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.

Commencing on May 4th, Comair (operated by BA), will be introducing a new flight schedule between Johannesburg (airport code JNB) and the Kruger Mpumalanga / Nelspruit airport (airport code MQP).

The flights will run daily (apart from on Saturdays).

From Johannesburg, the flight number is BA 6251, and will depart at 10.40 am, landing at Kruger Mpumlanga at 11.20 am. The return flights depart Kruger Mpumalaga at 12.05 pm, landing at Johannesburg at 12.45 pm – flight number BA 6252.

The Kruger Mpumalanga Airport is ideal for safaris in the Southern part of the Sabi Sands Reserve – so lodges such as Inyati, Lion Sands River, Lion Sands Ivory, Exeter River, Exeter Dulini, Exeter Leadwood, Leopard Hills and Notten’s Bush Camp.

Now this is a REAL turn up for the books !!

Gondwana Game Reserve are running a Special Offer during the World Cup period … one of the very few places, indeed, it may be the ONLY place, to do this ! Hats off to them for recognising this great marketing opportunity !

Anyway, between 1st June 2010 and 31st July 2010, guests can stay at Gondwana for 3 nights, and only pay for 2 !

The Gondwana Game Reserve is one of the first and only authentic Big 5 private game reserves in the Western Cape, located 15 km west of Mossel Bay. Set on 10,000 hectares of dramatic terrain consisting of open grass plains, indigenous fynbos and undulating valleys surrounded by the Outeniqua Mountains, the Gondwana Game Reserve will be uniquely different to any other safari destination in South Africa.

The setting is remote yet easily accessible to the Garden Route, with its beautiful beaches and some of the best golf courses in the world, and only 3.5 hours from Cape Town. The area is also well known for its moderate year-round climate.

Safaris are conducted in open game viewing vehicles in the Big 5 malaria-free reserve, and horse-back safaris will be possible in a fenced off area of the reserve.

The iconic 5* Mount Nelson Hotel, in the leafy suburb of Oranjezicht in Cape Town, is offering a Stay for 4 Nights, Only Pay for 3 for any new bookings between now and the end of August (excluding the World Cup period).

Nestled at the foot of Table Mountain and set in 9 acres of lush gardens, the Mount Nelson Hotel is one of Cape Town’s most established and distinguished hotels, offering unparalleled tradition, history and luxury.

The Hotel boasts 4 individual accommodation wings, each with its own unique character, private gardens and facilities.

The Superior rooms are spacious and elegant, and the Luxury rooms have an understated old-world charm, with views of the magnificent gardens, Table Mountain or a balcony overlooking a tinkling fountain courtyard. For guests requiring more spacious accommodation, the Junior Suites consist of a bedroom with a large lounge area, and the Deluxe Suites have a separate living and dining area.

For anyone holidaying in Cape Town between now and the end of May, why not take advantage of this superb offer from O on Kloof, a luxury boutique hotel situated in the vibrant Bantry Bay area of Cape Town.

The offers are Stay for 3 nights, only Pay for 2 nights, OR Stay for 4 nights, only Pay for 3 nights.

Guests can choose from 8 individually decorated suites. When not exploring the sights, you can arrange a spa treatment, work out in the private gym, swim a few laps in the heated indoor pool or enjoy a quiet corner of the landscaped gardens. For a superb way to end your day, there is no better place to unwind other than on your private deck – the perfect spot from which to watch the sun set and the city lights come to life below.

Contact us now to enquire about availability !

Travel Butlers are delighted to announce that they are running a Special Offer during April and May for anyone wanting to go on safari in the Eastern Cape.

For this limited period ONLY, guests wanting to stay at either Bukela Lodge OR Hlosi Lodge, in the 7,000 malaria-free Amakhala Game Reserve, can stay here for only R2,350 per person per night (versus a published rate of R2,760 per person per night).

This rate includes your accommodation, all meals, teas, snacks and 2 daily safaris and guided walks per day.

A single supplement of 50% applies. Children are also welcome at Hlosi Lodge.

The Amakhala Game Reserve is less than an hours drive from Port Elizabeth. The abundant wildlife includes lion, cheetah, black and white rhino, elephant, giraffe, zebra and buffalo.

We stayed at Billy’s Lodge, in the Balule Game Reserve, for just one night in February.

Firstly, getting here … true, we stayed in Dullstroom (Critchley Hackle) the night before, so we knew we only had a relatively short drive that morning, but even so, it was less than 3 hours from here via the Strydom Tunnel (tunnel ?? … ha ha … blink and you will miss it !!), so from Jo’burg I reckon it will take about 5-6 hours only if you are driving. If you fly into Hoedspruit Airport, however, you are looking at about a 30 minute drive / road transfer.

To enter the reserve cost us just R60 (although the published entrance fee is R70 – but I wasn’t going to argue with them !! ), and then from the gate to the lodge was very easy … follow the road, turn left at the sign … and we were there! The road was perfectly OK to drive in a saloon car (we had a Toyoto Corolla).

Upon arrival, we parked in the shaded parking area, and were greeted by a cold drink and a face cloth. And had our first wildlife sighting … a tiny tiny bush baby, who had made its home in the thatch just above the main entrance !!

We had to wait for our room to be finished, but that was no hardship at all … we were taken out onto the wooden viewing deck where we just sat and just enjoyed the sounds of the bush. There is also another viewing platform, up high … great views but I don’t like heights very much, so climbing up there and back down again via the wooden staircase was not something I particularly enjoyed !!

Lauren, the manageress, came to find us when our room was ready … what a great girl. The lodge is actually her family home (her mother, Tess, runs the Reservations Office from Johannesburg), so she has lived here all her life … lucky lucky lucky !!

Our room was lovely – rondavel style, so round in shape, with a small tea / coffee station, a comfy bed complete with romantic mosquito net, and an en-suite bathroom with a large walk-in shower.

The lodge has just 4 rondavels in total, so a maximum of 8 guests, so it really is an ‘intimate’ safari experience.

And very reasonably priced … between now and the beginning of December (excluding the World Cup period), rates are just R2,140 per person per night if you book with Travel Butlers. The rate includes all meals, and morning / afternoon guided game drives.

There were just 4 of us for our game drive, and we met our ranger, Jonathan, who had just joined Billy’s only recently from another reserve / lodge. Again, great guy … friendly, knowledgeable, enthusiastic … all the qualities you want from your ranger really !

No sooner had we driven out of the camp, we met a giraffe, and then tracked a MASSIVE bull elephant, who later that evening reappeared back at the camp, and wandered around immediately under the viewing deck … we were able to stand VERY quietly on the walkway looking down on him … I swear we were only a few feet away.

The highlight of the drive was tracking the lions tho … we tracked them this afternoon, and caught a fleeting glance of 2 lionesses just before they disappeared into the bush, but the next morning we actually tracked and found the 2 male lions of the pride, lying in the shade of a bush and who really didn’t care whether we were there or not … so we got some great photos !

That is one advantage of a safari in this reserve (aside from it being ‘fences down’ with Kruger and also being home to Africa’s Big 5) – because the reserve is also ‘home’ to less lodges, your ranger and tracker have to ‘work’ that much harder to find the animals (versus a lodge in say Sabi Sands, where you have more lodges, so therefore more vehicles out on game drives … so you can go on a drive and just wait for the sightings to be called in over the radio by the other rangers !!) … in Balule, however, you actually do some proper tracking … it is so satisfying !!

True, the vegetation is thicker than you will see in other reserves such as Sabi Sands – there are definately more bushes and trees and not so many open spaces, so the slight downside is that you won’t get to see such large herds of wildlife together here. If you like birding, the birdlife is extremely good.

Oh yes, another nice touch was that when we got back from the afternoon game drive, Lauren ‘hosted’ a wine tasting for us all down in the wine cellar – I believe she offers this to all new arrivals, so we were not just singled out for special treatment.

Before we left the reserve the next day, we were taken up to their other lodge, Ezulwini River, for a quick look around. Ezulwini River is much further into the reserve, so from the gate I reckon it will take about an hour to drive here through the reserve. Again, another great lodge – lovely rooms, great guest areas.

It was my first time to Balule, and I sincerely hope it will not be my last. I enjoyed it immensely, I would have NO hesitation in recommending Billy’s, Ezulwini River Lodge OR the reserve to anyone, and overall, 10 out of 10 for everthing.

We visited this guest house, situated in the quiet suburb of Benoni and just a short, convenient drive from Johannesburg Airport, on 22nd February for a flying visit.

I don’t believe it has been ‘officially’ graded by the TGSCA, but I would say it is definately a 3* standard.

The rooms are clean and comfortable, and are fairly basic in terms of their furnishings, but they are all en-suite – some have just a shower, some have a bath with a shower over – and they all have their own entrance which opens out onto the pleasant garden. If you are on a budget, then they are absolutely ideal – the current published rate until the end of July 2010 (excluding the World Cup period) are just R650 per room per night, including breakfast.

The breakfasts have the choice of cereals, juice and a small fry-up if you want more, served in a large dining area just off the garden, whose only downside is the slightly dated tables / chairs if I must be totally honest.

The owner, Vees, is very friendly, and he would bend over backwards to help anyone out … in fact, I know this for sure as my colleague was ‘stuck’ in Jo’burg in early January as her flight home was grounded due to bad weather here in the UK, and he came out to pick her up, spent time online finding out about the next available flight for her, and also took her back to the airport the next day.

Overall, Albatross Guest House does exactly what it says on the can, so to speak !

For guests staying at Exeter Leadwood, in the world-acclaimed Sabi Sand Game Reserve, they are in for a special treat should they choose to go on a guided bush walk, which is offered every day after breakfast.

The bush walks tend to last about an hour, and guests go out with a ranger (armed with a gun), and explore on foot, looking at interesting things such as plants, spoor, animal tracks, and learning about the smaller wonders of the bush.

Whilst the walks are not generally too tiring or invigorating, you are walking for about an hour to an hour and a half … so what could be nicer than to return to your room, to find some soothing peppermint foot soak as well as a refreshing rock shandy drink, fresh towels, a bowl of warm water and some soothing peppermint oil – all left at the foot of the bed for guests to bathe their tired feet and relax … and just enjoy !!

As with immediate effect, Rissington Inn are abolishing their single supplements.

It is generally common practise world-wide for single travellers to be charged on average a 50% supplement … but at Rissington, they will now pay the same as any one else staying there who is sharing a room with someone.

This is great news, and maybe who knows … more properties may decide to follow suit !

The lodges belonging to the AndBeyond Portfolio (so the lodges in Phinda and Kwandwe, Madikwe Safari Lodge, Exeter River Lodge, Exeter Dulini Lodge, Exeter Leadwood, Ngala Tented Camp, Ngala Safari Lodge) were one of the first safari groups not to impose single supplements as well.