Travel Butlers African Safari Blog.

It may sound like somewhere from a Scooby Doo movie, but Ghost Mountain Inn is definately somewhere to be considered if you have time to explore KwaZulu-Natal and Swaziland.

The family run hotel has completed a R10 million refurbishment that included a new hotel entrance and paved parking, and the upgrading of 8 family rooms to substantially more spacious rooms, complete with a sofa and lounge area, and flat screen TVs with satellite channels. These rooms also have beautiful new bathrooms, and also boast patios overlooking the indigenous garden or the pool.

The main terrace and Roy’s bar has also undergone a facelift, and now is again more spacious, with elegant African décor and furnishings. The terrace is air-conditioned and has a large fireplace for the cooler months.

The hotel is certainly centrally located for exploring the numerous game and coastal reserves of the area, and in its own right also offers a wealth of activities including amazing boat trips on Lake Jozini.

For anyone considering a family holiday AFTER the World Cup this summer, we have some great news for you.

AmaKhosi Lodge not only welcomes children of any age, BUT from the 14th July 2010 until the end of August, children STAY FOR FREE !

The lodge has 2 family suites, which both have a separate lounge area with fold out beds for the children. They are also introducing a Childrens Programme, starting 1st April 2010, which will include activities such as fabric painting, movie watching (with popcorn!), and an exciting Goody Bag.

The 12,000 hectare reserve is home to Africa’s Big 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) as well as giraffe, warthog and hyena, hippopotamus and crocodile. There are also no less than 400 bird species.

The water level in the Zambezi has risen substantially, and as a result it is too high to safely do any more white water rafting.

The rafting will reopen in early June 2010.

For anyone planning their South African holiday in advance, it is so refreshing to have just heard that the Amakhala Game Reserve have announced that they are HOLDING their current 2010 rates throughout 2011.

They are also going to continue to offer the excellent Special Offer deal of Stay for 4 Nights, Pay for 3 during January, February, March and April 2011, and during the low season months of May, June, July, August and September 2011 they are offering a Stay for 3 nights, Only Pay for 2 deal.

All in all - a winner all round for anyone wanting to experience exciting game drives in search of the Big 5 in a malaria-free environment !

Call us now to make your booking …. why wait any longer !!

Abalone Guest Lodge, situated situated midway between the town centre and the beautiful white beaches of Hermanus, has re-opened its doors and is welcoming guests again, having just finished an extensive renovation project, which has seen this extremely popular guest house shut for several months.

The renovations have included the introduction of a water-wise indigenous garden, a sparkling rim-flo swimming pool, and extensive rain water reservoirs. The interior has also undergone a facelift, with some major changes to the rooms, now enabling guests staying here to enjoy not only more privacy but also to take advantage of the beautiful views.

Delta Airlines have just announced that they are adding more services from Atlanta in the States to Johannesburg in July and August.

This is in response to an increase in demand for flights - and as a result, more than 4,700 extra seats are being offered over these months alone.

The additional flights will be on a B777-200LR aircraft, which offers 45 fully flat / 180 degree seats in BusinessElite and 233 seats in economy class. In seat entertainment is available on demand at every seat too throughout the aircraft.

Here’s to welcoming even more American tourists to South Africa soon !

Stay for 5 nights for the price of 4 at More Quarters Apartments in Cape Town. Offer valid for travel between 1 December 2010 and 31 January 2011 (but excluding travel over the Christmas and New Period between 20th December 2010 and 7th January 2011).

The More Quarters apartments are conveniently located just off fashionable Kloof Street, with some of Cape Towns’ finest restaurants just a leisurely stroll away. Enjoy the buzz and breakfast at an array of street side cafes, and be pampered by the committed staff during your stay here.

Guests can choose from luxury one or 2 bedroomed apartments, or Redcliffe House, which has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.

For us, staying at Saamrus Guest Farm was one of the key nights of our recent business trip over to South Africa, as we are using here as a base for fans going to the first England game of the World Cup, in Rustenburg on June 12th.

All I can say is … what a find.

Locationwise, it is perfect. It is only about a 90 minute drive from the Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport, and within minutes of leaving the airport you are soon driving away from the city smog and travelling through countryside. From Saamrus then onto Rustenburg itself is only about 35-40 minutes - you literally turn right out of the driveway, then right again after a few yards … and this is then the main road into Rustenburg. The Rustenburg stadium itself is out the other side of Rustenburg, about 20 km in a place called Phokeng, but there is going to be a Park and Ride on the outskirts of the city to take fans this last little bit.

Anyway, back to our stay at Saamrus.

The approach is quite adventurous, you travel for about 2 km down a farm track which when it rains would be pretty impassable for a normal 2WD hire car (but the owners do have plans to upgrade this road anyway) - thankfully in June it will be the dry season here, so nobody will have to worry about their car getting stuck !

You pass a couple of other properties on the way, and eventually arrive at Saamrus Guest Farm. An enthusiastic welcome awaits you in the form of a tiny Jack Russell and her much larger Ridgeback companion, who will, given half the chance, lick you to death as a greeting.

The guest farm is run by a lovely couple, Annatjie and Chris, who escaped the Johannesburg rat race with their son a few years ago and bought the guest farm, with the intention of running a business offering a weekend retreat for local Jo’burger and Pretorians. And they have been very successful at it !

The international market is not their normal clientele, but they are looking forward to playing host to the variety of fan groups that will no doubt be staying with them at different times over the World Cup period. And they completely understand that the fans are here for the football … and as such, for this period only, they are putting a TV into each cottage.

There are 8 cottages in total - 2 down near Annatjie’s and Chris’s home, and the remaining 6 up a rather steep cobbled track, which can only be accessed by a 4WD - but don’t worry, Chris will be acting as chauffeur and is happy to ferry people up to their cottage as and when required if you don’t fancy walking it. Hire cars will be perfectly safe parked outside Annatjie’s and Chris’s cottage, especially with the 2 dogs acting as unofficial guard dogs too !

Some of the cottages would benefit from a touch of paint on the outside, but once inside all of them are clean and very comfortable. The open plan lounge / dining area has a wood burning stove, and an extremely well kitted out kitchen area, with a sink, fridge/freezer, microwave, 2 ring hob, pans, cutlery and crockery, plus a dining table. Some cottages are just one bedroomed, others 2 bedroomed, and some have additional day beds in the lounge area. The bathrooms are pretty small - some have a bath with a shower over the bath, some just a shower. For the ladies, please note that there is NOT a hairdryer - so take your own if you need one !

Outside there is a stoop / veranda and a braai / BBQ, and you can buy wood from Chris so you don’t have to worry about this - but you will need to buy firelighters or else you may be waiting a long time to eat !!

The nearest supermarket for buying your provisions is about a 20 minute drive away in Magliesburg, or there is a large shopping mall in Rustenburg if you are happy to travel a bit further - this may give you a slightly better choice of food. For our fans, Annatjie is also going to offer a breakfast basket which will be delivered to each cottage in the morning - fans will need to pre-order this via us (we need to confirm the cost) before their stay, but more details will be sent out shortly to everyone concerned.

We sat outside last Sunday night for about 4 hours … we enjoyed a braai, and then just sat and enjoyed the peace and quiet and starwatched … true, there is a faint rumble of noise from the nearby road about 2 km away, but it didn’t really interfere with the peace that much ! However, don’t forget that June in South Africa is Winter … so do take lots of warm clothes if you plan to sit outside !!

Book 3 nights at Lion Sands River Lodge in the Sabi Sand Reserve and receive 2 nights FREE in Cape Town, either in a Standard Room at the Cape Cadogan, or a Luxury Apartment at More Quarters Apartments !

Both the properties in Cape Town are conveniently located just off fashionable Kloof Street, with some of Cape Towns’ finest restaurants just a leisurely stroll away.

Valid for travel between 1 April 2010 and 30 September 2010 (excluding travel over the World Cup period, between 1st June 2010 and 18th July 2010) AND between 1 December 2010 and 31 January 2011 (excluding travel over the Christmas and New Year period between 20th December 2010 and 7th January 2011). This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

We visited here very quickly for a whistle stop tour around this guest house on Monday 22nd February.

As the name suggests, Edelweiss’s main market is corporate business people, but definately do NOT let this put you off staying here … it is absolutely lovely.

It is an easy 45 minute drive up from Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport, so ideal for anyone needing to overnight near the airport before their morning flight up to Victoria Falls or over to Kruger for example, and who wants to stay somewhere with more personality and hospitality than an airport hotel, or for those who don’t want to battle with the heavy traffic into Sandton (until at least the Gautrain is functional !).

The guest house is run by Louisa, who has individually designed all the rooms herself - she could easily get a top paid job as an interior designer !! Each room is styled slightly differently and has a very contemporary feel to the decor. The rooms are large and spacious, the beds looked extremely comfortable, and the bed linen just invites a good nights sleep !

There is a light and airy breakfast room (I can’t comment on the breakfast spread because we arrived there too late), and outside there is a small pool and deck area for catching the Pretoria sunrays.

There is secure parking at the property, but be warned … the driveway is both steep AND at an awkward angle … I successfully left a lot of rubber on the driveway as I attempted to wheelspin my way up there - only to fail and glide gracefully back down the driveway into the middle of the road - which luckily, being in a suburb, is VERY quiet !!

Despite the driveway adventure, I would definately highly recommend this guest house to anyone !