- South Africa
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No need to travel with prams, cots, carseats, sterilisers, etc. They can rent all of this to you at a low daily or weekly rate.
I hope this service arrives in Europe as it would make long weekends away much easier.
A luxury lodge in a private reserve on the edge of the Kruger Park. Find your soul in the heart of the wilderness - this place will change your life (if you'll let it).
Linger Longer, in the suburb of Sandton–French style food with South African flavours, fantastic place to eat (not for the budget conscious though!), in the elegant dining rooms or on the shady terrace. We had a selection of mouthwatering starters (porcini, enormous oysters, scallops, crocodile curry, langoustines, and more) which barely left room for the delicious main course and delicate desserts!
The sommelier can tell you all you need to know about South African wines. Book to avoid disappointment.
The Apartheid Museum is not to be missed - you need at least three hours to get round and take in all the information. The museum is experiential - as you walk around you ‘live’ the experiences: walk through cages, past cells, around one of the riot tanks they used in Soweto.
The information is presented on panels, on TV screens transmitting key speeches and reports of events under apartheid, there are audio recordings, memory boxes, videos and audio tapes. There is an attempt to trace the origins of racism and apartheid back to the first settlers, but it is the lived history of apartheid and the bloodshed of the first years of liberation which leave the deepest impression and remind us that the torture techniques and tools of repression used in South Africa under apartheid are still being used today.
I left with many questions and a heavy heart, but full of admiration for those who resisted and their descendants who are trying to rebuild a country where the commonality of human experience is more important than difference.
La Colombeat Constantia Uitsig wine estate is now 50% owned by a black empowerment co-operative. The French style food at La Colombe was of a high standard – 'jalousie de langoustines' anyone? - with excellent service on a garden terrace by the vineyards. There is another restaurant (The Constantia Uitsig) overlooking the vineyards and a more informal restaurant (the River Café) in the courtyard behind the wine shop – noisy when we were there because of ‘the ladies who lunch’.
Blues at Camps Bay. Cool seafood restaurant with terrace and panoramic windows overlooking the beach. Great food in a relaxed environment. Apparently it gets very busy here in season, so booking is recommended.
The Cape of Good Hope is part of Table Mountain National Park and apart from the views from the lighthouse on the point overlooking the Indian Ocean at the place where it meets the Atlantic Ocean, there are lots of good, well-marked hiking trails (maps from the Park office at the foot of the lighthouse) in the park with plenty of wildlife to see (dassies, ostriches, springboks, birds etc).
This is a great trip round a historic centre. We travelled over on the old prison boats. Former inmates of the prison guide you round and bring home what life was really like for them, and the horrors of apartheid. There is also a bus tour of the island, including a stop outside the house of Robert Sobukwe, leader of the Pan African Congress. He was kept here in isolation following his release from prison because the authorities were so afraid of the popular support for this man who broke from the ANC and advocated the use of arms in the struggle.
Be warned you need to book tickets in advance – best to go to the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A Waterfront to do this at least one day before you want to visit. We tried phoning to book but were told there was a 2 week wait! When we went along we got tickets for the next day! They are about to bring new bigger boats into service because of the demand, so it may get easier.
While you are waiting why not go to see the small museum at Jetty One (free entry), listen to audio recording of former prisoners, their families, lawyers and prison employees in the bleak waiting room where they had to wait for boats.
We stayed at the Hout Bay Hideaway in October 2007. The Jaguars are gone, but Martin and Sue, who now own the Hideaway, have kept the same format and added cooked breakfast on request. They were warm, welcoming and more than helpful - assisting us in advance with planning our trip, advising us about what to do and where to go, organising our transport…
The accommodation is comfortable and the garden, with its terraces on different levels, relaxing and peaceful. The area is safe and we went for walks and runs along Chapman’s Peak Drive from the door. There are plenty of places to eat nearby, and the Hideaway is an ideal base for exploring the area around Cape Town without having to sit in the city traffic jams. Highly recommended.
I hired a car at J'burg airport and headed up to Kruger for a week self-driving around. A 2WD road car is fine even on the gravel tracks. Booking accommodation before going is recommended on the SAN web site.
I stayed at three different 'camps' from the south to the north to view a range of habitats. Self-driving gives you much more freedom to take photos (I recommend turning off the engine, taking a beanbag and 300mm+ lens to get sharp shots). The 'camp sites' offer guided bush walks which I highly recommend.
Four-hour drive from Johannesberg airport to the nearest entry gate.
After staying a night in Durban on our way south from St. Lucia to Capetown,we happened across a small guesthouse in the seaside town of Port Edward. We chose Port Edward as our last point before traveling down through the eastern cape to pick up the garden route.
Port Edward is a lovely little place with a nice beach with plenty to do, good food and very friendly locals,we chose a small guesthouse called Khaya Langa ran by a lovely English couple who could not do enough for us. They were very informative and their knowlege of the local area was astounding.
Khaya Langa is graded four-star by the TGCSA, it is set in lush sub-tropical gardens, very peaceful, very quiet and very safe. Paradise is probably the term I am looking for, the rooms are second to none with their own entrance which seems to be a hard thing to find in South Africa, the norm with most of the small guesthouses in South Africa is that you are almost living with the owners.
The rooms are very well appointed with air-con which is a must in the South African summer even the winter in that part of KZN is hot. TV, tea and coffee facilities are provided, even hairdriers for the ladies.
Khaya Langa translated into English means house of the sun and it is just that, their rates are very reasonable as this place is a quality establishment. I honestly think they could charge double and they would get it.
Khaya Langa is situated in Port Edward on the lower South Coast Of Kwa-Zulu-Natal.
The Address is 415 Boundary Road Port Edward 4295,Tel No 0393111844 calling from the uk it would be 0027 (0)393111844 from other parts of the world i`am unsure,there website is www.khayalnga.com ,the closest airport is in a small town called Margate,this airport is very small with only a few flights per week,we flew into Durban hired a car and went North then travelled South, car hire is a must in South Africa.
The most interesting park at the Eastern Cape, about 50 miles from Port Elisabeth airport. The best way to get there is by renting a car or by organised coach tours.
For game viewing, this park is better than Kruger. Accommodation in the park and outside in Mtubatuba was good but a professional guide is a must.
We were lucky to have Jeff Asherwood who made our trip memorable. His spotting skills and knowledge are legendary and he worked hard to find every animal we wanted to see. An excellent trip, first-class food and, best of all, we learned a lot while having a great deal of fun.
When visiting a few game reserves and national parks, I have found that wildlife watching is really just wildlife spotting. You usually see an animal and then immediately afterwards, you see the animal running away.
When I visited Mkuze, I sat in one of their hides overlooking a waterhole from dawn (about 6am) till 10.30. There were very few other people, but lots of animals. And this time, I actually managed to observe the animals, as they came for a drink.
It was simply the highlight of my five weeks in South Africa: there were nyala, white rhinos, zebra herds, warthogs, a host of bird species, blue wildebeest and giraffes. None of them were aware of human presence and we could watch them interact and behave naturally - and none ran away!
This is the best view in The Cape. You dine on superb food while the restaurant turns at a leisurely pace giving you a view of the city from on high.
It's 22 storeys up at the top of the Ritz hotel and looks like an alien spaceship has landed on top of the building to the casual observer. Inside it's well decorated with an open kitchen and candles on the tables.
There is nowhere else you can get this standard for so little money (mains from 90 rand). A pianist plays while you dine which, combined with the great food and super service, makes for an unforgettable experience.
You cant miss it. Its that building in Sea Point with the flying saucer on the top. Ritz Hotel Sea Point
Found this wonderful retro-style steakhouse on my first visit. Superb steaks are cooked by owner/chef Jimmy in his open style kitchen.
Smooth jazz plays in the background while you eat. Try the brandy steak and the chilli calamari.
The Buzbey is a Cape treasure. Reasonably priced, booking is advisable at weekends. Gay friendly.
Three Anchor Bay near Sea point.Next door to Clicks chemist as you walk or drive towards Sea Point alons Somorset Road.
For quality accomodation with a difference - self catering accommodation at lighthouses.
September 2005 we stayed at two, Danger Point near Gansbaai/Hermanus - excellent location with a good restaurant a few minutes away, very handy for shark and whale watching, lighthouse keeper couldn't have been friendlier.
CapeColumbine, Northern Cape, another excellent location with the village of Paternoster nearby with a choice of quality eateries. Lighthouse keeper's a real character.
Accommodation very high quality and we would say good value from a European viewpoint. Danger Point - sleeps 4, from R581 per night not per person.
Danger Point, by the way, was the site of the wreck of HMS Birkenhead which gave us Birkenhead drill, ie women and children first.
Nelson Mandela’s favourite restaurant...
I am dragged to Moyo, feeling quite nervous of what I will find. Well knock me down with a feather … Newtown is taking its rightful place as the heart of Josie!
Move over Cirque du Soleil! Head to Madame Zingara, an antique Belgian circus tent, one of only 10 in the world, for a night of incredible fantasty and fun.
www.madamezingara.com/
Cape Town, and now moving to Johannesburg in August 2007
This must be the best seafood restaurant in the whole world.
The whole lunch experience starts at 12pm when you pitch up on the beach with your own cooler box filled with wine and ice cold beer.
From there, a 12 course seafood meal gets served along with homebaked African bread made in the cast iron ovens on the beach.
All in all this experience will have you playing in the sun and sea while dining in a five-star location with the best meal. You're kindly asked to leave by 6pm but I'm sure if you ask nicely they will let you stay for the dinner session which is from 7pm - 2am.
Is this your business?