&Beyond’s trademark touch of understated luxury is a golden thread that runs throughout our lodges. From our famous, “you’ll never want to get up”, seven-layer beds and our decadent dessert trolleys overflowing with sinful treats, right down to the unexpected champagne trees and long-stemmed roses that are ever-present at some of our lodges, we love to make our guests feel special.
Our guests seek adventure, transformation, relaxation and wonder and we aim to delight each and every one of them with a subtle and understated, yet powerful and memorable sensory overload. We appeal to all five senses by way of legendary landscapes, wondrous wildlife, mouth-watering menus, imaginative interiors and surprise spoils.
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, many love-struck lovers have roses on the mind. But at &Beyond, we delight our guests with roses every day, not just on Valentine’s Day.
Guests exploring some of the luxury lodges on our East African circuit can expect old-world charm intertwined with endearing African elegance. In and amongst the quirky, traditional artefacts, such as beaded lampshades, wooden carvings and Maasai sculptures, are vases bursting with roses that add colour and natural beauty.
It does beg the question, though, of how on earth we get so many perfectly-petalled roses to the most remote corners of Africa? Well, every week, we collect them from one of the largest rose cultivators in Tanzania, whose two large farms in Arusha cover a distance of 50 hectares and employ more than 1,000 people from the surrounding local communities.
Our procurement driver, Said Saleh, collects the flowers on a Wednesday and stores the boxes in refrigerators until they are dispatched to the lodges the same day. On average, 4,000 crimson red “Respect” roses are sent to &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, 200 burned orange “Tropical Amazon” roses to &Beyond Klein’s Camp and 200 white “Akito” roses to &Beyond Lake Manyara Tree Lodge … every week. In fact, when &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is running at full occupancy, they receive an astounding 6,400 roses a week!
Keeping with our core ethos of caring for the land and not creating unnecessary waste, the flowers are first enjoyed and then recycled into loose petals that can be used everywhere. From our signature rose petal carpet dinners and bubble baths, to decorating place settings, adorning cakes, creating romantic turndowns and making potpourri, every last petal is put to good use. So the next time you’re at one of these lodges, take a moment to stop, absorb the breathtaking surroundings and, literally, smell the roses.
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