Knysna Hollow Country Estate!

Re-Opens October 2018

Knysna Hollow Country Estate will re-open in October 2018 as a brand-new, exclusive 4-star country hotel. Set in the heart of the Garden Route in a lush 3-acre garden environment, Knysna Hollow has been completely re-invented as an upmarket, full-service hotel on the outskirts of Knysna. The property will feature 45 luxurious Garden Suites, situated in the indigenous gardens around two sparkling swimming pools. All rooms will be decorated in a clean, contemporary style with private garden-facing verandahs and will offer all modern in-room amenities including air-conditioning, satellite television, Nespresso coffee stations, king-size beds and free wireless internet.

The modern Cape-country style Manor House will be the focal point of the new property and has been purposely designed to offer a contemporary, relaxed space where hotel guests can meet and enjoy genuine hospitality and cuisine. A sleek new reception and guest hospitality area will welcome guests upon check-in, while the open-plan destination restaurant will offer all-day dining with seasonal, locally-sourced dishes for which Knysna Hollow has always been renowned. The bar-lounge area will feature a unique glass wine cellar and a library with internet work stations on a mezzanine level. All restaurant and bar areas will open out onto outside verandahs with views of the gardens for outdoor dining and sundowners in the warm summer months.

Knysna Hollow will also re-open with two modern function facilities catering for conferences, weddings, meetings and events.

The not-to-be-missed Namaqualand flowers!

Seeing the flowers!!

Visitors can enjoy self-catering accommodation at the Skilpad Rest Camp or enjoy various camping options along the coast. The main entrance, reception, administrative offices and prime accommodation are all at Skilpad. During the flower season, in spring, they host a temporary luxury camp at the coast that is run by a private operator.

Part of the semi-desert Succulent Karoo biome, Namaqualand is home to the richest bulb flora of any arid region in the world and more than 1 000 of its estimated 3 500 plant species are found nowhere else on earth. When compared to regions with similar semi-arid environments, the richness of this biome is exceptional.

During early August and September, seemingly overnight, the dusty valleys of Namaqualand are transformed in to a wonderland, carpeted with wildflowers that draw visitors from around the country and from abroad. 

The Breath Taking Augrabies Falls!

Augrabies Falls National Park is a national park located around the Augrabies Falls, about 120 km west of Upington in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa. It was established in 1966.

The Park covers an area of 820 km² and stretches along the Orange River. The area is very arid. The waterfall is about 60 metres high and is awe-inspiring when the river is in flood. The gorge below the falls averages about 240 m deep and runs for 18 kilometres. The gorge provides an impressive example of erosion into a granitic basement.

At the Augrabies National Park there is camping, chalets and family cottages availabl... and activities!

The Klipspringer Hiking Trail consists of three days of hiking. The first day is 14.4km long; the second day, 9.9km and the third and last day 11.5km. Even though the first day is the longest, the second day is probably the most difficult regarding the heat, while the third day is the least demanding. As the hike is quite demanding, it is necessary to plan for quit a rigorous trip.

The Dassie Trail is approximately 5km in length and does require a certain level

of fitness as it includes climbing over slippery rocks. 

 

 

Tragedy in Knysna!

Fires Was Contained Luckily..

Knysna Hollow Country Estate

The  Knysna Hollow was completely destroyed in the fire and will not be in operation in the foreseeable future.

The Knysna Hollow Country Estate is closed down completely and permanently.

The Spier Hotel

The Spier hotel, in Stellenbosch, Western Cape will be remodelling their restaurant area and wine bar. The remodel is set to take place from July-September.

The restaurant and wine bar of the hotel will be temporarily unavailable to guests during this time. All other guest areas will remain available, and disruption will be kept to a minimum.

Tau Game Lodge 

The Tau Game Lodge in the Madikwe Game Reserve, North West, was affected by fire.

The main lodge burned down, however rooms have not been affected. The lodge is not operational, as the kitchen and reception area have been affected.

Coral Tree Cottages

These cottages were not affected by the fires in the region and are open for business!!

The Plettenberg Park Hotel & Spa

Hotel and Spa did not survive the Garden Route fires.

The hotel was situated in a private nature reserve, on Robberg Road, Plettenberg, Western Cape.

Note-worthy visitors who visited the hotel include Nelson Mandela and Richard Branson.

Discover the Joy of the Open Air

The views are stunning, the air is clean, fresh and bracing...

The Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Park boasts the highest concentrations of rock art south of the Sahara, spectacular mountain peaks, rich biodiversity and rare fossils, bringing together the best of South Africa and Lesotho to form a spectacular cross-border mountain paradise.

Just Another Paradise

Situated on the scenic Route 62 and cupped between the Langeberg and Riviersonderend mountain ranges with the Breede River running through the valley.   

Endless exploration awaits you in the Robertson Wine Valley

Attractions

Attractions and things to do in and around Robertson area - including the towns of Ashton, Montagu, McGregor and Bonnievale. Great variety of things to do with Kids, Hiking trails, Mountain Biking, Cycling, Breede River boat trips, river rafting and fishing, Health and Wellness, Farmers' Markets, Horse riding and Horse Cart Trips, Sky diving, Rock Climbing, Mountain Tractor Rides, Food and Wine pairings, Arts and Crafts, Antiques and Collectibles.

In the Vineyards

SPRING :  The beginning of spring is the beginning of a new growing season in the vineyards. New shoots start emerging from the dormant buds and active growth commences. Spring is a very active time in the vineyards and activities such as fertilizing, shoot thinning and preventative sprays against fungal diseases takes place during this time. Shoot thinning is an activity where unnecessary and unwanted shoots are removed by hand in order to create a canopy microclimate which will be beneficial for wine quality. In areas where vine growing without supplementary irrigation is not possible, growers will also start irrigating during the spring period.

Towards the end of October and beginning of November the vines flower and after berry set the new bunches will start to develop. Other canopy management activities towards the end of spring include shoot positioning and tipping the growing tip of shoots in order to control growing vigor.

                                                                

Safari top the list for family holidays

Safari was by far the most popular family activity in the region, followed by adventure and beach activities. “Wildlife, ecology or bush experiences shared by the entire family are the most popular,” said Christian Grosch, MD of Airboat Afrika.

“Safari is an amazing way to gather the family together and create the experience of lifetime,” said Margie Jordan of US-based Jordan Executive Travel Service. She pointed out that in Southern Africa, families could secure an entire safari lodge.

Top destinations

1.Cape Town and the Western Cape

Cape Town came out as the top destination for families in Southern Africa. The Garden Route was noted for family-friendly options including Ostrich Safari Farm in Oudtshoorn, the Cango Caves, Featherbed Nature Reserve, Birds of Eden and Monkeyland.

2.South Africa

it is well-suited to self-drive holidays. Suggested that the availability of self-catering accommodation options positioned the country well for families.

3.KwaZulu Natal

The warm beaches in KwaZulu Natal were seen as a draw card for families, while uShaka Marine World in Durban was seen as must visit for families. The South Coast region in particular was described as a great family destination because of the many guest lodges, camping grounds and beach activities available. 

4.Botswana

“Botswana is definitely experiencing an increase in family travel,” said Walter Smith, MD of Desert & Delta Safaris.

Botswana offers Mother Nature's natural highlights with ease and authenticity. Small exclusive camps or lodges, private guides and activities focused on real natural experiences.”

5.Other highlights

Namibia was highlighted for the desert activities on offer.

Impodimo Game Lodge

Impodimo Game Lodge is set on a rocky ridge overlooking the vistas within the magnificent malaria-free Madikwe Game Reserve of the North West Province of South Africa.

Rise in the morning to an African dawn and enjoy an early morning game drive with your dedicated professional ranger and tracker. Relax as your ranger guides you through the bush on a custom made open Land Rover searching out the secrets of nature. In the afternoon, when the heat of the African sun has diminished and the shadows are longer, head out on a sundowner safari to watch the sun set on this bushveld paradise and go in search of the more nocturnal creatures that now rule the bush.

Set out on a bush walk with your armed ranger and learn the art of tracking African game, enjoy the trees, birds and stunning scenery.

Bringing brain science to winemaking: SA's world-first 'neurowine'

4 May 2016

A South African team of marketers and neuroscientists have announced the launch of the world's first neurowine, a wine developed by applying techniques usually used in neuroscience to winemaking.
Pieter Walser, a Cape winemaker from the Blankbottle label, partnered with local "neuro-marketing" consultancy Neural Sense to test 21 white and 20 red wine varietals from vineyards across the country.
Walser's emotional and cognitive responses to each taste were assessed, using neuroscience and biometric technologies. The test results were then used to create a perfect blend, a neurowine. It is available as both a red and a white wine.

South Africa is the eighth-largest wine producer in the world. Local wines are increasingly popular overseas, with exports doubling from 2005 to 2015.

The neurowine process
"One of the pieces of technology we used – known as electroencephalography or EEG – is a device which fits around the head and picks up the electrical activity on the surface of one's scalp," said Dr David Rosenstein of Neural Sense.

"It looks at how the brain is functioning and the associated brain waves, which in turn tells us various things about brain activity."
The team of scientists built a model of Walser's brain activity and, coupled with the biometric data, were able to reveal his unconscious responses to the wine-tasting experience.

"This model enabled us to determine what were the best performing aspects of the various varietals he was tasting and identify the top wine varietals that his unconscious appealed to, together with his subjective reporting, to form the neurowine blend," Rosenstein said.

The power of the subconscious
Walser said his preconceptions of what wine should taste like can sometimes get in the way of formulating a blended wine.

"The day I pick them, I taste the grapes and I decide more or less what the wine's going to be like, but it then goes through different phases during the winemaking process so by the time I need to bottle, I can become confused," he said.

The neuroscience method has helped him make his decision. "This neuro-marketing approach has allowed my subconscious, and not my conscious, to do the talking."
The job of a neuroscientist and neuro-marketer is to understand how people experience things, according to 
Neural Sense's Mark Drummond.

"Using neuro-marketing techniques and technologies we are able to explore the subconscious and the underlying emotional drivers that drive decision making," he said.
"This allows us to see into the hearts and minds of consumers, or winemakers in this case, giving us new insight into their experiences which can then be optimised."

Taste it yourself
Walser started his label Blankbottle because he was "fed up of tasting wines with fancy labels and wanted to create a wine brand that you could judge only on quality, not looks."

He said his wines come from an array of vineyards, allowing him to create many different wine styles.
Neurowine will be available at Woolworths

Museums that tell the story of South Africa

1.The Apartheid Museum
En-route to Soweto, this museum is often combined with a day spent in the sprawling township providing a fitting introduction to its past. “The brilliance of the Apartheid Museum is that it presents the historical system which dominated South Africa in the 20th century in clear, graphic and sometimes chilling terms. The experience is made powerful and comprehensible through tremendous thought to the discreet elements which make up the exhibitions, which despite their often horrific content are always clean, clear and audible.”

2.‘Liberation Struggle’ museums 
The establishment of the Constitutional Court on the site of a former prison gave rise to Constitution Hill. Filled with symbolism of freedom and transparency, the site offers tours of buildings that once held heroes of the struggle captive, and now house the court that ensures human rights for all. Liliesleaf, the underground safe-house of ANC activists in the 1960s, was the site of a police raid in 1964 that resulted in the Rivonia Trial, which saw Mandela sentenced to life.
The Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum in Soweto highlights the 1976 uprising of students, and is named for the first youngster to be killed in the tragedy.  Also in the township, the one-time Orlando West residence of the Mandela family, the matchbox-size Mandela House, is a popular stop which displays much Mandela memorabilia.

3. Interpretation Centre Complex, Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site
“The theme of human development is very attractive because people see it as their own history which interests them more than anything else. Our storyline is the biography of humanity looked at in large. Homo naledi [a recent fossil discovery] was a catalyst for huge renewed interest in the shared origins of humanity in Africa.”

4. SAB World of Beer
A museum to the process of beer making, as well as a conference venue, this facility is operated by South African Breweries.  It was voted South Africa’s top tourist attraction in 2009 and 2011, says General Manager, Tony Rubin, and is currently rated second most popular Johannesburg museum on TripAdvisor.

“As a business, World of Beer is evolving all the time,” states Rubin. “In the past 12 months we have improved our offering by doing beer tasting packages, food and beer pairing lunches, Halloween tours, Valentine’s Day packages, rugby packages in partnership with sports marketing companies, Saint Patrick’s Day promotions, a new and improved Tap Room menu, team building packages, the list goes on.”

5. Voortrekker Monument
“The fact that the monument and museum represents and communicates a specific period is part of its DNA. This DNA tells a particular story. Most museums in the country have transformed their displays to include our post-1994 history, despite their themes, which often confuses foreigners who are not familiar with the detail of our country’s transformation.”

Paulsen points out that the facility is the only Afrikaans monument to have been awarded Grade 1 National Heritage Site status post-1994.  It is one of but a few remaining examples of Art Deco architecture, houses what is believed to be one of the longest marble friezes in the world as well as one of the six largest historical tapestries in Africa.

6. Ditsong Museum of Natural History
Visitors to this museum, which records 50 000 visitors a year, will notice some of its star attractions in the grounds – namely the skeleton of a whale fin and dinosaur models. Its human evolution display is a favourite for international visitors, who also take advantage of a behind-the-scenes tour of the Broom Room, named after Dr Robert Broom who discovered Mrs Ples. The room houses many of the most important fossils of early hominids in the world. The Austin Roberts bird hall is also popular, displaying over 870 Southern African bird species.The museum is located in central Pretoria, two blocks away from the Gautrain and Metrorail train station.

The lion - Sylvester relocated

The lion – known as Sylvester – which escaped from Karoo National Park at the end of March, will be relocated to the Addo Elephant National Park, SANParks has announced.

Reports last month that the three-year-old male lion would be euthanised sparked a public outcry.

According to SANParks, the lion will be moved into a boma within an existing 200ha enclosure in the Kuzuko contractual section of the park, where he will be bonded with the two young females who are currently in the enclosure.

 
“This lion, at three years of age, is still young enough to bond with the two females and ultimately establish himself as the resident pride male,” said CEO of SANParks, Fundisile Mketeni.

The lions will then be released into the park to be free-ranging. The fence between Kuzuko and the neighbouring Darlington section of the park is due to be dropped soon, which will then provide the three lions with 60 000 ha over which to roam.
“There is always a risk that this lion may break out again but this will be mitigated to a large extent by reducing any potential conflict with other males, by placing him in a boma within the existing 200ha boma, and ultimately by establishing him as the dominant male,” said Mketeni.

He said the decision was in the best interests of the animal and conservation. “We would like to thank members of the public for their interest in this lion and their continued interest in conservation generally,” he said. “We attempted to respond to every message we received but eventually abandoned this due to the sheer number of messages received in the last two weeks.”

New restaurant opens on Sea Point promenade

Strolla, a new beach side restaurant, has opened on Cape Town’s Sea Point promenade by the Peninsula All-Suite Hotel. Strolla includes a coffee shop, restaurant and bar and offers indoor-outdoor and all-day dining. The restaurant is family friendly and has a kids’ area with beanbags, toys and video games.