Zulu greetings @ Rocktail

Rocktail Beach Camp is one of those places that have been on my wish list for a long time. So when my family from The Netherlands visited I thought I’d drag them along. It’s not an easy accessible place and to drive there by myself, I would probably not have done it for a long time. The night before we stayed at Pongola Private Game Reserve at While Elephant Private Bushcamp and it supposed to be just an easy 2 hour drive…. NOT!! I didn’t listen to my own advice and followed the GPS. Something you should NEVER do in this area because it sends you onto all kinds of dirt road that you REALLY don’t want to get stuck at.. Anyway, it was a bit of an adventure. We got to the point from where we were picked up in 4×4 because the last 40 minutes can’t be done with a normal car. So now you see why it is a bit of a mission to get there.

But we all know: after some effort the reward will be all the better so here we arrived at this beautiful lodge in the coastal forest. The accommodation consists of 14 tented chalets, with your own ensuite bathroom and deck from where you’ll see the Indian Ocean. Everything is built from natural material as much as possible

Private deck @ Rocktail

We didn’t have the most wonderful weather but in the afternoon we still went down to the beach which goes on and on and on and on. You can’t get more pristine. I don’t know any other country where you have stretches of beach that are so well protected. True paradise. From the lodge it’s about 15 minutes walk down to the beach but the friendly drivers can also quickly drop you off there.

Looooong beaches with no other person!

Everyone at Rocktail will try to make your stay as wonderful as possible. True Zulu hospitality and friendliness. We loved it!

Rocktail is owned and managed by Wilderness Safaris, a luxurious responsible tourism company that exists to protect pristine wilderness areas and including local communities in this process. They were  established in 1983 and operate camps and lodges in many African countries, making Africa and the world a better place step by step.

I would suggest at least 3 days to take advantage of all the wonderful activities on offer. October to March has loggerhead and leatherback turtles come ashore at night to lay their eggs. It is one of the draw cards of the lodge from where excursions take place to see these special creatures. We will need to go back there.

We went to the beach and the next day I went with my parents on a drive through the local villages which is about a 45 minute drive. You can also go snorkeling and of course scuba diving in a World Heritage Site. I will have to go back to experience that. You always need a reason to go back to special places.

Lion in Timbavati

We had a fantastic stay at Kambaku. It’s a small lodge with just 8 chalets so away from the crowds and a true African bush experience. There are family chalets for families with small children. We were 8 in total which meant that we had our own private safari vehicle. I could have taken Rosie on the safaris but I didn’t feel that she would enjoy so my mom and me alternated.

Timbavati is easy accessible and about a 6 hour drive from Johannesburg or a 1 hour drive from Hoedspruit. Hoedspruit has an airport and daily flights from Johannesburg are available.

The lodge is owner run by the lovely couple Bryce and Nicola. Their attention to detail and hospitality was great. Dinner was set up at different spots. We had one night at the boma with a fire and one night close to the waterhole. There’s a lovely pool with a sundeck which also gives you a view of the waterhole. Warthogs and monkeys were frequent visitors so even if you don’t join for all the game drives, from the comfort of your lazy chair you will be able to see some wildlife. The lodge is moving all its electricity supply to solar, a massive installation but very nice to know for the more environmentally aware traveler.

As mentioned in my earlier post, I’ve had the privilege to visit Timbavati 3 times already and each time I have amazing wildlife sightings. This time we saw lion on different occasions. We watched a leopard eating an impala in a tree and 29 wild dogs playing around the jeeps. I didn’t join for all the safaris because I stayed with Rosie and one afternoon there were 5 or 5 elephants at the water hole just in front of our chalet. So special!! Of course when I ran to fetch my camera they were gone by the time I came back. Too bad! Sometimes we shouldn’t care about the picture but just embrace and enjoy the moment.

Sundeck with view of the waterhole

Current rates 2013 at Kambaku: ZAR 3.100 per person sharing which includes all your meals (brunch, high tea, dinner), house wines, local bears and soft drinks, tea, coffee and 2 open jeep safaris per day.

It excludes once off ZAR 170 per person conservation levies for Timbavati, all bar spirits and special wines and other personal expenses.

Breakfast at Bucklers Africa

Where to start telling about our epic family-safari trip of Blyde River Canyon, Timbavati, Kruger National Park, Dawsons Lodge, Pongola Private Game Reserve and Rocktail Beach Camp?

It will be TOO much to put it all in one blogpost so I will have to write each week something. It will be a good challenge to get back into the discipline of writing because since I have Rosie any kind of discipline went out of the window. This post will just be a quick overview of our first 2 stay-overs.

My family from The Netherlands was in South Africa from 30 March – 14 April to be with me and Rosie. Of course these kinds of visits are always a good opportunity to organize a nice trip and visit beautiful, unknown areas so that I can add them to my portfolio.

I met my family in Johannesburg which was already an adventure: first time with Rosie in the airplane. I’ve got good friends in Jo’burg so I always make a plan to visit one or 2 if I’m in Gauteng. I wanted to try the Gautrain with baby stroller so I met up with my friend Julia in Sandton. The Gautrain is super baby friendly. It was easy to get to the platform, helpful staff and on the train it was also easy. We were a bit of an attraction as you can imagine.. Not many people take their babies onto a train, unlike in Holland where we take them everywhere in all modes of transport.

Family arrived in the evening with the KLM flight. We stayed in the City Lodge ORTambo which is a perfect hotel because it is located at the airport but it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. The rooms are super spacious and the breakfast buffet is incredible. They’d put up a very cute cot for Rosie with lovely bedding. She slept like a rose. All the staff just LOVED Rosie which was a theme throughout our entire trip. Everybody just wants to hold her and play with her so at times I had to be quite strict because I didn’t want her to be past around.

In Timbavati we stayed at Kambaku Lodge which is owned and managed by a lovely couple, Bryce and Nicola. It’s one of those places where you just immediately relax and game drives in Timbavati are ALWAYS good. Through the years I’ve been 3 times to the reserve and each time we see lion and leopard and this time my family was lucky enough to see a group of 29 wild dogs, wow!!

From Timbavati we drove all the way to the south-eastern border of the Krugerpark, Crocodile Bridge. The weather that day was horrific so we were glad to have arrived at Bucklers Africa. It’s situated just outside the Krugerpark but from your breakfast table you look across the Crocodile River into the Krugerpark, quite extraordinary views.

The pictures tell more than my story…

View of the Krugerpark from your lazy chair

]]> http://extraordinary-travel.com/safari-fun-in-south-africa-for-the-whole-family/feed/ 0 http://extraordinary-travel.com/our-stay-at-old-mac-dadd-in-elgin/ http://extraordinary-travel.com/our-stay-at-old-mac-dadd-in-elgin/#comments Mon, 11 Mar 2013 19:11:31 +0000 Jessy http://extraordinary-travel.com/?p=1697

Chilling by the pool

From the moment I heard of this place, I wanted to take my future daughter here. Last year I joined for an industry day to do a site inspection at Old Mac Daddy in the Elgin Valley. What a fun place!

And yesterday, Rosie and I arrived here. Rosie slept like a Rose. They had put a camping cot in the living area but I found that a bit too far away from where I sleep in the trailer. We’re staying in Mills & Boon so all is very romantically decorated. During the night, I picked up Rosie and put her next to me in bed. She babbled for a bit but then went on to sleep until 8am. We just had breakfast at the lovely breakfast room with a view of the farmland. I’d prepared Rosie’s meal myself (banana, mango and yoghurt) because I wasn’t sure what they would have and I don’t want to give her any sweetened stuff.

Old Mac Daddy Farm is cool to come with a baby that doesn’t crawl or walk yet but once they start crawling or walking I would be a bit nervous. I guess, one would have to ask for one of the trailers that are situated a bit lower. Ours is quite high up and the boardwalk is not fenced so your kids need to be big enough to be safe.  There are a few trailers situated next to the dam so I guess that would be more convenient. For now, I’m exercising, walking up and down from the restaurant and pool area to our trailer (Rosie = 9 kg).

I LOVE the fact that I’m sitting on my deck, in the morning shade, writing away with the most awesome view.

The restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner so you don’t really need to leave the resort in case you don’t feel like it. We might go on a little road trip to explore the area but it might get too hot later. The forecast is about 35 degrees. Nice thing is that the night was really cool, almost cold. When I picked up Rosie, her little arms were way too cold.

My 10 tips for when you’re staying at Old Mac Daddy as a single parent with a kid:

1. Bring breakfast for your child because breakfast only starts at 8am. They were very accommodating in giving me a plate and bowl for the room. There’s mini bar fridge so you can stock it with your baby food.
2. Be specific about the location of the trailer when you make a booking.
3. Bring a play mat or blanket
4. Don’t bother about bringing a pram, you can’t use it here
5. Bring books for yourself, there’s no TV or other entertainment (which is GREAT)
6. Order a bottle of wine and take a glass or 2 each meal instead of ordering by the glass
7. Bring Baby Bjorn or any other carrier you’re using
8. Take loads of pictures of your baby enjoying the fresh air, friendly staff and happy surroundings
9. It’s a working farm so it’s not necessarily a quiet place. This morning we had tractors coming past, helicopters flying over and now there’s a truck delivering something and it’s only 10am (bit of a challenge to have Rosie take her morning sleep..)
10. Bring 2 pin adapters. I managed to get one from reception but they don’t have them in the rooms so you can’t charge anything.

Loved our 2 days chilling!!

Tourists coming back from Robben Island

As you all know I LOVE South Africa and Cape Town and I love being in the tourism industry. My big mission in life is to create as many positive ambassadors for this country as possible. The media in Europe LOVES talking down on anything bad happening in South Africa and only guests of this country will go back with positive stories and tell people that they MUST come and visit and not miss out.

Since I’ve started my company in 2004, Robben Island has been a disappointing experience. Yes, tourists just want to visit, they just want to see the prison cell of Nelson Mandela but every time they come back, they come back with negative feedback about the experience. I’ve done the tour about 5 times myself over the years and I also never had a good experience. From making a reservation by telephone and being rudely assisted or on hold for ever to rude guides or even guides who asked for money while in the bus tour of the island. The English of the guides is in general very bad and they build no rapport with the people visiting. They speak too much, too fast and the information is not available in other languages. Chewing gum while talking in a microphone and offending guests with their so called ‘jokes’. It’s simply unacceptable!

I never recommend Robben Island to any of my guests. I just tell them to rather read the Mandela biographies or any other biography from the freedom fighters. Robben Island museum is a horrible place to visit. An experience that could easily be turned into something magnificent, just with a little training and customer service. But again, it’s easy money, people want to visit anyway so no one needs to make any effort. Just charge whatever you want to charge, add 10-15% each year and don’t take responsibility for anything. It’s disgusting!

I wish the Robben Island Museum could be managed by Iziko Museums or Table Mountain Cable Way who both do an excellent job giving tourists a wonderful experience.

I’m not in the know of who is responsible for what and I’m not really interested. Too much negative energy. I just know that what’s happening at Robben Island now is just absolutely wrong. I will continue advising guests NOT to visit.

An introduction to drinking whiskey

Since a few years I’ve been wanting to learn more about whiskey. Well, not really learn about it, rather drink it of course. I always thought it would be so cool as a woman to walk up to a bar and order a whiskey, no ice please.. However, I never made it past lovely wines, cocktails, Jägermeister and mixers, that is until yesterday..

Yesterday afternoon I was taken on a journey to the Bascule Bar at the world renowned Cape Grace Hotel in the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. The Bascule Bar offers the largest selection of whiskeys in South Africa and is the home of the Whiskey Club. Members of this club can store their whiskeys in cabinets personalized with their name plaque. It all looks very impressive, I must say. I was intrigued..Even more intrigued I was by a 50 year old whisky that costs R 18.000 a shot! I held the bottle for a second. OMW!! I was told that last year a guy ordered a few double shots… I’m sure the waiter was over the moon.

R18.000 a shot..

Craig, the very knowledgeable sommelier for the afternoon, started by telling me all about the history of whiskey and how it finds its origin in medicine… right! There are many whiskey producing countries that I had no idea of like Japan, India and Denmark.

You can choose from 3 different tastings. I was offered the Introduction to whiskey which consists of 6 various styles of whiskey which we also paired with some food.. Of course my favorite was the one that goes well with chocolate, the Glenmorangie Lasanta BUT I kept going back to the first one, the Buffalo Trace. The vanilla & cinnamon flavours were lovely and I might actually order a glass next time I’m at Bascule. This tasting is R175 per person and lasts about an hour. The tasting gave me the opportunity to learn about the art of distilling and start appreciating the various styles

For those who already enjoy the finer malts, ‘A Taste Experience’ is offered. This also consists of 6 whiskey and costs R220 per person.

The crème de la crème of the whiskey tastings would be the ‘Sommelier’s Choice from R500 per person. This is a fully personalized whiskey tasting from a collection of rare and older malts.

For bookings please contact Rene or Chantelle on 021 410 7097 or email renec@capegrace.com / chantelle@capegrace.com

Thank you very much for hosting me and to Craig who clearly is very passionate about whiskey. I will be back!!

Here’s the link to the story

With some glamour..

A peek in the kitchen

hmmm, yummie snacks coming up..

GREAT dancing, but no picture could capture it properly..

Cesar & Potato Salad with Sirloin Rolls for main course

Email me at jessy@extraordinary-travel.com to make a booking. Township tours before the show are possible too!

Last Tuesday I had the pleasure of experiencing Amazink for the first time. Amazink is situated in Khayamandi which is a township area in Stellenbosch, about 1 hour from Cape Town. I heard about it last year when I read that Bertus Basson from ‘Overture’ in Stellenbosch was involved in this fantastic project.

For those who get nervous about driving into a township area, you really don’t need to be nervous about driving to Amazink. The directions are very simple and at arrival there are parking guards to help and direct you.

We were welcomed with soft drinks and delicious snacks by the flamboyant staff / performers of Amazink. They all looked STUNNING and were on the ball making everyone feel super welcome and making sure to get your drinks and snacks quickly.

The first part of the show was about 35 minutes and it was like a whirlwind went through Amazink. Performers, singing and dancing all over the venue and gosh the talent was just incredible. This place is TOO small for these BIG voices!! Shame, my friend who came with me is pregnant and her baba was kicking like mad. I said, maybe he’s just dancing…

The main course was served after the first act. To be honest, we really had indulged in the starter snacks  and shouldn’t have had any main course but of course we did. Delicious Cesar Salad, potato salad and Sirloin Roll, all beautifully presented on a wooden board and little glass pots.

After the main course the show continued with some more incredible dancing and singing and it became more and more festive. By the time we had dessert, people were dancing and going around the venue.

Amazink is a beautiful night out, one of those authentic experiences, township style. Add it to your itinerary NOW! I will definitely recommend it to all my guests.

The show is R200 per person and you can email me to make bookings: jessy@extraordinary-travel.com Township tours before the show an be organized too!

Here’s link to my photo impression.

Heritage Day in the Company Gardens, Cape Town

24 September is the day where South Africans are encouraged to celebrate their heritage that makes up this diverse ‘Rainbow Nation’ of many different cultures, beliefs, traditions and history. Heritage Day used to be known as ‘Shaka Day’ in commemoration of the ‘Napoleon of Africa’.  But since the new democracy, Heritage Day is more appropriate and I find it a rather important day to reflect on the stories and history of this country.

In 2005, a media campaign sought to re-brand this day as ‘National Braai Day’. I’m not sure why they necessarily wanted to do this on this specific day and I don’t think it makes sense. Yes, we all love a good braai, black, white, colored, Indian etc. South Africans embrace their braai time and take it very serious. I think it’s a pity though that this overshadows the celebrating of the rich Heritage which I find is so important and it is a little bit more than just a braai…

So this year, I decided I wanted to take part in the activities organized by Iziko Museums in Cape Town who did an excellent job drawing many Capetonians to the Company Gardens. The Company Gardens is host to quite a few museums and my friend and I toured most of them: The National Gallery, The Planetarium, the Slave Lodge, The Jewish Museum. The quality of all of them is outstanding and I can highly recommend when you visit Cape Town to include museums to your itinerary. My favorite is the National Gallery with some stunning contemporary art.

I will not try to say anything wise about art because I really don’t have a clue. I just know that I love every-day-scenes, beautiful colors and African landscapes. One day I will educate myself a bit more about art… But I guess it’s like wine: you like it or you don’t and what ever value you give a piece of art, that’s what it’s worth to you.

If you like to visit Cape Town or anything else in South Africa, email me on jessy@extraordinary-travel.com for special places, superb routes, the best eateries and lots of adventure.

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the this event for businesses in tourism. It was held in the CTICC here in Cape Town so it was a ‘home run’ for me.  The event was organized by E-Tourism Frontiers in collaboration with South African Tourism, VISA and Cape Town Tourism.

The program was jampacked with speakers from Facebook, Youtube, Trip advisor, VISA, South African Tourism, Expedia, Humanity.tv, Bournemouth University as well as President of the International Federation for Information Technogolies in Travel & Tourism (IFITT), Google, Springnest and then some.

I thought you might enjoy my ‘nuggets’ of  the conference:

1. Youtube is the 2^nd search engine, after google, when internet users want to look up something. How to? – videos are super popular.
   My nugget: have been ignoring my extraordinarytravel  youtube channel WAY too long!
2. The multiple stages of a tourism experience are: 1) dreaming; 2)planning; 3) booking; 4) onsite experience; 5) sharing. Technology is present in each stage of the process.
   My nugget: make sure to be part of the dreaming stage of your guests.
3. Tripadvisor has 60 million unique users worldwide of which 24.6 million are based in Europe.
   My nugget: pity Tripadvisor doesn’t allow tour organizers to engage on their site.
4. From the 10 fastest growing economies worldwide, 6 are based in Africa with Angola being nr 1 and Nigeria nr 4.
5. 55% of European travelles prefer self-organized travel, only 5% travels with a personal guide.
6. Future travellers travel less and expect more; customization and niche-ing is KEY.
   My nugget: cool, have been customizing only for the last 9 years.
7. Travel is a co-creation of travellers, local people and tourism suppliers.
8. Go visual or go home. Create a Youtube channel, show authentic experiences, share the passion and make visitors part of it.
9. Turn clients into positive ambassadors for your city, country and company
   My nugget: my mission in life is to be positive ambassador for this incredible part of the world so I’m doing well here I guess.
10. Google + is growing REALLY fast and can’t be ignored. It allows you to target specific circles.
    My nugget: have to get into it, SIGH, really hoped I could skip this one social network but I guess not..

And what were you nuggets? Would love to hear!

If you like to visit Cape Town or anything else in South Africa, email me on jessy@extraordinary-travel.com for special places, superb routes, the best eateries and lots of adventure.