In October, 2025 I found myself traveling to Blantyre, Malawi for the second time. My day job as a researcher was calling me back to the Southern African country, and I hadn’t returned since the birth of my son. Though I love Malawi, I wasn’t particularly looking forward to this trip. Blantyre is hard to get to. There are a few ways to do it from the East Coast, and my path was taking me a little over 13 hours to Addis Ababa, four additional hours to Malawi’s capital city, Lilongwe, and then a short third flight to Blantyre. The return trip is longer.
In my previous life, this kind of travel was less daunting. But it now ached to be away from my son—every minute ached; every mile ached. Wondering about the safety of every flight now left me queasy. Having recently turned one, my son was starting to understand when I was away, and I had only been apart from him a handful of times. The thought of being a day’s worth of travel away from him did not appeal to me.
Malawi sits low in the Southern hemisphere, which means when October is ushering in a crisp fall where I live, in Richmond, Virginia, in Malawi spring is just beginning to open it’s eyes. In Blantyre (Malawi’s second biggest city after the capital in Lilongwe), this means bright purple jacaranda trees. They line the streets and petals fall gently to the dusty roads, coating them like a soft purple carpet. It’s hard to describe how purple it is. How brightly, richly purple.
When I finally landed in Blantyre, my colleague Brianna picked me up at the airport in her well-worn SUV. She was cheerful and kind, and it was a pleasant drive. The personal airport pick-up set the tone for a week that would bond us as friends in addition to colleagues. It was late in the afternoon, the yellow sun was shining, and by the time we were making our way through downtown Blantyre my apprehension about the visit had melted away. I had made it, and I was being warmly welcomed with by a new friend and Blantyre spring. I was lucky to be here.
Brianna had suggested The Leslie for this visit, a place she and her husband often recommend to visitors. It’s a relatively small B&B set back from a busy road. It has only a handful of rooms, most of which open up onto a lush garden with a small pool and picnic tables. Breakfast is served each morning in this garden, with buttery pastries, eggs made-to-order, and a high-tech machine that makes espresso drinks.
As I was checking in, the woman at the desk kindly asked what I would like for dinner. The kitchen is small, and they take everyone’s dinner orders individually so they can have them ready on time. I took a quick look through the menu and, eager for something comforting, selected the chicken pot pie with fries ("chips”, in Malawi—a colonial holdover). I dropped my bags in my inviting, spacious room, and went to explore the grounds.
I was delighted to discover a small lounge with a couple cozy chairs and couches. At the far end was refrigerated beer, wine, and liquor. It was an honor bar, where guests could sample Southern African wines, local beers, and mix gin and tonics, and log them by hand in a notebook. A couple fellow guests were enjoying a glass of wine and chatting in respectful tones. I grabbed (and logged) a local beer, and headed out to the garden to enjoy some peace before dinner.
When it was time to eat, I was thrilled to discover a rich, buttery, chicken pot pie awaiting me in the small dining room. It was heavenly. So much so that I ordered the chicken pot pie every evening the rest of the week. That night I tucked into my fluffy, four-poster-bed and under my mosquito net—a standard practice in this part of the world, and one I always find incredibly cozy. Under the mosquito net, I am in my private world. The tower of fatigue I’d built during 24 straight hours of travel tumbled, and I fell into a deep sleep.
The pleasures at The Leslie are simple, but they are pleasures. The grounds are green and peaceful. Two antelope roam the garden and greet you in the morning at breakfast. It is a quiet place, the staff are friendly. It feels like an escape from the complications of the outside world. Much like the city around it, The Leslie reminds guests how much beauty there is in the world around us—in the purple jacarandas and the green banana trees. In a sip from a cold local beer after work. A reminder that whatever happens during the day, you can always tuck back under your mosquito net at night, and be alone. Be safe.
I had gone into that week in Blantyre not wanting to travel, not wanting to be that far away from my baby. When I left the following Friday, I was sad to go. I miss Blantyre now as I write.
The Leslie gave me a soft landing in Blantyre during a visit I really needed a taste of home. When I return to the city, I’ll never stay anywhere else.
La Bonne Adresse
The Leslie
2 Leslie Rd, Box 1744, Malawi
Phone: +265 999 82 89 29