jameson Avenue, off Mulungushi Road, Stand 684, Town Centre, P.O. Box 80049, KABWE., 10101 Kabwe
Telephone: +260 21 5223871
Facebook Page:: Neem Park Courtyard Lodge