Aug 27, 2009: A bushveld chateau
The Flycatcher Castle 5-star guesthouse on the outskirts of Graskop in Mpumalanga was built by Randburg refugees, Manie Connoway, and his partner, Michael Nüchtern.
Manie is a gifted artist/sculptor who has exhibited at the likes of the Everard Re...
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Aug 27, 2009: All roads lead to Northern Cape
South Africa has some pretty amazing attractions, that's undeniable. But what about some of the lesser-known places. Places without any glitz or glamour - where the sheer simplicity takes your breath away as nature speaks volumes and you're forced to list...
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Aug 27, 2009: A portal to a romantic Mpumalanga rendezvous
Less than three hours from Johannesburg, this country retreat on the eastern Mpumalanga escarpment offers luxury accommodation, food fit for angels and breathtaking scenery.
And there's more ... like the zebras, blesbok and black wildebeest that roam t...
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Aug 25, 2009: Explore the Battlefields
Home to some of South Africa's bloodiest skirmishes, the battlefields of KwaZulu-Natal are one of the country's most fascinating destinations. Battle sites are littered across the region, but perhaps the most famous is Isandlwana; the site of Britain's mo...
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Aug 25, 2009: Stadium tours gives a taste of what's to come
There's no getting away from it - the 2010 Soccer World Cup is less than a year away and every day the biggest physical reminder in Cape Town inches towards completion.
Love it or hate it, the new Green Point Stadium is here to stay, and no matter what...
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Aug 25, 2009: Magical Muldersdrift has plenty to see
Visitors to the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site can experience the magic of glassblowing five days a week (including the last full weekend of the month) at the Shades of Ngwenya Glass Factory in Muldersdrift.
Every day over a thousand kilograms...
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Aug 25, 2009: A living legacy built in stone
As I write this I am watching a pair of fish eagles feeding their two chicks, and this is happening less than 30 minutes from Joburg.
Their evocative call is the soundtrack as I marvel at the spectacular dam wall that rises before me.
Built on the C...
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Aug 25, 2009: Go country at McGregor fest
Here's a festival for those who like pottering about a village hall, sampling the wares from boutique and garagiste cellars and matching the wines to tantalising tastes of country fare.
The one-day McGregor Country Tastes food and wine festival is the ...
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Aug 25, 2009: Goin' travellin' to secret places
There is a South African tour guide called Steve Raphaely and he is a guide with a difference. Why, you might ask? I'll tell you. He is, it is said by those in the know, a magnificent ballet dancer.
A dancing guide? Let me elaborate. A very old friend ...
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Aug 20, 2009: Mellow out at Mosaic
Mosaic Farm is a 933-hectare conservation reserve and luxury guest lodge situated outside Stanford on the Hermanus Lagoon. It borders unspoilt whale-watching beaches of Walker Bay, and the birdlife-rich Klein Rivier Estuary with sweeping views of the Over...
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Aug 20, 2009: Shades of life on the Cape Flats
More than half of the Mother City's population live on the Cape Flats, but unless you're part of that statistic, how often do you go there?
Probably not very often, since there are few conventional attractions like cinemas, theatres or sightseeing, alt...
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Aug 20, 2009: Giving tourists a taste of the townships
Susan Maloka-Mphela is a lucky woman.
She owns a three-star bed and breakfast establishment in Ga-Rankuwa, a township just outside Pretoria.
Not only that, the 48-year-old mother was recently awarded a contract to provide accommodation for 2010 Fifa...
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Aug 20, 2009: Hluhluwe Hotel has high hopes after refurb
The well-known three star Hluhluwe Hotel has spent R1,8-million on refurbishment and is developing a self-catering extension on adjoining land in August.
Owners Patrick and Jill Eliot have been actively managing the hotel for the past two years. The se...
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Aug 20, 2009: Wines2Whales Mountain Bike Race
The inaugural Wines2Whales mountain bike race will take place from 13 to 15 November this year (2009). Over the course of 3 days, teams consisting of two cyclists each will cross approximately 230 km of the Western Cape’s most beautiful and unspoilt...
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Aug 20, 2009: Cape Town International Kite Festival 2009
Dragons and scuba divers are just some of the kiting creations that will fill the sky above Muizenberg on 10 & 11 October at the fifteenth Cape Town International Kite Festival, which is organised by Cape Mental Health in association with Heart 104.9 ...
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Aug 18, 2009: Live The Grand life
Walking through the colossal Indian-style doors of The Grand in Plettenberg Bay, is like Alice entering Wonderland.
The place is almost indescribable, open to so many interpretations. Opulent red velvet chairs scattered around the entrance hall (which ...
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Aug 18, 2009: A visit to the other Point
I had been waiting for a good winter's day for a return trip to the Cape Point Reserve, and one presented itself last week, with temperatures soaring after a week of cold, wet misery.
It seemed as though everyone in Cape Town was out and about enjoying...
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Aug 18, 2009: Drake's 'Fairest Cape' makes a fantastic day trip
No trip to Cape Town would be complete without visiting Cape Point, the place where the two oceans famously do not meet.
Being local, and having undertaken the journey many times, the "Deep South" is not uncharted territory but, even so, ther...
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Aug 18, 2009: Get to know Cape Town by putting your best foot forward
One of the best ways to explore any city is to put on comfortable shoes and walk it.
You can do it on your own with a map or you can enlist an experienced guide such as Ursula Stevens, who conducts daily walking tours of the centre of Cape Town and the...
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Aug 18, 2009: Enjoy southern hospitality
'Visitors to Cape Point usually drive there and back the same day," says Sally Grierson of the destination marketing company Cape Point Route. To entice visitors to remain longer, she and her partner Barbara Elshove-Schmidt invited tour guides from t...
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Aug 18, 2009: Durban listed as holiday paradise
Durban may no longer have Blue Flag beaches, but the city has been listed as one of the top 10 family beach holiday destinations in the world by the travel publishing heavyweight, Lonely Planet.
Other cities on the list in the latest edition of Lonely ...
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Aug 18, 2009: Enjoy the dawn on Durban's Golden Mile
Day is dawning. A thin incandescent line erupts through the back of the canvas. A golden shudder signals the presence of the life force of our city - the sun. The sun and the sea. Two magnificent entities synonymous with Durban, Durbs by the capacious sea...
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Aug 18, 2009: Durban hotel introduces a New York feel
The city's newest hotel, built by six local developers, brings a New York influence to the region's hospitality industry.
The reception area at the four-star Royal Palm Hotel, opposite Gateway shopping centre in Umhlanga, is huge, while around the side...
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Aug 18, 2009: KwaZulu Natal ghost stories
KwaZulu Natal is known for many things - surfing, warm weather and gorgeous mountains to name only a few.
But ghosts? Surely not.
But whether you believe in ghosts or not, KwaZulu Natal is argued to be home to just as many unearthly beings as surfer...
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Aug 18, 2009: The fun side of nature
It's the middle of the year and the stresses of city life are enough to drive any sane person crazy.
To avoid this, a group of friends and I decided to get away from it all and Protea Farm seemed like the perfect destination.
Protea Farm is about a ...
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Aug 18, 2009: Wijnhuis - A unique experience
I was recently invited to spend a Sunday in Stellenbosch. That meant a half an hour drive from Cape Town and in the week running up to my expected visit, the weather did not favour the trip.
Yet, in true Cape Town style, Sunday was bright and sunny. Not ...
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Aug 13, 2009: Sol's bold harbour hotel
First impressions last and no one understands this better than Sol Kerzner. The hotel magnate's return to the country, after a 17-year absence building resorts in Mexico, the Bahamas, Mauritius, the Maldives and Dubai, is marked by his One&Only Cape T...
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Aug 13, 2009: Game lodge wins prestigious award
Tau Game Lodge has been chosen as one of the 30 AA Gold Achievers for 2009. The AA Travel Guides American Express Accommodation Awards are voted for by members of the travel trade as properties that offer facilities and service of an exceptional standard....
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Aug 13, 2009: Life in Limpopo
Driving down a dusty village road, we bump our way past huts with children playing soccer. Out of the maze of thatch roofs a four-metre-high creature suddenly looms with six breasts, grasping arms and snarling fangs. Then we spot a mermaid peering out of ...
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Aug 13, 2009: Experience the spirit of Limpopo
Wind, breath, air, spirit - these are the things referred to by the word 'moya'. It's an all encompassing word, and to tell whether someone is talking about the wind or their spirit one needs to understand the context in which the word is used. For me thi...
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Aug 13, 2009: Fishy tales of trout to get hooked on
It's a fisherman's tale involving sparkling clean trout waters - brimful of rainbow trout weighing up to 3kg - set on rolling lawns with an unrivalled view across Benoni's famous Bullfrog Pan wetland, just 20 minutes from the city.
Kingfisher Trout Far...
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Aug 13, 2009: Walking on the wild side
Zululand Tree and Safari Lodge in Hluhluwe on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast was always one of those places I'd been dying to holiday at. And now that I have, I want to go again.
Not only is the accommodation absolutely stunning, but the food is divine,...
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Aug 13, 2009: Wild, wild best in KZN
Get out your road map and trace the route: Durban via Eshowe and Melmoth to Ulundi, across to the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve where you enter at Cengeni Gate, drive through the park to Memorial Gate in the far north, exit near the town of Hluhluwe, the...
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Aug 13, 2009: Relaxing at Aloe House
My vacations seldom start out well. Last time we nearly missed the hotel thanks to the billowing smoke coming from the raging fires behind Gordon's Bay. The time before that, my arrival at my parents new UK home coincided with the long-awaited appearance ...
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Aug 13, 2009: Noup – a Diamond Coast gem
Every now and again, you discover a spot where you wish you could tuck yourself away from the world for more than just a few days - Noup is such a place.
Urban life becomes a distant memory and all those things that just seemed so important back home van...
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Aug 13, 2009: Hogsback: What a hallabaloo?
"What do you mean you don't take credit cards?" was my alarmed response to the proprietor refusing to accept plastic to pay for armfuls of provisions and knickknacks.
“This is Hogsback,” she announced, enunciating each word as if...
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Aug 11, 2009: Durban in Lonely Planet top 10
Durban has been listed as one of the top 10 family beach holiday cities in the world by travel publishing heavyweight Lonely Planet.
The South African east coast city shares the prestigious list with the likes of Kauai in Hawaii, Cottlesloe in Australi...
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Aug 11, 2009: Taj comes to Cape Town
Set to open in late-2009, the Taj Cape Town will add a luxury, five-star hotel to the up-and-coming St. George's Mall precinct, offering refined Indian hospitality and an authentic Mother City experience.
Occupying two historic buildings, the hotel retai...
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Aug 11, 2009: Place of safety for primates
The Bushbabies Monkey Sanctuary, on 10 hectares of natural forest in Hartbeespoort, opened to the public recently.
Being one of only eight free-release sites in the world, it will be home to primates that have been raised as pets.
The sanctuary is t...
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Aug 11, 2009: The North West can be fun
South Africans can be forgiven for thinking the North West Province has little to offer by way of tourist attractions other than Sun City and the Palace of the Lost City.
Sun International's fabulous hotels in the bush are so well marketed they're incl...
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Aug 11, 2009: North West is the best!
We received the following press release from the North West province so we thought we'd share it with you. Okay, it's a tad enthusiastic, but then, it has a lot to offer.
The North West is big sky country and there really is so much to be explored and ...
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Aug 11, 2009: The feast never ends
When somebody tells you you're going to stay in a hotel suite where the executive chef will prepare you a meal, with his own hands, paired with wines specially selected and poured by the sommelier himself, you have certain expectations.
When it happens...
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Aug 11, 2009: Chill at luxurious Steenberg
The Steenberg Hotel is in the beautiful Constantia Valley on the Cape's oldest wine farm, 20 minutes from the centre of cape Town.
Its carefully restored buildings date back to 1682 and have been declared national monuments. The hotel's restaurant, Cat...
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Aug 11, 2009: Limpopo's secret
Looking for a new holiday or weekend destination within four hours of Johannesburg? Let me guess, you've been to Clarens, the Waterberg, the Pilanesberg and Dullstroom. Here's a refreshing alternative: Limpopo's best-kept secret, nestled in the mountains ...
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Aug 11, 2009: Soothe your soul in Noordhoek
Winter is about two things - being cosy and taking advantage of great specials.
A good place to start looking for things to do is at Cape Town Tourism's winter site which is where I discovered Sacred Mountain Lodge bed and breakfast and its jolly fine ...
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Aug 11, 2009: Zimbali Lodge
Looking to embark on your very own bush experience?
Then Zimbali Lodgeis the perfect place to start!
Unquestionably one of South Africa's most exclusive hideaways, the Zimbali Lodge in KwaZulu Natal overlooks the Indian Ocean and its plush gree...
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Aug 11, 2009: Gauteng ghost stories
Most people know about the ghost of Cape Town Castle or have heard whisperings of strange happenings in the Karoo, but few people think that Jo'burg is a hub for ghostly activity.
But most areas in Gauteng are home to just as many ghosts as the ancient...
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Aug 11, 2009: The whales of Walker Bay
You've got to love tourists. Their enthusiasm and feeling of sheer exhilaration when they first spot a whale from the shore is enviable.
I've been asked by tourists if, as a resident of Hermanus, I ever get bored of seeing the whales, and the answer is...
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Aug 04, 2009: Spring flowers are here
It's not a bad track to kick off a spring-flower road-trip. With the sun shining and the birds a' singin', spring is the time to hit the N7 north of Cape Town to marvel at what all that winter rain has given rise to.
The annual explosion of spring flow...
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Aug 04, 2009: Passport unlocks doors to wine havens
If you're looking for a short weekend break not too far from home pick up a Cellar Door Collection Passport and hit the Winelands. The passport offers users the perfect reason to visit 14 cellar doors in the Cape Winelands, enjoying the scenery, a...
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Aug 04, 2009: Warming to Cape cuisine
Cape Town is without a doubt a tourist destination of choice in summer, but we locals know that it is just as beautiful and has just as much to offer during our winter months.
Our climate dictates that there is plenty of rain, to be sure, but they are ...
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Aug 04, 2009: Lazy Arabian days in the Mother City
The colours leave their impressions on your retina long after you return to the duller hues of your own city suburb. Hot pinks, lime greens, burnt oranges and turquoise blues jostle side by side for attention in a rainbow of shades that stretches up steep...
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Aug 04, 2009: Experience Joburg's rich diversity
This half-day tour of Joburg, where radical political and social transformation is most evident, has been redesigned with added colour and variety.
Still included in the tour are a drive through the up-market, leafy suburb of Houghton and a visit to Co...
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Aug 04, 2009: Manor born
You realise you're getting old when a house built in 1936 is regarded as "historic". Anyway, if I still make the same impression at 73 as Norscot Manor does today, there's a lot to be said for being historic.
I discovered the stately, albeit ...
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Aug 04, 2009: Ocean Eleven
11 Westcliff Road Hermanus. The address plaque on the wall offers a pretty good indication of where the Ocean Eleven Guest House gets its name from. And once you enter your room, the ocean part becomes pretty clear too.
The fact that the room is stunni...
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Aug 04, 2009: Face to face with a Great White
You don't mess with a Great White. These predators are kings of their domain and glide through the water quickly, and quietly stalk their unsuspecting prey until they swoop in with one massive bite.
This doesn't sound like the type of fish you'd ...
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