Safari lodges are one of the most popular places for overseas guests to get married in, and these really are ideal for couples wishing to combine romance, luxury and exclusivity with a safari adventure. The African bushveld forms a breathtaking backdrop for a wedding and safari lodges are, in themselves, immensely romantic locations.

A truly wonderful spot to say your vows can be found on the Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, which forms part of the Sabi Sand Reserve in the Greater Kruger National Park.

“Fig Tree Crossing” is a dry, sandy river bank next to a huge rock, behind which grows an enormous sycamore fig tree, which during the day spreads its dappled shade across the top of the rock, making it a perfect shady spot. A wedding table is set up in the riverbed, covered in a crisp white linen cloth that contrasts beautifully against the natural colours of the bush, and decorated simply with some driftwood, pods and wild flowers. Champagne is put on ice, and chairs are set for the guests and the priest.

The bride and groom exchange their vows in front of their guests, and their new wedding rings are blessed on a porcupine quill. After the ceremony, the couple move slightly off to have their unforgettable wedding day photos taken around the rock, the tree and on the sandy river bed before celebrating with their family and friends with the now very chilled champagne.

Everyone then travels back to the lodge on an open game viewing vehicle for the wedding breakfast.

On returning to the lodge the festivities kick off with singing and dancing with members from the local Shangaan community. All guests are actively encouraged to participate in the dancing and celebrating. When the evening eventually winds down, the newly weds will retire to their “honeymoon” suite, which will have been decorated with rose petals, candles and champagne - the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Azura is Mozambique’s first luxury ‘eco’ boutique retreat. Built entirely by hand by the local community and operated in partnership with them, it has just 14 villas, each with their own infinity pool and designed for both pampering and barefoot escapism. There is also a spa, with 2 double treatment rooms located right on the beach and open to the breezes.

Guests here recently have been lucky enough to enjoy the company of some special visitors … .3 humpback whales are currently residing in the ocean just a short way from the island. Snorkelling and diving trips have meant guests get really close up to these gentle giants of ocean.

Other exciting ocean sightings include the elusive dugongs, baby manta rays, eagle rays and sharks.

Despite being a natural honeymoon destination, Azura is also very popular with families, and they have a new specific kiddies programme to keep the youngsters happy while their parents relax and enjoy the pure white sand and sparkling turquoise seas that Azura is famed for. Click on the link below to read more about what is on offer for families :

Children’s Programme

Finally, as already mentioned, Azura are very active within the local community, and they have just opened the island’s only school which they have built, helped by many guests who have generously contributed to Azura’s Rainbow Fund. Not only do the children have a brand new school building but they will soon be smartly kitted out in school uniform donated by one of the guests.

For the epitome in luxury travel, why not consider taking a classic train journey across South Africa’s beautiful countryside as part of your holiday plans.

For a limited period only (ie selected dates in September), we are offering a 7 night package that includes 2 nights at the St James in False Bay, followed by 2 nights on the exclusive Rovos Rail up to Pretoria, then one night in Pretoria itself, and ending with 2 nights on safari at the malaria-free Entabeni Private Game Reserve.

For more information, click on this link :

Cape Town, Rovos Rail and a Safari

Please contact us immediately to check availability and make a booking.

The warm Indian Ocean waters play at the feet of the exquisite Views Boutique Hotel & Spa. An idyllic paradise from which to unlock the secrets of South Africa’s famed Garden Route, and a mere 20 minutes from George Airport, this luxury hotel perches high over the spectacular coastline.

The expansive Wilderness Beach is reason enough to visit Views. Here it really does seem as though time has stood still with kilometers of safe, secluded and uninterrupted beach waiting to be discovered at the bottom of the boardwalk. The coast is constantly patrolled by dolphins, often seen exuberantly surfing the break. In calving season Southern Right whales use this area as a nursery sometimes coming close inshore, allowing a privileged sighting.

Views Boutique Hotel & Spa has 18 exquisitely furnished rooms and suites designed for absolute comfort. Modern, eclectic and fresh, all have private en-suite bathrooms that are sure to delight. Natural light floods through frameless glass windows, bringing the outdoors in - offering spectacular Indian Ocean views to the south and the Outeniqua Mountains to the north.

So rather than rush a stay here … why not stay for longer AND take advantage of these Special Offers we are running from now until December 2011 :

Stay 4 Nights, Only Pay for 3
Stay 5 Nights, Only pay for 4
Stay 7 Nights, Only pay for 5

Contact us now to enquire about availability and to make a booking !

Stay for 4 nights and only pay for 3 at Pestana Inhaca Lodge, just 40 km off the coast of Mozambique.

The lodge is situated on Inhaca Island, a small inhabited island lying just 40 km off the Mozambican capital of Maputo and positioned at the entrance to Delagoa Bay, and easily accessible by boat, ferry or small plane from Maputo.

The island is a great destination for anyone who wants to enjoy the relaxed rhythms of a small, semitropical, Indian Ocean island.

The Pestana Inhaca Lodge is situated on the beach front, amongst coconut palm groves and luxuriant tropical vegetation. There are a total of 40 en-suite rooms situated amidst exotic gardens. All the rooms have air-conditioning and ceiling fans.

Activities that can be enjoyed during a stay at the hotel include water skiing, wind surfing, snorkelling, sailing boat trips, walking trails, excursions to the lighthouse and the Museum of Marine Biology, as well as visits by boat to Portuguese Island, Santa Maria Island and Turtle Island, fishing and whale watching. The outdoor salt water swimming pool is ideal for relaxing around, or for the more energetic there is a fitness room and a tennis court.

For families, the Kids Club provides entertainment for younger guests, and there is also a games room complete with table tennis, pool table, darts and table games, and a TV room.

Located in the game-rich Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve, Sabi Sabi Little Bush Camp is a wonderful place to spend a few days on safari.

Not only can you experience superb game viewing in open Land Rovers, accompanied by an experienced ranger and eagle-eyed tracker, inbetween the game drives you can now enjoy relaxing in your private spa bath, on your private viewing deck.

Each of the 6 suites here have just been upgraded to include a spa bath on each deck, offering a delightfully decadent vantage point from which to watch the bushveld. All suites also have en-suite bathrooms with both indoor and outdoor showers, and kingsize beds draped in romantic mosquito netting. Individually styled using African artifacts, beautiful wooden furnishings and luxurious linens, you may not even want to leave your suite at all !

If you book BEFORE 31st July, you can take advantage of 2 special offers currently being offered by Makanyane Safari Lodge, in the malaria-free Madikwe Game Reserve, which boasts 76,000 hectares of Big 5 game viewing territory. As well as elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo, the reserve is also home to wild dog, cheetah, plains game including gemsbok, springbok, zebra and giraffe, and over 340 species of birds.

Stay for 3, Pay for 2 - Valid for travel between 1st May 2010 and 30th September 2010.

AND

Stay for 4, Pay for 3 - Valid for travel between now and the 10th December 2010.

Unfortunately, neither offer is valid over the World Cup period (1st June 2010 until end July 2010).

Makanyane Safari Lodge offers you the ultimate luxury safari experience. Each of the 8 luxurious suites has an open fronted lounge and a private sundeck. Glass walled bedrooms and bathrooms offer uninterrupted views of the bush and the Marico River.

The spectacular bathrooms have a freestanding bath as well as indoor and outdoor showers, and the wide, folding doors can be opened to allow the sounds and scents of the surrounding bush to join you while relaxing in the bathtub.

From now until the 19th December (excluding the World Cup period), for anyone wanting to sample the new One&Only Hotel in Cape Town can stay there for 4 nights, and only pay for 3 !

The One&Only Cape Town is an urban chic waterfront resort with captivating views of Table Mountain.

At the heart of One&Only Cape Town, on its own private island in the centre of the waterway, lies an exclusive, unparalleled spa retreat.

Two Michelin-starred chefs headline the resort’s dining choices, with the legendary Nobu Matsuhisa and cutting-edge star Gordon Ramsay both opening their first venues in Africa.

The 131 spacious rooms and suites are adorned with fabrics and furnishings recalling the warm, muted tones of Africa’s savannahs, with bright splashes of colour paying tribute to the land’s vibrant personality.

Just have to share this Special Offer with you all !

For anyone looking for the ‘best of the best’, and wanting to combine a stay in Cape Town as well as a safari in the exclusive Sabi Sands Reserve, which adjoins the Kruger National Park, this may well be of interest to you !

If you book 4 nights at Singita Ebony OR Singita Boulders, as well as 4 nights at the One&Only Cape Town, between now and the end of May 2010, you receive a complimentary private Land Rover and guide AND a complimentary night at One&Only Cape Town.

At Singita, Sabi Sand: You receive 4 nights accommodation; a private Land Rover and guide for the duration of your stay, valued at R18,000; breakfast, lunch and dinner daily; teas and coffees and all drinks*; game drives and walking safaris; laundry and valet service.

At One&Only Cape Town: You receive 4 nights accommodation and only pay for 3; an upgrade to the next available room category, subject to availability; full buffet breakfast in maze by Gordon Ramsay; first pressing complimentary; 24 hour One&Only butler service.

Contact us NOW to check availability and to request a quote !

*Includes all premium wines, spirits and liqueurs and excludes champagne

Stay for 6 nights for the price of 5 at Vamizi Island Lodge in Quirimbas Archipelago. All meals, soft drinks, local beers and spririts, guided activities, one scuba dive per day and boat transfers are included.

A slender coral island just off Mozambique’s remote northern coast, Vamizi Island’s near perfect white coral beaches and breathtakingly beautiful shallows are just the tip of the tropical iceberg.

Beneath the surface of the Vamizi seas is an outstanding reefscape - mountains, valleys, plateaux and cliffs, teeming with a bewildering amount of sea life - from whales, dolphins, turtles and reef sharks to Gregorian corals and giant clams.

Some of the dives here are said to be the best in the world, and the deep sea fishing better than the whole East African coast. Other water activities include snorkelling trips, castaway picnics, whale watching expeditions, and trips out in kayaks and traditional dhows.

Valid for travel between 1 February 2010 and 31 December 2010. Some exclusion dates apply.