Bundu Basher – holiday reviews and venues

I met a UK tourist today who had recently come up from Durban and he was full of praise for the Oyster Box Hotel situated in Umhlanga. He has gotten to see quite a lot of South Africa in the last ten days, including Cape Town, and he reckoned this is one of the best hotels he has stayed in.

Would love some feedback from people who have stayed at the hotel – post the comments below.

Perfectly situated on the ocean’s edge, a brief 5 minutes walk from Umhlanga Village Centre, the Oyster Box Hotel is conveniently located for quick and easy access to Afro-chic Durban city centre, International Airports and numerous stylish shopping centres…yet has a feeling of classical charm and elegance like nowhere else on earth.

Nearby tourist attractions of immense interest to travellers include Gateway Theatre of Shopping, Ushaka Marine World, Sun Coast casino, the historical Natal Midlands and majestic Drakensberg Mountains, as well as excellent big 5 game parks, lodges and historical battlefields.

For those wishing to play a few rounds on some of South Africa’s finest fairways excellent golf courses are a mere minutes drive away. And of course the new Moses Mabhida Stadium built for hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup is within easy reach from the hotel.

Below are the rates per night (incl. breakast). The first rate shown is from now until the end of October 2010. The second rate is effective 1 November – 5 January

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By Claire:

At the turn of the 20th century racial segregation became prominent in South Africa and the history of community removals and marginalisation had begun. In 1966, an apartheid government declared valuable urban areas “whites only” areas and all people of colour were forcibly removed from their homes to the barren low-lying outer areas of the cities, their homes bulldozed to the ground.

The low-lying outer areas are now known as the townships and in Cape Town particularly, the Cape Flats. A very popular activity for international tourists to South Africa is a guided township tour. The desire to learn how the different communities live, to meet the people and to learn of South Africa’s history is of great interest to them.

As a resident Capetonian from the “other side” of town, I decided it was time I ventured out of the comforts of my home environment into the townships of the Cape Flats. You must understand that this is not a common thing for a white South African to do. The perception of the townships is that they are dangerous, areas where violent crime takes place and where white faces are not welcome. Well, for the most part, this is a huge mis-perception.

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Enjoy peace, tranquility, warm hospitality and personal service at Acacia House Rivonia. We’re situated within a boomed security area in an up market leafy suburb, with easy access to some of Joburg’s best restaurants and malls. All five of the stylishly decorated bedrooms are en-suite and have extra length beds with fine linen. DSTV, WiFi, stocked mini bar fridges, 36inch LCD flat screen TV’s and tea and coffee making facilities are standard in all of the rooms. One of the rooms has a wood burning fireplace. There is also a self catering suite available. Breakfast is served on the sunny patio or dining room over looking the sparkling pool set in a lush garden with an abundance of bird life. Candle lit dinners with antique silver cutlery and crystal glasses can be organized upon request by your host Sally who is a professional chef.

Rates are from R650.00 per person sharing and single from R800.00 per night inclusive of breakfast.

Address:   10 Craigton Place, Rivonia, Sandton
Phone:     011 234 7704

Check out their website at – http://www.acaciaguesthousejhb.co.za/ – for more information

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I am a big fan of the arrival of the Gautrain from a transport perspective, but my first visit to collect somebody from the Sandton station was a little frustrating.

My wife was flying in from Barcelona this morning and she was going to meet us at the Sandton station. We pulled into the underground parking and went up to meet her on the ground-floor level where passengers come up from the train.

As we were waiting there I saw a paper printed notice attached to one of the pillars.

Parking – if you are not using the train – costs R97.50 for the first 24 hours or part there-of.

YIKES!

Nearly R100 for hanging around for 20 mins while I waited. Fortunately the first 15 minutes is free and we high-tailed our way out of there. Then we tried the “drop and go” but there didn’t seem to be any real parking on offer there either so we ended up spending the next 20 minutes driving around the block while we waited.

I don’t mind the unfinished parking lot – the fact that the train is running is brilliant – but surely there is a need for affordable parking for people who want to pick up guests but can’t time their arrival to within 15 minutes?

Feedback?

I came across this competition on Facebook and the prize looks absolutely awesome – especially for a romantic holiday away.

Simply by purchasing Welmoed wines, you stand the chance to win a pinch-me-I’m-dreaming holiday for two to a luxury game lodge. All you have to do to enter is SMS your name, the region in which you reside and the name of your favourite soccer country to 34077. By entering via SMS, you will also get access to the Welmoed mobisite where you can download Free audio of our Welmoed Winemaker Stephan Smit’s comment of the latest vintages, as well as a downloadable food and wine pairing guide and much more.

Alternatively you can complete the entry form on their website. We are in the draw – are you?

You can now afford the ultimate Bush Getaway!

7 DAYS PRIOR TO ARRIVAL

:: Main Lodge R 1,080 :: Luxury tents R 1,440 :: Royal African R 2,040 Per person / per night sharing

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Connect’d Cape Town is hosting a series of international business breakfasts on key World Cup match days. These breakfasts are the only comprehensive, locally-organised business networking opportunities in Cape Town during this period. 

The Connect’d Cape Town International Business Breakfasts provide an ideal platform for local and international business leaders to hear compelling speakers  such as Helen Zille, Premier of the Western Cape; Boris Johnson, Mayor of London; and Denis Simonneau, Senior Vice President for International Relations at GDF-Suez and former French diplomat to South Africa from 1993 to 1996. The breakfasts are aimed at connecting local and international business people who are staying in Cape Town during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and providing them with meaningful networking opportunities.

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By: Claire

During the attempted siege of Ladysmith, the battle of Spioenkop between Anglo and Boer continued into the dark of night on the 23 Jan 1900. Gunfire as loud as thunder, bloodshed spread rampantly and the loud groaning of injured soldiers made the air heavy with fear. Confusion reigned amongst the Anglo soldiers as their team leaders fought against each other for leadership, later retreating to safer grounds in the valley on Three Tree Hill…

As we sat there on the top of Spieonkop some 110 years after the battle, Omri, our specialist battlefields guide, had us hanging on every word as the story unfolded. What a mess! What a disaster of a battle! Even for someone that always hated history at school, I was dumbfounded at this story. And a story is what it is. The battlefields of Natal are not only for historians, the British or the Boers. If its told in a story like Omri unfolded for us, it’s a journey that anyone can enjoy.

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We have a new offering on the Bundu Basher blog and that is a featured picture category from leading game reserves around South Africa.

This one is via Quentin and his team from Heritage Tours & Safari’s and is featured at Hluhluwe Game Reserve.

This is the picture of a young Lion with a carcass. It’s an interesting one – if you look closely at the Lion’s face and its eyes – you get a sense of how this animal is the king of the African continent. Such intensity!

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By Claire

Passionate about wine? Based in the heart of the winelands, our specialty is wine!

Tsiba Tsiba Wine Tours cater for the connoisseur, the wine lover, and even the wine novices ? choose from a group or private tour and tailor the day to suit you!

Spend a day enjoying award winning wines, fine cuisine and admiring spectacular scenery. Stellenbosch based full day wine tours exploring the main areas of the South African Cape Winelands – Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl.

The full day wine tour departs at 09:30 approximately, with a pick up at your accommodation in Stellenbosch (or elsewhere by arrangement) in our luxury Mercedes Vito. We return at approximately 5-5.30pm. Wine tours are led by our experienced registered guide, who has led wine tours in this region for over 8 years.

In order to give you a specialist, focused and friendly tour, we keep wine tour groups small with a maximum of 7 people in a group. Wine tours are tailored to our clients interests and requirements. We can also cater for private or larger groups, by arrangement.

We will take you on a unforgettable, informative tour of the region, some of the best wine estates and answer the questions you may have about wine and wine making in the Cape Winelands of South Africa .

Tours can be arranged for private and larger groups. and we can also arrange other tours – including Cape Point tours and Whale Watching tours (from July to November). Half day wine tours are also available on request. Prices: Please contact us for more information on wine tour itineraries and prices.

Tsiba Tsiba Tours & Travel can also cater for your other travel needs such as transfers / shuttles, airport transfers, accomodation advice and booking for your time in South Africa . Please contact us to arrange.

Tsiba Tsiba Tours & Travel is a member of Fair Trade Tourism in South Africa . Currently over 50 tourism businesses have received the prestigious FTTSA trademark. By visiting FTTSA-certified establishments, you are supporting socially responsible tourism and contributing to the New South Africa.

For more information, visit www.tsibatsiba.co.za