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Holiday to South Africa
Niamh Lamond, 9th March 2023Really excellent holiday where hotels, logistics and transfers were worked out to a tee. This was very important for our first trip to South Africa. From beginning to end we knew we had a trusted Travel Expert with solid local partners as a backup in case of an emergency, although fortunately in practice this was not called upon. The combination of a local backup with the freedom of self-drive and orientation suited us. We did rely upon our own guidebooks but there were opportunities for Mahlatini to help clients identify the best local adventures, especially when knowing their personal preferences. In some regards the hotels did this, such as in Franschhoek, although not in others. For example, in Plettenberg Bay, a few pointers to good spots to visit could have ensured we didn’t miss a few key spots. We found some but might have missed others. The written directions in the itinerary were inconsistent with the satellite navigation and we just ignored them. Because we relied entirely on satellite navigation (and our own maps) it would have been really helpful to have exact hotel addresses and phone numbers to get there by satellite navigation. The map coordinates given did not help us as we relied on satellite navigation. The Garmin satellite navigation was essential. Although we can comment below on individual hotels, overall the standard was really excellent with Hunter's Country House being the best.
Accommodation Visited
Cape Cadogan Boutique Hotel
“Lovely staff and gorgeous room and interiors. Perfect location for local restaurants and getting around Cape Town.”
La Fontaine Boutique Hotel
“Staff were very attentive and were the high point in assisting with activities, arranging restaurant reservations and returning an item left behind.”
Rosenhof Country House
“A beautiful setting within well-tended gardens. Immaculate room and very atmospheric. The staff was very special and gave a warm welcome, they solved any issue quickly with helpful local advice. The only point to raise is to alert guests arriving that the main entrance gate is normally closed but can be accessed through a speaker to the hotel reception close to the main gate.”
Hunter's Country House
“Top class room with every little detail considered. The gardens were exquisite and had lots of interesting spots to discover like a secluded chapel in the woods and expansive grounds full of exotic plants (true garden of Eden). Doing my daily Pilates ritual overlooking verdant garden beauty and tranquility is a memory not to be forgotten.
The brilliant Zinzi restaurant (on-site but separate from the hotel) should be strongly recommended to clients by the hotel/Mahlatini and by guests. The hotel restaurant was good but Zinzi was something very special.”
Amakhala Bukela Game Lodge
“Visiting Amakhala Bukela was a unique insight, not just into the life of animals in their natural habitat (although managed for good conservation reasons), but also into how a private reserve has been established and how it operates. A massive conservation project with a dedicated ranger and conservation team managing a very fragile and challenging environment for a wide range of animals.
Our lodge and the service were first-class and completely authentic. It was a delightful setting and anything more extravagant in such a natural setting would have been inappropriate. One small point to mention is to alert guests to the 7km dirt road from the N2 which would not be easy for basic hire cars or low-slung vehicles to drive on.”
Staff Review
“Stuart has been amazing and very attentive. He went the extra mile to ensure we had a first-class adventure.”
