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A partial view of Forest Hills Resort

Anderson Rush Own Correspondent
A thick mist engulfed us as we negotiated our way up Vumba mountains on our way to Forest Hills resort in the scenic Eastern Highlands.

People at the foot of the mountain had told us that it had rained the previous day, but the weather on this lovely morning looked fantastic.

That was before we scaled heights up the mountains.

The mist spoke a different language. The weather had not fully recovered from the aftermath of the preceding downpour.

But misty mountains are a common feature of the Eastern Highlands, anyway.

The mountains always wear white furs on their crests and the temperatures in the area are usually low.

Although the mist slowed our progress uphill, it made the drive adventurous. As a breeze sifted into our car and cooled us in a fascinating way, we knew the Easter Holiday at Forest Hills resort would be memorable.

And when we finally reached the hotel after the adventurous drive, everything about the place confirmed our anticipations.

We got to Forest Hills after a short off-road downhill cruise past Vumba Botanical Gardens.

Smiling and heartily-welcoming staff at the resort calmed the adrenalin levels that had gone high in some of our colleagues’ bodies because of the adventurous drive.

Everything immediately became fascinating and calm.

We were shown around the place, which is as scenic as the Eastern Highlands have always been. Chatting birds and jumpy monkeys announced a unique natural habitat.

The resort overlooks a dam that unfolds between dense gigantic mountains. A breeze from the dam seemed to make the cool temperatures of the day drop further and some of our colleagues got into their jerseys and jackets while others decided to have all the feel of the cold to sample the difference that the area always brings.

After a short familiarisation tour, we got into our rooms.

But wait, before that, we were given a chance to view all rooms available to have the best selection. Unfortunately, most of the exceptional rooms at the place were already booked.

“You should have booked in advance because most of the best rooms have already been taken,” announced the hotel’s manager Patrick Muponda.

“You can find your favourite rooms from the remaining standard and executive suits available.”

We had gone anticipating to be in self-catering family rooms that are popular at the resort for being spacious, but our last-minute arrangement to go to this lovely place cost us.

Other families had taken all these spacious family rooms and we had to settle for executive suits.

In fact, it proved to be fun to choose from the remaining rooms because every suit looked fantastic.

Some of our colleagues said they were equally happy to book standard rooms because they were as good as any other rooms they had viewed.

“All rooms are air-conditioned and we have free wi-fi. We have the most popular channels for your selection on satellite television and you can enjoy unlimited room service,” Patrick had told us on arrival and we realised that his words were far from just enticing our ears, they were real.

As the temperatures went a bit up as the day progressed, some of us were soon quenching their thirst – not with water but in water.

They enjoyed themselves in the hotel’s swimming pool that also gives excellent view of the scenic Vumba mountains.

The waiters and waitresses were ever-alert, regularly checking on us as we gathered around the swimming pool admiring those with exceptional water skills and marvelling at the scenic view around us.

The food was magnificent and beverages came in abundant selections. We could have done a braai by the pool side if we were not in a rush to have a drive in the resort’s surroundings.

We drove to the nearby Vumba Botanical Gardens to enjoy more fascinations of nature. Birds of various species beautify the nature at the place. The gardens also offer the best natural environs in the mountains.

A few kilometres from the gardens are water falls that add refreshing experience to outdoor scenes.

The water plunges on black slippery rocks, its sound echoing in the mountains and also letting off teasing showers that make the experience spectacular.

From the waterfalls we went to a nearby horse facility that offers horse-riding into the bushy area as birds seem to cheer up visitors.

Various other adjacent areas to Forest Hills offer fascinating activities like golf, game drive and canoeing.

Visitors can partake in the activities for many days and enjoy the hospitality at the resort in abundant measure.

The thick mist, again, bade us farewell from a memorable Easter Holiday as we made our way down Vumba mountains.