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Holiday to South Africa
Mr and Mrs Parkinson and family, 25th July 2015We had such a varied holiday that each element of our journey felt like separate holidays. All were equally exciting , interesting and enjoyable. We were well looked after by friendly and attentive staff from each place of stay and each place had lovely turn down services which included hot water bottles to make the beds lovely and cosy.
Countries Visited
South Africa
“We experienced such varied landscapes and cultures throughout our trip and found that people were very warm and welcoming. Cape Town is a lovely city and we were fortunate to visit Robben Island which was very thought provoking. We also took a helicopter ride around Table Mountain and coastline - it was a lovely experience. We took the cable car and had fantastic views from the top of Table Mountain ( we were so lucky that the weather was beautiful) and we enjoyed the open top bus journey taking us around Table Mountain. We found driving in South Africa to be very easy and we enjoyed the wild and windy Cape of Good Hope . We loved visiting the penguin colony at Boulders Beach . Hermanus is a lovely little town and we enjoyed walking along the coastal path watching the whales and the crashing waves. The drive to Franschoek was beautiful and we really enjoyed visiting wineries by using the wine bus/ tram. The Blue train was a great experience - we have never had a train journey quite like that! The food was delicious and wine flowed (incessantly!). We had a good rest in Pretoria in preparation for our safari. Our whole safari experience was fantastic and we were lucky to see lots of wildlife including some rare species. It was an experience that we will never forget - being woken by lions padding around the tents at 4.00am is something that doesn't happen everyday!”
Accommodation Visited
Cape Cadogan Boutique Hotel
“Katie and Chris's room was comfortable but Janet and Don had several problems with their newly refurbished room. The staff tried hard to resolve problems that we highlighted (the safe ,television and the coffee maker were fixed but the heater/ air conditioner unit could not be fixed so they supplied a mobile fan heater). Our main worry was that the newly constructed wooden steps leading to the room felt unsafe (they were unlit and had splinters).
The breakfasts were good again.”
The Marine
“The hotel was beautiful , the staff were very efficient and friendly, the views were spectacular and the food was very good.
The rooms were very well decorated and comfortable with lovely sea views. Janet and Don had a problem with their room ( the wardrobe door fell off and the shower didn't work) so we were quickly moved into a beautiful suite . We were very impressed with how the problems were dealt with.
Again, Katie and Chris were treated to champagne to celebrate their honeymoon.”
The Last Word Franschhoek
“A beautiful hotel set in a very convenient location for the town. Franklin , the hotel manager was very friendly and helpful ( he even booked tables for us at local restaurants). Our rooms were fabulous and beautifully decorated. Katie and Chris were treated to romantic candles and champagne to celebrate their honeymoon - their room looked lovely.
Breakfast was very tasty.”
The Blue Train
“A very opulent environment with excellent food and a never ending supply of drinks. Excellent and very courteous butler and hospitality staff. It was interesting watching the scenery change and looking at urban areas. The stop at Matjiesfontein was an experience! The bugle blowing guide was certainly someone who will be hard to forget!
Our experience was marred by the fact that both our cabins lost water supply . our butler told us that it went off at 5.00am but we weren't informed of this and only discovered it once we had used the facilities. We felt embarrassed that the butler had to sort out the problem for us.We were then given 2 cabins further down the corridor so that we could shower etc.”
Castello Di Monte
“A very unusual hotel designed in a mock Tuscan style set in an elevated position with lovely views. Katie and Chris's honeymoon suite was magnificent ( a jacuzzi bath , another bath and shower , dressing area and massive bedroom area). Janet and Don's room was also very lovely with an outdoor terrace.
The staff were very welcoming and helpful. The food was not as good as other areas but fulfilled our requirements.”
Marataba Safari Lodge
“Absolutely fantastic setting with wonderful accommodation and facilities. The staff were very friendly and helpful and the guides were knowledgable and friendly - they spotted animals that we would never know existed. We were taken on 2 game drives / day plus a river safari and a bush walk. We saw a great variety of animals including leopards, lions, giraffe,elephants, zebra, tortoise, hyena, rhinos , hippos, aardwolf, bush pigs, Impala, kudu, mongooses , lovely bird life etc etc.
Katie and Chris were treated to a romantic meal and their room was decked out with rose petals and champagne.
They even treated us to another private meal for the 4 of us. We were made to feel very special indeed.
It was an experience we will never forget.”
Staff Review
“Claire has been very informative during our holiday planning process and we felt that she worked very hard to meet our requirements within the budget that we had set. She gave us a fantastic itinerary with lovely accommodation within fabulous settings. Claire ensured that all transfers were seamless and the organisation was impeccable . Claire kept in touch with us when we encountered problems and gave us prompt feedback. It was very much appreciated. We can't praise Claire's service highly enough. The administration went smoothly as well. Thank you for a trip never to be forgotten.”
