1

José Macoto Dondo

ENGLISH SUBJECT
Travel Brochure of my City (Beira)

1st Year
Course: Law

Instituto Superior de Ciências de Educação a Distancia (ISCED)

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June, 2019

José Macoto Dondo

ENGLISH SUBJECT
Travel Brochure of my City (Beira)

1st Year
Course: Law

Lecturer: dr.

Instituto Superior de Ciências de Educação a Distancia (ISCED)

June, 2019
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Contents

Introduction......................................................................................................................................3

1. TRAVEL BROCHURE OF MY CITY....................................................................................4

1.1. A brief overview of Beira city..........................................................................................4

1.2. Places for relaxing in Beira...............................................................................................5

1.3. Hotels and Accommodations............................................................................................6

1.4. Notable Building in Beira...............................................................................................10

1.5. Restaurants in Beira........................................................................................................11

1.5.1. Precautions when you are in Beira..........................................................................13

1.6. Adventures: Campsites.......................................................................................................13

Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................14

Reference sources..........................................................................................................................15
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Introduction
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1. TRAVEL BROCHURE OF MY CITY

1.1. A brief overview of Beira city

Beira, a port city in eastern Mozambique on the Mozambique Channel, is the second largest city
in Mozambique and capital of the Sofala Province. During the 1950s and 60s, before the
independence of Mozambique, Beira was a playground for white and rich Rhodesians as then-
ruler Portugal did not have an embargo against Rhodesia. Still an important port city, few
tourists find their way here today. Those who do will discover a beautiful, but crumbling, city by
the sea with great food and hospitality.

The city has a plenty of touristic hotspots and an international airport 1 which make it accessible
to any part of the world. Below, I intend to give a glimpse about what can be found in Beira for
so many purposes.

1.2. Places for relaxing in Beira

Macuti Beach

Macuti Beach is one of the better places in town to relax, though it can’t compare with the
coastline further south or north. The water is moderately clean, the currents are strong (ask
locally where swimming is possible) and the breezes are refreshing. The remains of an old
shipwreck lie in front of Macuti Lighthouse.

Clube Náutico

This colonial-era swimming and social club is a popular waterside hang-out. Average food and
slow service are redeemed by the relaxing beachside setting.

1
Beira International Airport (IATA: BEW) is about 10km out of the town, and can be easily reached by bus and
taxi. The airport has a shop, bar, restaurant and post office.
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Nhumba Yathu

Parked on Macuti Beach with a terrace overlooking the lighthouse and shipwreck, Nhumba
specialises in seafood, selling grouper by the kilo and serving up fish cooked simply and fast.
Grab an outdoor table and enjoy the salty air.

1.3. Hotels and Accommodations

Vip Inn Beira

All things considered, the VIP is probably your best accommodation bet in Beira's baixa, a little
oasis of light in an otherwise dark and dingy quarter. The clean, spacious lobby opens a theme
that continues upstairs in rooms that are comfortable, if lacking in wow factor. Bank on a
substantial buffet breakfast, a relaxing bar and very helpful staff.

Address: Rua Luis Inacio, 172 (0.49 km to city center)

Telefone: 23-340100

Website: https://www.viphotels.com/pt/Homepage.asx

Hotel Lunamar

One of a growing stash of new business places in the Macuti neighbourhood, the Lunamar is
more a complex than a hotel, with wide-ranging conference facilities and a large cafeteria-style
restaurant. It's good if you're in town for a convention, but for a traveller in search of typical
Mozambican flavours it's perhaps a little bland.

Physical address: Avenida Mártires da Revolucão (5.40 km to city center)

Telefone: 23-313578

Website: http://www.lunamarhotel.com/
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Hotel Tivoli Beira

Worn around the edges, rather like the city it inhabits, the Tivoli has tiny rooms and even tinier
bathrooms that don't justify the price tag, though it's a comfortable enough hotel and attempts to
alleviate its bigness with striking African motifs. Downstairs is a sleeker restaurant-bar where
you can claim your buffet breakfast.

Physical address: Av. Bagamoyo, n° 363 (0.17 km to city center)

Telefone: 23-320300

Website: https://www.tdhotels.com/pt/Utilidades/Home.aspx

Hotel Sena

A few blocks back from Macuti Beach, the Sena styles itself as a business hotel, though there's a
boutique edge to its slick lobby and super-modern rooms. The hotel opened in 2010, but a new
wing complete with gym and restaurant was added in 2016. Service is – as you'd expect –
businesslike and it offers cheaper deals at weekends.

Physical address: 189 Avenida Mátires da Revolução (5.77 km to city center)

Telephone: 23-311070

Website: http://www.senahotel.net/

Rainbow Hotel

A skyscraper by Beira standards, the 14-storey Rainbow is an easy place to find if you get lost.
While the lobby's a bit bare and utilitarian, the rooms are surprisingly slick, with rain showers
and an array of bathroom soaps and potions. The ones on the higher floors have expansive views
over the city's charmingly dilapidated port.

Physical address: 3 Avenida de Bagamoyo (0.19 km to city center)

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Telephone: 23-329350

Residencial Beira Sol

This recently renovated Portuguese-owned place has modern, dare we say funky rooms done out
with sparkling tiles, although most only have interior windows. Ask for a room at the front for
more views. it is a clean, secure option in the baixa and there's a good on-site restaurant.

Physical address: 168 Rua da Madeira (0.24 km to city center)

Telephone: 23-326420

Website: http://www.residencialbeirasol.co.mz/

Beira Guest House

A B&B in an old private home in the residential Ponta Gêa, just off Rua do Comandante Gaivão.
The clean rooms come with mosquito nets and swatters. It's good value and friendly, and there's
a small garden and pool.

Physical address: Rua Nicolau Coelho (1.16 km to city center)

Telephone: 82 315 0460

E-mail: woodgateangola@yahoo.co.uk

Aulio's Residencial

One of numerous guesthouse options in the Ponta Gêa neighbourhood, Aulio's looks good from
the outside and keeps up the image inside with large, clean tiled rooms with all mod cons and
private bathrooms. Compared to some of the local competition, it's a bargain.

Physical address: 144 Rua Mouzinho de Alburquerque, Ponta-Gea (1.03 km to city center)
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Telephone: 82 378 8571

Royal Guest House

This intimate residential-style B&B in the shady Ponta Gêa area has large, characterful rooms
with mini fridge, TV and laundry service. No meals (apart from breakfast) are available. There's
a pleasant garden and small pool out the back.

Physical address: 1311 Avenida Eduardo Mondlane (1.05 km to city center)

Telephone: 23-324030

Pensão Moderna

The inaptly named Moderna isn't exactly a bastion of shining modernity these days, but it still
serves as a good budget bet, with adequate rooms, most with fan and shared bathroom. It’s two
blocks south of the cathedral.

Physical address: Rua Marques Sá da Bandeira (0.91 km to city center)

Telefone: 23-329901

Hotel Miramar

The Miramar offers cheap but old rooms that look as tired as a backpacker after 10 hours on a
jam-packed chapa (minibus). Some rooms have private bathroom, most have TV. It's near the
water (there's no beach) but inconvenient for the rest of town. There's a small shop selling
African crafts on the ground floor.

Physical address: Rua Vilas Boas Truão, Ponta Gea (1.82 km to city center)

Telephone: 23-322283
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Sun, Sand & Beach Guesthouse

This small, well-located guesthouse, just back from the beach and up from Clube Náutico, has a
handful of comfortable, mostly spacious rooms, some with sea views. It's nothing fancy, but
there's a small pool.

Physical address: 2196 Avenida das FPLM, Macuti

Makuti Beach (4.93 km to city center)

Telephone: 23-311036

Jardim das Velas

For a fantastic alternative to the business hotels of Macuti, check into this quiet Mediterranean-
style place near the lighthouse. Upstairs are six spotless, modern doubles with views of the sea,
and there are six equally well-equipped four-person family rooms with bunks downstairs. A lush
walled garden hosts breakfast and an all-day cafe and snack bar that makes excellent waffles.

Physical address: 282 Avenida das FPLM (6.41 km to city center)

Teleophone: 23-312209

Website: http://www.jardimdasvelas.wixsite.com/

1.4. Notable Building in Beira

Grande Hotel

At the southern tip of Beira’s Ponta Gêa neighbourhood, within football-punting distance of the
Indian Ocean, sits one of Mozambique’s biggest anachronisms: the Grande Hotel. Once a
veritable palace of opulence and luxury nicknamed the ‘Pride of Africa’, the building is today a
concrete shell that houses more than 2000 squatters.
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Casa Infante de Sagres

Among the faded colonial-era buildings around Beira's port area is the partially restored Casa
Infante de Sagres, now the offices of Manica Shipping Company.

Cathedral in Beira

Beira’s small cathedral was built in the early 20th century with stones from the old San Caetano
fort (1505) in Sofala.

1.5. Restaurants in Beira

Biques

Biques is a sight for sore eyes if you've just emerged bleary-eyed from the bush. Perched on a
rise overlooking a windswept scoop of Macuti Beach, it's long been revered by overlanders for
its pizza oven, triple-decker club sandwiches and sweet chocolate brownies. Wash your meal
down with a frosty beer (served in a real beer glass).

There are few better places in Mozambique to sit and watch the sunset as you contemplate the
journey behind – or ahead.

Restaurante 2 + 1

Get past the cheap 2+1 Takeaway outside and dive into the air-conditioned heaven of this lovely
restaurant, a plush, inviting culinary star in the otherwise dilapidated Maquinino neighbourhood.
The helpful waiters dress up for work and the food is (and tastes) equally smart. This being
Beira, the fish is king, though it's often doused with Portuguese flavours.
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Café Riviera

Head to this old-world street-side cafe for caffeine Portuguese style and a bolo (cake) as you
watch the passing Beira scene – both the pretty and the gritty. It offers all the usual snacks,
including chicken and “samosas”, in an African colonial atmosphere that'll make you feel as
though you've slipped into a Graham Greene novel.

Restaurante Pic-Nic

Set in one of the more dilapidated sections of the baixa, Pic-Nic defies its name and location,
with waitstaff dressed in starched white shirts dispatching Downtown Abbey–worthy service.
And it's not all show. Amid heavy drapes and polite whispers you can enjoy fabulous sardines or
prawns in super-hot piri-piri sauce.

1.6. Drinks

In Beira we can found many spots such as:

 Café Bulha in the Bulha shopping center has unfortunately closed in July 2009.
 Café Capri on the Praça Municipal for excellent cappucino and expresso. Also light
meals. The only place I know where you can buy cigars in Beira. (This cafe has closed
down in mid-2008; it is now a Barclays Bank).
 Café Riviera. on the same Praça has easy chairs, good coffee and pastries.
 Só Bolos, (Close to Praça de Independencia and the golf course). Great to have breakfast
or coffee.
 Beira Bar. Nice restaurant and bar serving meals and drinks located on the beach. Two
levels with an outside deck overlooking the hustle and bustle of the street beach adjacent
road and great veiw of beach. A good selection of food including seafood, chicken, pizza,
vegetarian. Downsatirs entertainment (band) late week and over weekends. Good prices.
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1.5.1. Precautions when you are in Beira

Don't walk in the Baixa area at night alone. If you walk around during day time just keep your
precious stuff at the hotel. Don't walk around with a fat wallet or your expensive cell phone.
Most crime is on a "give me your phone and/or wallet because I have a big knife" basis. If
driving at night just keep doors locked and windows almost closed to avoid issues as thieves may
easily fish small items (i.e. cell phones, wallets, watches, and even laptops).. Friday, Saturday
and Sunday night people party and can get very drunk, if you run over someone as a foreigner it's
gonna cause you a big headache so drive slowly. Kids also run across the road often without
looking out for cars. Avoid driving at night.

1.6. Adventures: Campsites

Rio Savane

The Rio Savane campsite is a true getaway experience if you’re travelling in and around Beira.
The campsite offers ablution blocks, showers, fishing opportunities and cold-space to keep your
drinks and food cold. The campsite is surrounded by warm white sands and the shade of coconut
trees looming overhead. If you wish to treat yourself and a loved one to a Mozambique paradise,
hit up Rio Savane.

Rio Maria

When traveling from Macuti to Airport, turn right at Monte Verde and take the sandy road. At
Rio Maria (located about 10-15 km from the city center) is a nice river and sea. No facilities
there. Don't get car stuck in mud close to beach. Very relaxing.

Biques
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Although it acts primarily as a beach bar and restaurant, ever-popular Biques, set on a breezy rise
overlooking Macuti Beach, also offers limited camping space. It’s the only camping spot in town
and a good place for watching the sunset.

Conclusion
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Beira city is a wonderful place to visit during holidays. As we can notice, it has amazing shores
for relaxing, unforgettable campsite as well as old colonial infrastructures. However, researchers
say that it is 6 meters under the sea level. Furthermore, due to the current climate changes, this
city is placed at a very dangerous area which makes it very vulnerable to natural disasters such as
tropical depressions and cyclones, making it a future unsustainable city.

Reference sources
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https://www.globeholidays.net/Africa/Mozambique/Beira/Partners1.htm (Accessed on May 30th,

2019)

https://afrotourism.com/index.php/activity/city/beira (Accessed on June 3rd, 2019)

https://wikitravel.org/en/Beira (Accessed on June 3rd, 2019)

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/mozambique/beira/attractions/a/poi-sig/355517 (Accessed on
June 5th, 2019)