Travel Butlers African Safari Blog.

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.

Stay for 5 nights at Dugong Beach Lodge in Vilanculos and enjoy the following all included within your rate :

All meals; FREE Return boat transfer; FREE return flights (including airport taxes) from Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport; All non-motorised water sport PLUS one of the following activities :

Dhow Cruise OR Sundowner Cruise OR 2 hour Guided Trail OR Nature Drive including Worlds View and fishing village OR Complimentary 30 minute massage or beauty treatment of your choice.

Valid for travel between 1 February 2010 and 31 October 2010.

Dugong is situated on the Indian Ocean coastline of Mozambique, within one of the most unique marine and wildlife sanctuaries - ‘The Vilanculos Coastal Wildlife Sanctuary’. A typical day begins with a lovely breakfast savoured amidst the tranquil surroundings of nature. Water sport enthusiasts can look forward to an array of activities, including salt water fly fishing, deep sea fishing, scuba diving, snorkelling, pedal boats and kayaks. Shallow and deepwater reefs reveal beautiful creatures such as great and leatherback turtles, sailfish and manta ray, to name a few.

Although already a beautiful lodge, the Phinda Forest Lodge has undergone a recent refurbishment … and if it was ever possible to improve on perfection - well, they have successfully achieved this !

Forest Lodge is just one of lodges situated in the 22,000 hectare Big 5 Phinda Game Reserve, just 3 hours from Durban.

Forest Lodge is unique, in that it is extremely eco-sensitive, and it is set deep in a sand forest within the heart of the reserve. The refurbishment took over a year to complete, and care was taken to protect the natural surroundings.

The suites all now boast newly tiled bathrooms, and each suite has been completely repainted with colours reflecting the Zulu culture and which accentuate the dark, handsome furniture used throughout. Each suite now offers complete privacy and intimacy.

The main guest area in the lodge has also been extended, with over 100 square metres (330 square feet) being added to the deck, splitting it now into 2 levels. The boma area has also been completely rebuit, with the addition of an elevated platform designed to accommodate nighttime choir performances for guests enjoyment while dining around the open fire under the stars.

And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better … you can also stay here for 4 nights and only pay for 3 between the 6th April and the 10th October (excluding the World Cup period).

So go on … why not ask us to check availability for you now so that you can experience this all for yourself ?

Stay for 3 nights for the price of 2 at The Bishops’ Court or The Constantia in Cape Town, The Franschhoek in the Winelands, or The Long Beach in Kommetjie.

The offer is valid for any bookings during March and April (excluding Easter).

Full gourmet breakfast, all beverages including premium spirits and bespoke wines, in-room mini bar, internet and email access, secretarial services and personal concierge services are included.

The rate excludes lunch and dinner, laundry service, in-house chauffeur transfers and tour services, special chef services and gratuities.

Contact Travel Butlers now to make a booking !

Aquavit is a charming guest house situated in Plettenberg Bay, offering stunning panoramic views of the Tsitsikamma and Outeniqua Mountains and the coastal beaches lapped by the Indian Ocean.

For the real romantics, Aquavit are offering a 3 night special package, including a private helicopter trip to a deserted beach, and overflowing picnic basket.

Click here to read more about this and to ask us to make a booking for you !

Hidden in lush riverside forest, offering spectacular views of the Marico River and the surrounding bush and its wildlife, Makanyane Safari Lodge offers you the ultimate luxury safari experience within 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.

If you book to stay here before the 31st December 2009 for travel between 1st May 2010 and 30th September 2010 (excluding the period between 1st June 2010 and 31st July 2010), you can enjoy 3 nights for the price of 2.

Click here to ask us to check availability for you and to make a booking !

Stay for 4 nights for the price of 3 at Makanyane Safari Lodge in the malaria-free Madikwe Game Reserve.

Hidden in lush riverside forest, offering spectacular views of the Marico River and the surrounding bush and its wildlife, Makanyane Safari Lodge offers you the ultimate luxury safari experience. 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.

House wines, local beers and spirits, soft drinks and mineral waters, breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, teas, coffee and cakes, lunch (on day of arrival and departure if required), 2 game drives each day in open 4-wheel drive vehicles, spotlight game drives at night, game walks accompanied by an experienced ranger, transfers from the air strip in Madikwe Game Reserve, visits to hides, emergency medical evacuation insurance and use of gym are included.

This offer is only valid for bookings made before 31st December 2009 for travel between 1 January 2010 and 10 December 2010, but is NOT available for travel between the 1st June 2010 and the 31st July 2010.

Please click here to read more and to ask us to check availability and make a booking for you !

Ellerman House is a spectacular landmark in the premier Cape Town suburb of Bantry Bay, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, and even more so now that it has just undergone an extensive refurbishment.

The bathrooms of the 11 elegant rooms, including the fabulous Ellerman Suite and East Wing Suite, have all been fitted with chrome fittings, and all the individually designed and luxurious bedrooms have new colours and soft furnishings, plus plasma TVs.

The entire house has also been repainted, and the staff are all eagerly looking forward to welcoming guests over the forthcoming season.

Botswana has experienced abnormally heavy rains during its flood season this year, which has led to exceptionally high water levels in the Okavango Delta.

The rain that fell was about 600 mm compared to the usual 400 mm, but it has been the distribution of the rain over the whole growing season which has made the difference. Many marshes are now full of water and will probably remain so throughout the winter, and some riverbeds, which have been dry for decades, are flowing strongly.

This has all had a positive impact on the majority of animals found in the region. The area is expecting a record crop of young antelope this year, which in turn, will have a positive effect on the predator populations in months and years to come.

Some lodges are also going to be offering catch-and-release fishing to guests. Guests will be be able to enjoy relaxing on a boat and soaking in the views while waiting for the fish to bite.

Other activities offered by lodges will include :

Eagle Island Camp is offering guests a combination of a helicopter and motorboat game-viewing experience. Guests start the trip with a helicopter flight over the main tributaries and then land on a deserted island to enjoy a champagne brunch, returning to camp via motorboat.

Nxabega Okavango Tented Camp and offering scenic boat rides from the camp to the Moremi Game Reserve. After an early breakfast at the camp, guests will depart at 7 am for a full-day boating adventure across the Delta. Guides will point out some of the main attractions including water lilies, reed frogs, dragonflies, unusual antelope species and an array of birdlife. A full picnic lunch will be served on a deserted Delta island. The adventure ends back at the camp in time for afternoon high tea.

The beautiful new Amani Spas at Earth Lodge and Bush Lodge offer a full range of treatments and therapies.

They complement Sabi Sabi’s ethos of creating a space at one with nature, where all things exist in harmony. Just weeks after opening, the spa at Earth Lodge has been named as a finalist in the annual South African Spa Awards, presented by Les Nouvelles Esthetiques. Winners will be announced in July.

On offer are holistic body, skin and beauty rituals, rejuvenating massages and soothing treatments designed to relax, harmonise and heal body and soul. Sessions are tailored to individual needs, and a popular option is a ‘couple’s package’ where guests enjoy treatments simultaneously in a special suite. Amani means ‘Peace’ in Swahili, and the new spas reflect this throughout each treatment.

At Earth Lodge, the Pango Room (’cave’ in Ki-Swahili) offers a fabulous ‘rasul’ treatment - a cleansing mud treatment combined with heat, steam and shower. All the other spa treatment rooms are beautifully crafted in Earth Lodge’s distinctive style and offer a full range of spa therapies.

The Bush Lodge treatment suites all have breathtaking views of the unending bushveld. There is also an outdoor treatment area and shower.

Amani’s philosophy is “to create the ultimate African Bush Spa experience that is pampering, unique and memorable, by creating an enchanting ambience of absolute tranquillity that reflects the soul of Africa with its natural elements & textures.”