Repose in Tooro’s mountains

Located at the backdrop of Mountain Rwenzori, the hotel offers a tranquil place to relax, away from the busy schedule of everyday life.

The lush and immaculate gardens that meet your eyes when you get to Mountains of the Moon Hotel set the tone for your expectations. The expectations rise when you are welcomed into the reception lounge by friendly staff who attend to you. Such was my experience five minutes after walking through the hotel’s gate.

The hotel is located about three kilometres from Fort Portal Town. It sits on 15 acres of land with a number of facilities on it such as restaurants, bars, conference halls, ample parking space, swimming pool, and accommodation, among others.

The ambience is a charming one, offering peace of mind to one who needs a break from the hustle and bustle of the town or city environment. No noise. Just birds singing and chirping as you work on your computer using the hotel’s high speed wireless Internet or as you delight in the sight of Mountain Rwenzori, also called Mountains of the Moon, ranges which are within the hotels view.

Accommodation
The hotel has 33 rooms which are housed in single and double storeyed buildings connected by open courtyards. Accommodation per night is $100 (Shs265,000) for single rooms, $120-$130 (Shs318,000- Shs344,500) for double and twin rooms and $170 (Shs450,500) for the family room. All the rooms have spacious balconies, Internet access, satellite Tv, a direct dial telephone, a hair dryer, writing desks and reading lamps. Room service is offered till 11pm. The accommodation fee is inclusive of breakfast.

Restaurant
The hotel has a rich menu, with cuisines such as the Asian, European and local one. The general manager, Michiel Reinecke, says the hotel is renown for its mouth watering beef fajitas, which I tasted. The meal comprises tenderly fried beef, prepared with green pepper and onions. It is served on a sizzling hot plate, with guacamole (mashed avocado), cheese and tortillas.

To accompany any meal of one’s choice, is an assortment of drinks which include sodas, juice, beer or wine.

Other facilities
The hotel has a splendid health club which offers services such as gym, steam bath, sauna, swimming, aerobics and massage. All these services except massage, are inclusive of the accommodation fee. For non-residents, the services are available at a fee. There is an instructor at the swimming pool who offers lessons to those who do not know how to swim.

Adjacent to the swimming pool, is the pool bar, one of the three bars at the hotel- the others are; the sports bar and main bar. So, one can take a “liquor break” after a swimming session. One can also spice up the break by playing a game of pool. There are loungers around the swimming pool on which you can lie, relax and take in the pleasure of being dried up by the sun.

The hotel also boasts of three conference rooms. The conference hall can accommodate up to 500 people while the two boardrooms sit up to 50 people. Support materials for conference participants are offered at the hotel.

Drinks cost between Shs3,000 and Shs15,000 while meals go for between Shs15,000 and Shs35,000.

Getting There: Take the Mityana-Mubende road up to Fort Portal town, a distance of about 299km, which is a four-hour drive from Kampala.

editorial@ug.nationmedia.co.ug