Stay for 3 nights for the price of 2 at Tanda Tula Safari Camp in the 60,000 hectare Timbavati Game Reserve, which is adjacent to the Kruger National Park. This offer is valid for travel up until the end of May 2010.

One of the most luxurious tented safari camps in South Africa, guests at Tanda Tula can enjoy a true bush experience, with plenty of opportunity to view the huge diversity of wildlife that Africa has to offer, including the Big 5.

Early morning and evening safaris are conducted in open Land Rovers, and daily walks are offered with professional rangers and trackers.

For visitors in Cape Town over the Easter weekend, who decide to visit Table Mountain, they may be in for a bit of a surprise. They could be quietly walking around on the top of the mountain, minding their own business and enjoying the sights … when suddenly they see an Easter Bunny hopping around …

And no, it will NOT be anything to do with the high altitude. Instead, it is all thanks to the Table Mountain Cableway, who are hosting some fun family activites over this weekend.

If you spot the Easter Bunny, just take a photo of him on your cell / mobile phone, and send it into this address : photos@tablemountain.net – for your chance to win a set of family tickets for another trip up the Cableway.

Other activities include an Easter egg hunt, Easter basket making, and a visit from the Easter fairy and the Mad Hatter.

If you want to join in the fun, you should meet at the Twelve Apostles Terrace, on the top of Table Mountain, any time between 10 am and 2 pm on each day over the Easter weekend.

The Table Mountain Cafe will also be offering a special Easter menu.

Adults pay R160 per person return and children under 18 years pay R80 per person return. Children under 3 years ride free.

The Cableway operates weather permitting.

For information visit www.tablemountain.net or call 027 (21) 424 8181.

The Cape Grace, in Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront, has just announced that they are adding a new fully equipped fitness room to their facilities, and work is expected to be finished by May 2010.

Work starts today, and is continuining for a week. The work will be carried out between 10 am and 4 pm to minimise disruption to guests as much as possible.

Stay for 3 nights for the price of 2 at Dungbeetle River Lodge near the Addo Elephant National Park between 1st August 2010 and 31st October 2010.

Dungbeetle River Lodge is situated on the banks of the Sundays River alongside the Addo Elephant National Park entrance. There are 6 large, safari type en-suite bedrooms, with old world furnishings and subtly decorated to give you a classy colonial African feel.

Each room has a television and honesty fridge. An expansive deck overlooking the river and sand dunes is an ideal to relax, enjoy your breakfast and take in the beauty of the tranquil setting.

The malaria-free Addo Elephant National Park is one of the most scenic National Parks in South Africa, with rolling green hills covered in thick, lush vegetation, most of it evergreen, so it is attractive at whatever time of year you visit.

Today, it is home to over 450 elephants, who roam freely among the 125,000 hectare reserve alongside the rare black rhino, zebra, kudu and red hartebeest, as well as over 400 bird species – and not forgetting the unique flightless dung beetle, found almost exclusively in Addo.

Addo has the greatest density of elephant per square kilometre in Africa, and offers some wonderful elephant viewing opportunities.

We stayed at Critchley Hackle, in Dullstroom, on 22nd February, as an overnight stop on our way from Johannesburg to the Kruger Park.

First comment … it really is in an excellent location. 2.5 hours easy drive from Johannesburg, and then the next morning it was a 2.5 hours to Kruger (we were heading towards the Balule Game Reserve, just north of Hoedspruit). For people who don’t want a long drive, especially if they have just got off a longhaul flight and had no sleep, then it is absolutely perfect to break the journey, and catch up on some rest so that you wake up fully refreshed the next morning.

The property has different room types – we stayed in a Lake-facing Cottage, which, surprisingly enough, faced the lake ! We had a small verandah with 2 chairs and a little table, so we sat there enjoying a gin and tonic and just relaxing for an hour or so. Very pleasant indeed.

Our room was beautiful – very large, with a kingsize bed and a small sitting area, the en-suite bathroom had a corner bath and a large walk-in shower. All the rooms are decorated individually, but they are all up to the same standard.

The other room types are the standard Cottage rooms, which are slightly less expensive because they are tucked away behind the Lake-facing Cottages so you don’t have a view, and they are maybe not quite as large and spacious … but they are still very comfortable and you can easily walk around to sit by the lake (Critchley Hackle have very thoughtfully put chairs on the grass so you can sit out by the lake if you want, complete with a table inbetween to balance your gin and tonics on too !!).

Then there are the Tower rooms … but don’t get too excited … these are not situated in a tower, they are all on the ground floor but the building has a tower / turret affair coming out of the roof. A bit odd, and also these rooms are still to be refurbished (the bathrooms are not great at the moment), but once they have the bathrooms done up, they will be OK.

Finally, there are the Royal suites … well, there is not much Royal about them at the moment, as they too are in desperate need of being refurbished – the plan is to do this sometime this year, I think … but when they are refurbished, they will be excellent for families, as they have a double bedroom downstairs and a twin bedroom upstairs. At the moment, tho, I would not be happy to recommend them, as they really are pretty tired looking.

We had a lovely pre-dinner drink that evening in the bar, followed by a superb dinner … the food was good, the waiting staff were very attentive, and all in all, it was an enjoyable evening.

Would I recommend this place ? Definately yes.

Mango, the low cost South African airline, is hoping to launch a new service between Johannesburg OR Tambo to Bloemfontein, starting on April 12.

This new service is initially scheduled to fly 4 times weekly (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday). An additional flight, to be operated on Thursdays, is expected to be launched in May.

The flying time will be just over an hour, and the flights are due to depart Johannesburg at 5.55 am, and land at Bloemfontein at 7.05 am. Return flights will depart Bloemfontein at 7.55 pm, landing back at Johannesburg at 8.05 pm.

Fares are expected to start from around R545 per person, including taxes.

Looking for an Easter getaway ?

Pebble Beach Guest House are offering a Stay for 4 nights, Pay for 3 over this period only.

This is an exclusive upmarket guest house, offering a great escape and a chance to relax in beautiful surroundings. The 25th green of the Hermanus Golf Course forms part of the front lawn, and a pathway from the back garden leads you into the Fernkloof Nature Reserve.

Pebble Beach offers exclusive accommodation with 6 innovative designer bedrooms, each with its own finely appointed bathroom and furnished balcony.

A crystal-clear pool is situated amongst wild olive trees in a sun drenched courtyard.

Contact us now to check the availability and make a booking for you !

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

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.