Perched on a hill on the edge of Harare, this elegant lodge offers supreme comfort, impeccable service and one of the capitals finest restaurants. Imba Matombo is just a short flight from Zimbabwes famous game reserves and the magnificent Victoria Falls. It is also a golfers paradise, offering eight first-class courses within a 40-minute drive. Savour warm African hospitality, superb cuisine and undisturbed calm.
The accomodation at the Imba Matombo lodge in Harare are very good. The staff are very friendly and there are a number of facilities that made the stay at the lodge most enjoyable (tennis court, pool, gym). The purpose of the stay in Harare was business and the lodge provided internet access so it was possible to work after hours. We ventured out of the hotel for dinner most nights but there is a restaurant in the lodge which provided generally very good standards of food. All in all the stay at the lodge made our overall stay in Zimbabwe very pleasant.
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Date of stay: August 2012
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Graet things - the look, my second room (king fisher), the helpful staff. Disappointments the pool out of action for the whole week I was there due to a problem with the pump, very repetitive and dull food, some strange things like a kettle ith a plug that didnt match any o fthe sockets.
I started in Leopard which I have to say is stunning in a Peter Stringfellow in the 80s kind of way - loys of leopard print, the most fantastci bed and a spectacular thatched roof but after 10 mins I had spotted two spiders - one big - and as Im a wimp I moved. If not scared of spiders this roomwould be fantastic.
Used the hotel bus a couple of times great = but asking for a taxi V expensive
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Date of stay: December 2012
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
IMBA Matombo was our hotel of choice for Zimbabwe Fashion Week 2015, fourteen of our international models and foreign guests stayed there for the entire duration of the event. Given the caliber of the event we require top quality accommodations for our guests, and IMBA Matombo satisfied this standard. It is ideally located in the northern suburbs within fifteen-minutes from the fashionable Sam Levy’s Village, and the same distance to the center of Harare.
It is always difficult to host large parties of guests who arrive and depart at the same time. But the check-in and check-out procedures went flawlessly. The lodge can easily host events and cater to the most discerning guests. The staff was receptive and accommodating.
All of our models are looking forward to staying at IMBA again next year.
Thank you for your hospitality and support.
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Date of stay: September 2015Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed with my 1 year old son last year. We had a beautiful experience. We were well looked after by the staff and lacked for nothing. Tasty food, an amazing pool, our lodge imba matombo yacho was soooo beautiful and gave me exactly what I was hoping for, the proper African feel/experience. If you’d like to see some pictures of our stay feel free to follow me on instagram @misslincee you won’t go wrong by booking here!
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Date of stay: May 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
OK, before you read this review, please visit their website: imbahotels.co.zw Now that you have the "vision" of what this place should (and indeed could) be if the owners lived up to their own hype...I now begin my review:
Rarely do I want to shake some sense into a business owner and then offer to take over their job....but to whoever actually owns Imba Matombo (The mysterious "Imba Group"??) I shout, "What in the world do you think you are doing in the hotel business?!!"
This is such a beautiful property, the grounds are gorgeous (lush landscape, sparkling pool, tennis court) and the staff works so hard to try and do a good job, but there is obviously not enough proper training and no discernible management. The work force has been cut and spread way too thin over all four of their properties. Supplies are archaic (how can housekeeping properly clean a carpet when there are no vacuum cleaners? I saw one woman trying to sweep the dirty carpet with an ineffective straw broom!) Naturally one will find tiny spiders and bits of grass and plant debris on the sheets and blankets when the "laundry" facilities appear to consist of an old washing machine set up in the garden and the drying is done by hanging things up in a dirt yard. The guest rooms need a good scrubbing and basic repairs. Their website describes the rooms as being decorated with "antique railway furniture" I'm not sure what that means, but I'm sure it was meant to conjure up a feeling of beauty and luxury? Sadly, the rooms don't give that impression. Especially the upholstered pieces. They are in desperate need of either cleaning or re-upholstering. A fresh coat of paint and removal of mold in the bathrooms would do a world of good. And don't get me started on the insect problem...there is a reason each room has it's own can of roach spray. Fumigation should not be the job of the guest, especially in a hotel that advertises itself as having, "first class accommodation services" It is a bit of a challenge to make a reservation, even a greater challenge to get a confirmation that they have received your deposit. It took several months and multiple phone calls and e-mails to get that important matter confirmed. We had reserved 2 "standard" rooms at a cost of $180 per room. One room was to have a queen size bed and the other room was to have 2 beds (for my daughter and her friend) On arrival, my husband and I were shown to the rather cool looking "Stone Room" a stand alone stone cottage with thatch roof. Inside it has a smaller stone room that serves as the bathroom. It is neat in an "African" sort of way, and we were initially pleased with it. However, I was dismayed to find a dead cockroach in the cupboard and to discover that none of the electrical outlets worked (which explained why the little mini-fridge and tea kettle didn't work) The smoke detector "chirped" all night due to a faulty battery and it took an additional day and night to get this fixed (sadly the "fix" was to disconnect the entire unit as there were no batteries to be found) My daughter and her friend were shown to the "Guinea Fowl" room. It only had one bed and was dark, dingy and noisy---this room has a connecting door (to "Zebra"??) and the noise from the TV was easily heard. It is a very unpleasant little room. We pointed out to the man showing us the room that it only had one bed and we reserved a room with 2 beds...the response was, oh, sorry we don't have a 2 bed room ready (it was night time and most of the staff had gone home) could they share the bed? Uh...NO So, my daughter took that room for the night and her friend got taken to another room with a single bed. I do not recall the name of this room, and truthfully never saw it, but I have been told it was filthy, so bad in fact, that my daughter's friend slept in her clothes on top of the bed so as not to sleep on dirty sheets! Yucky! I was curious as to how the room situation would be sorted out. Obviously, the "Stone "Room" is an upgraded room, not standard, more likely "superior" so we were happy to get this little perk, a bright spot in what seemed like a deteriorating situation (we were, after all staying here for 8 nights!) The next day we set out on a day of sight-seeing, with the assurance that a larger room would be secured for the girls. That evening we were told the problem had been taken care of! The girls had been given OUR room! Another bed had been moved in and so my husband and I were to pack up and move to a different room! Needless to say, while I was happy for the girls, I was not happy for me...we were shown to the "Hoopoe Room". This is also a "superior" room, located in a large building towards the back of the property. It is not as quaint as the stone building, but a very spacious room, with an upstairs bathroom and a beautiful verandah. The electrical outlets worked in this room. The major draw back of "Hoopoe", and probably the whole building, is the amazingly large and fast spiders that lurk in the wall vents. I am told these are harmless creatures, but anything that is so big you can hear it scurry is too big for my liking. I used up nearly an entire can of the provided bug spray on the first night as the ants in the bathroom were also numerous, not just the spiders! The claw foot tub is nice, but also needs some cleaning. I just used the shower, which was adequate, but leaked due to the door being improperly installed. Apparently the Stone Room also had a similar spider issue, as well as other insects. My daughter's friend got a nasty bite one night that sent her to an infirmary for a few hours. Maybe the big spray is a good idea after all?? As for their highly touted restaurant: Breakfast is included in the rate. The food was good. Unlike many hotels with included breakfast, you order off of a menu and your food is cooked to order. Yogurts, cereals, and such are laid out on a buffet table. The chef consistently did an amazing job on my omelet (I am hard to please on that score, so I was very happy to see someone do it right!) If you do an internet search for "Imba Matombo" you will come across more mention of their restaurant "Harleqins" than of the hotel itself. In fact there are several reviews for the French or European cuisine that they supposedly serve here, as well as positive comments about their special events during "restaurant week" This had me rather excited. I was looking forward to having some fine dining experiences. Well...the food is OK, it is tasty, but certainly not French, and not what most of the world would consider "fine dining" It is also quite expensive. I rarely saw anyone eating there apart from hotel guests. The first few nights we were given the regular restaurant menu, then told most of the dishes were not available. By the 3rd or 4th night, we were given a paper menu, obviously printed up just for the guests, that listed the few entrees they really did have. Food didn't always exactly match the descriptions, for instance if the menu stated "mashed potatoes" you were just as likely to get French fries. It didn't take us long to see this was a work in progress and "restaurant week" food is the exception, not the norm. Their website also states, "our bars are well stocked" so I naturally expected some good wine choices. This also wasn't the case. Generally the choice was "a glass of red or white" One night I was informed that they were out of wine, then some white wine was found. The next night they were back to red. I was beginning to think they were buying one bottle at a time based on my ordering habits! If that was the case, then it was a nice gesture, but not at all what one would expect from a fine restaurant (I think the French would have a fit if they seriously call this a "French" restaurant and have no wine! haha) Despite the quirks, we made the choice to stick with convenience (and a bit of good humor) and eat at the hotel most nights. Some evenings we were even joined, and entertained, by the resident cat who likes to beg (until another guest complained)
For now, I obviously cannot recommend this hotel...but if the owners ever decide to sell to someone who really loves and knows the business, then I would love to come back and give this another try. It has so much potential!!
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Date of stay: August 2014Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jason M, Manager at Imba Matombo
Responded 18 Aug 2015
Dear Guest. Thank you very much for your candid review of your recent stay at our hotel. Your feedback is extremely valuable to us, as we strive to improve with each and every stay. I greatly appreciate your comments about aspects of the room that need updating. It is a pleasure to announce that we will be implementing many of these upgrades to the property within the next couple of months. Our rooms will be getting new mattresses, bed skirts, window treatments, carpeting, in-room accessories, and much more! In taking great care of our charming hotel, our main priority is to be able to offer a very well-maintained and comfortable atmosphere. I hope that I can convince you to change your mind about another visit to our property. Regards Imba Matombo Management
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The rooms are average sized and clean. The offer workspace. The breakfast is freshly prepared and worth the visit.
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Date of stay: September 2011
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amazing place you got there guys will always come and spend my have fun days here. Lovely and very hospitable. For your stay, events, conferences, memorable experiences this is a perfect environment to have your unforgettable experience
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Date of stay: October 2019Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The staff were so helpful and friendly and nothing was too much for us. They always said hello and made us feel very welcome.
We stayed on two separate occasions - one room at the back overlooked the woodland and the dam to the rear of the site. It was a lovely suite, with a large balcony and great views with monkeys coming to welcome us in the morning.
We then stayed in the main building with views looking over the pool and countryside. Again a lovely large suite.
The rooms were clean and we went in the pool every day. There was also a tennis court and pool room for our use.
The only bad thing to say is that the food took quite a long time to come after you ordered - but at least it was freshly cooked and tasted great!
We would definitely come back here every time we stay in Harare.
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Date of stay: March 2016
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â All the ones we stayed in were nice!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Service: Hardworking, pleasant staff. It was a pleasure to be here. The Management/Owner? What Management/Owner? Needs to be taken over by someone who is serious about hospitality & tourism. The service is good, but under better management could be much better The food: Dinner was excellent - the chef really knows his recipes. I was worth every bite. I was really hungry and they filled by plate with tasty food - in fact my plate was soooo full, it looked like a declaration of war! All the same, I really enjoyed the food. Breakfast: It takes about 20 minutes to get the breakfast prepared and served...so if you don´t want your stomach to rumble whilst waiting for the food, give yourself ample time for them to prepare it. The rooms: I used the Pool Lodge. Well, it served the purpose...after a 500km drive to get to the place, I just wanted a quiet room, least disturbance so that I could really enjoy a peaceful sleep. However, the room was dirty upon my arrival - I could feel cobwebs tangling round my legs as I walked into the room...great disappointment after having called several times confirming may reservation. It´s as if they had forgotten I was coming!!! The bathroom sink, tub, etc were all full of dust. There were ants in the room and i really did not like this. There is a bit of infiltration in this lodge, probably because of the pool right behind it, so it´s a bit musty...Needs some serious touch-ups...
Overall view: This place has a "Grandpa" look and felling...It´s really stylish & British, however, it´s potential is not being fully harnessed. The phones don´t work and the air con in this particular room cannot be switched on due to "hazardous technical reasons" (whatever that means)
Despite the negative things I pointed out, I would definitely go back there, on the condition that the room is cleaned and vacuumed before my arrival
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Date of stay: November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
"If you are staying for more than one night, ask for a room with a verandah or balcony as these will allow you to enjoy the outdoors with a bit of privacy."
There are more places to choose from in the Harare area.
LOCATION
ZimbabweHarare ProvinceHarare
NUMBER OF ROOMS
15
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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