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Holiday to South Africa
D. Doolittle, 17th September 2011So so loved our stay at Serondella in South Africa. First, i'm glad we got to experience capetown and stellenbosch both before heading off for the bush because they really are 2 totally different experiences and give you a more complete picture of the country. We had a fascinating township tour and i would highly recommend that to anyone curious about how south africa evolved/is evolving. I loved being in capetown and feeling the energy there and walking around and looking at everything. the food and wine there was SO wonderful; We really enjoyed our meals out every night and the folks at the cape riveria never steered us wrong with their recommendations. I liked the waterfront area but was very glad that we'd decided to stay up the hill a little bit and out of that area. Stellenbosch was a treat after capetown in that it's SO safe whereas in capetown you HAVE to take a cab home after dark. It was nice to just be able to walk around in a university town and enjoy the young people and the comparative freedom of a small university town. Again, our restaurant recommendations at night were great! We had a wonderful wine tour with lunch and i think we all enjoyed tasting and seeing the beautiful vineyards surrounded by their beautiful mountains. serondella was my 2nd safari ever and i fell in love with it all over again: Where else can you ride around in a jeep and chase animals half the day? David (our guide) and our tracker were (in our opinion)the best of the best! They knew their animals and habits inside and out and it was easy to see how much they loved what they did because they transferred their knowledge and excitment to their guests. I'll never forget mowing down those thornybushes everywhere in pursuit of our elusive prey! We saw all of the "big 5" and then some: we saw both the white and black rhino and an episode with a cheetah family that is now on "you tube". Plus the lodge and service were small and intimate and you felt like you had a relationship with these people and not just some random guest there! Thank you for putting us in the way of all these wonderful experiences! I would love to travel to another african country with you - thank you so much!
Accommodation Visited
River Manor Boutique Hotel & Spa
“I liked the location very much. (i think we should not have been dropped there so early in the day though. check-in wasn't until 2 or 3 pm and the ride from capetown was only about an hour at most so we couldn't check in when we arrived. i think most of your guests would prefer to sleep in a little bit more that day before being transferred to stellenbosch). The host certainly briefed us and told us about the town so we could easily get around on our own and the staff helped make our wine tour reservations and recommended places to eat. We would just like to have washcloths in the bathrooms! (probably an american thing!) I liked that 2 rooms together each had their own bathing pools but the fact that breakfast was altogether with everyone else. It was a very comfortable place.”
“location was great as was the staff at all hours and days. the chefs were also wonderful and tried really hard to please. rooms were big and felt well protected there with a night guard and tv cameras. the house itself was beautiful and they did a fabulous job of making it into an inn. it was close enough to town to walk to everything but far enough away for it to be quiet at night. very enjoyable.”
Serondella Game Lodge
“i think i covered the highlights above here. it was an exceptional place. very cosy and i liked that it only had 8 units. the wildlife was right there, all around the camp and in it too. the bad white monkey that grabbed the irish girls' toast was too funny and then they'd fire the paintgun at the offending culprit - it was too funny! the food was plentiful, with good choices and nice presentation. loved all the help and our hosts were the best! the rooms were so nice with good amenities and comfort and well maintained. thank you!”
Staff Review
“Claire goes above and beyond the call of duty. i can't tell you how many times she would patiently explain something to me and then have to repeat herself the next day! Having lived in south africa and so many other places makes her uniquely qualified to work for you. her advice is spot on and she's polite, funny and friendly. I always enjoy working with her! all the rest of the staff is always incredibly helpful and generous with their time too. (my biggest wish for your office is to get a working fax machine: as a travel agent that would make my life so much easier!!)”
