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The refreshing lakeside home away from home
The balcony is a good place to sit, day or night and be alone with your thoughts. PHOTO/EDGAR R. BATTE
What you need to know:
The Crater Lakeside House is built on the shores of Lake Kyaninga. The vantage position enables the guest to enjoy views of the crater lakes after which it is named, as well as the distant Rwenzori Mountains.
Dr Ian Clarke almost looks like a different person when you meet him at his lakeside house in Kyaninga. He looks calm and happy, which could be attributed to the beautiful and scenic environment surrounding his home. As we listen to the sound of nature the proprietor recounts his journey to creating this perfect home away from home.
“I worked with a local architect to help make my vision a reality. I wanted a guest wing which has its own bathroom and a master bedroom with its own ensuite,” Dr Clarke explains.
Getting there
The establishment known as The Crater Lakeside House is built on the shores of Lake Kyaninga. The vantage position enables the guest to enjoy views of the crater lakes after which it is named, as well as the distant Rwenzori Mountains.
Found in Fort Portal City, the lodge is about a 10-minute drive from the main Fort Portal Road. Much of the road is made of murram so you would have to prepare for the ‘Africa massage’ as it gets bumpy. It is a sacrifice worth taking because at the end of the journey waits an experience that will calm your soul and renew your spirit.
The property has the kind of tranquility perfect for the person looking to take a break from the hustle and bustle of a busy life. It was built in a way that guests are able to take in the spectacular views of the surrounding area from any corner of the house.
The vantage position enables the guest to enjoy views of the crater lakes, as well as the distant Rwenzori Mountains, also known as the Mountains of the Moon. It is less than an hour’s drive from Kibale Forest National Park where you will find large populations of chimpanzees and other primates. But if you would rather stay in the comfort of the lodge, you will enjoy the sight of the waters complemented by croaking frogs, chirping birds and a cool breeze.
The balcony is a good place to sit, day or night and be alone with your thoughts. This is what has made the lakeside home away from home a favourite for solo travellers, couples and group guests alike. It is not an uncommon site to spot a group of friends having a good times until the wee hours of the morning or a couple blissfully taking a morning walk together.
Guests
The place was designed for all kinds of guests in mind. For those who would rather spend their holiday indoors, they have a spacious lounge and comfortable sofas to while away the hours while enjoying the warmth from the fireplace that is smartly built within a modern grey concrete brick centre piece. The fireplace also serves as a shelf for photographs, wooden carvings, and a television set and more.
Book lovers will have plenty to choose from the two bookshelves that have been provided for their pleasure.
Offers
Next to the living room is an open plan kitchen where meals are made on order. The establishment also welcomes the option of self-catering. The meals are enjoyed on a dining table that stands out with its shiny wooden polish and multi-coloured table mats and colourful seats to go with.
It might be a mini bar but that does not describe the variety of drinks on offer. There are both soft and alcoholic drinks for patrons who might want the option of socialising as they enjoy their favourite drink. It is a shared space where parties are welcome in the intimate space.
Of special interest is the floor which is made of strong and vanished wood. Dr Clarke says the wooden structure of the house used to be a bar in Nakasero, Kampala known as The Camel Club, which had to shut down because the site was developed for a hotel.
“I bought the structure, disassembled it and reassembled it in a different way for the house. I repurposed all the old materials, for example the back door is one of the kitchen’s doors, the front glass doors are all made from decorative panels which were around the bar area,” he says.
Cost
For this slice of nature visitor’s part with $200 per night for couples, $30 per person per night while a group of eight pays $380 a night.
Interior
“Life is dynamic and photography allows us to capture those special moments in our past and keep them forever. I have photos of our children at various stages of their growth and places we have visited and created pleasant memories. It is for the same reason that I write; to commit to paper events of the past,” says Dr. Ian Clarke when asked about his love for photography, which is a prominent feature in his interior decor.
Photos of his life journey and that of his family are all over the walls. In one of them is a young, happy, macho and family man. In another the general medical practitioner shows off a head still full of hair and a hearty smile. The pictures capture his life’s transition from his home country- Ireland to his early days in Uganda, right from 1987 and onwards. Some of the decor items are artistic gifts, some of wild animals with words of endearment inscribed on them.
Overall he keeps the spacious interior simple, well-lit, and uncluttered. All rooms are self-contained with a toilet, a shower booth or a bathtub.
