more information on South Africa hotels
We have now left the Kruger park lodge and are staying in the Sabi River Sun, a very lush and sweeping country club with a famous 18 hole golf course. (I don’t own any closed shoes so I don’t think they will let me play) our chalet in in the most picturesque setting on the banks of a huge hippo and croc filled lake on the edge of the course. The sounds of the hippos grunting is a nice reminder of where you are. The hippo’s are fenced in by a 1 foot high wooden beam and a single strand of electric wire… surely any self respecting 4 ton hippo could trounce that fence and be on our porch licketysplit. Seemingly they are happy wallowing in the water all day and at night sections of the fence are opened to allow the to go and feed by the banks of the Sabie, not sure why they would come back by morning, but they do. No satelite television out of the resort probably.
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The Kruger Park Lodge is just as great as I remember it, a rolling 9 hole golf course, herds of Springbok on the fairways and vervet Monkeys in the trees. At night you have to keep a keen watch for hippos as they take a walkabout to graze as soon as it gets dark. It is located on Portia Shebanga road, which was formely Paul Kruger Road, part of the sweeping name changes that are confusing anyone and infuriating the map makers. The local Hazyview gazette put out a request for anyone who could tell them who she is. The …
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I was going to wait until I have been to the extreme hotel before I wrote about it, but that would be too obvious wouldn’t it.
The Extreme brand has been growing in leaps and bounds, covering many market sectors like print, clothes, mobile phones, medical and now hotels. It has partnered with Hotel Chains Istithmar and Protea in South Africa to roll out R200m worth of hotels (how many does that buy?) the first of which is in Cape Town city centre.
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Simondium’s Country Lodge
R45, between the R310 and the N1
Paarl-Franschhoek Region, Cape Winelands | Map
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Simondium’s Bar
Accommodation type: Small Hotel
Number of stars: 3
Rooms starting from (per person sharing): R600 and up [per room, not person; see comment from Wilna below]
SA Blog recommends? Enthusiastically!
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But perhaps the best thing about Simondium’s is what it offers day visitors, who, say, happen to be reeled in from the R45 by the sign that advertises the Lodge’s bric-a-brac shop, Enamel. Enamel is a gloriously cluttered emporium of all that’s bygone: pick up a water jug or tea cosy for someone who likes a retro look. Then rest a while in the Lodge’s delightful little tea room, or top up at the classic country bar. At all times you will be fussed over with jolly effeciency by the Lodge’s managers - and find yourself hard-pressed not to stay the night!
(See full review below.)
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Grahamstown’s National Arts Festival hits full stride this week - it’s South Africa’s biggest theatre, dance and music extravaganza, which literally takes over the otherwise sleepy little village, and offers endless chances for arts lovers to see what the arts in South Africa are all about.
Gotta get to Grahamstown, in other words! Here’s how:
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We got up very early this morning 05:00 to go for a game drive in the park. The gates open at 05:30 in time to catch the big five brushing thier teeth. It gets so hot later in the day, that most animals seek shelter and are simply out of sight. Many visitors make the mistake of going too late/early and complain about not seeing anything. Our first drive was to Skukuza camp and then out by the Numbi gate, its around 100km round trip. We saw a lone “rogue” elephant, 2 black Rhino, Giraffe, Zebra, Water Buffalo, Wart Hog, Eland, Bush Buck and tons of Spring buck. Thats pretty good going if you ask me. None of the big cats were ont he menu, but I am exstatic to see Rhino. We also saw hornbill and the famed lilac breasted roller. Skukuza camp has also improved thier facilities greatly. It used to resemble a prison mess hall and was overrun with alien starlings. It is now quite swish and hordes of fluffy fruit bats have taken up residence under the thatched boma’s where the starlings once roosted (and pooped). You can sit and have a spot of lunch overlooking the river bubbling with crocs and hippo’s. Entrance to the Kruger park is R30 ($4) for South Africans and R120 ($15) for tourists, so bring along your SA i.d, passport or drivers license of you have/bought one, or you will likely pay the full price.
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So there is definately a gap in the market for maintaining hotel/resort internet services. Both the Kruger Park Lodge and now Sabi River Sun, both have been down sporadically (when I need it). So I am writing this offline, and will just keep trying to find a working bush telegraph.
The drive up was surprisingly fast and relatively easy. I had estimated we would manage 100km/hour over the 1800km and that
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For South Africans, overhearing the word “Singita” can cause the complexion to flash momentarily green. It is the ultimate in safari luxury, with a nightly price tag for bed, breakfast and the Big Five that’s far beyond those of ordinary means.
Now Singita - along with its nearby Kruger Park rival, Londolozi - has made it on to the Forbes list of the world’s most expensive hotels, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Dubai’s Burj al Arab and Sandy Lane in Barbados.
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Cape Town’s landmark 5-star hotel, the Mount Nelson, has yet again surpassed its rivals, adding a feature to its list of facilities that’s a South African first. Swimming pool? Check. Gym? Check. Tennis courts? Check. Fully-functioning worm farm? Check!
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Vermiculture
The hotel, known as the “Pink Lady” to locals, has decided to go green, by instituting an organic-waste recycling program that sees its kitchen droppings - orange peels, cabbage hearts, apple cores and the like - turn into worm droppings, which constitute some of the best fertilizer around, and which is used to keep the hotel’s lawns and pot plants in the “pink” of health.
Book your stay at the Mount Nelson Hotel.
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The Village at Spier
R310, Lynedoch Road
Stellenbosch, Cape Winelands | Map
Accommodation type: Small hotel on an activity-filled wine estate.
Number of stars: 4
Rooms starting from (per person sharing): R1450 and up
SA Blog recommends? Definitely
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When it comes to the Village at Spier, a reviewer hardly knows where to start. The small winelands compound on the route from Cape Town to Stellenbosch is a self-contained African Xanadu.
(See full review below.)
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