Refurbishment at Cape Town Lodge Hotel

The Cape Town Lodge Hotel, located in the heart of the city bowl on Buitengracht Street, has just completed a small refurbishment in time for the festive summer season. Even though the hotel is privately owned and always kept in pristine condition I’ve been told that management decided to update the look of this intimate hotel. The rooms are now even warmer and more luxurious. The beds are adorned with NEW bed throws and scatter cushions in an ochre and burnt orange floral design. The bed and table lamps have also been replaced. The new rectangular and oval shapes of the lamps give the rooms a very modern edge.

Guests can now also enjoy watching satellite television on 32 inch Flat screen televisions – that’s when you are not enjoying a movie on the 5^th floor cinema style. Cape Town Lodge Hotel converts one of their conference rooms into a cinema every Wednesday, Friday & Saturday night.

The bathroom amenities have also been upgraded and are now displayed on a sleek, clear Perspex stand.

The in-house restaurant “The Famous Butchers Grill” was upgraded earlier this year. This 94 seat steakhouse specialises in South African “A” grade steaks matured to perfection. The walls have been decorated with beautiful wallpaper in cream, black & gold, and the seating has been refurbished in plush fabrics of similar colours.

Cape Town Lodge Hotel is looking even more inviting than ever before, and the staff are looking forward to dazzling both their regular guests as well as new ones with the NEW look.

Mimosa Lodge and Mimosa Boutique Wines once again reap the awards!

Nestled on the foothills of the majestic Langeberg Mountain range in the heart of Montagu on the popular Route 62 is Mimosa Lodge. Only a 2 hour drive from Cape Town, Montagu is the perfect stop between Cape Town and the Garden Route.

Better known for their fine hospitality and superb cuisine, Mimosa is a must visit. Mimosa’s multiple award-winning restaurant is a culinary experience par excellence. Mimosa has received the ”American Express Platinum Fine Dining Award” for the fourth year running. Other awards include “Eat Out’s top 15 People’s Choice Award” in 2008, “Blaison from Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs” & “The AA Traveller Fabulous Food Award” 2007 & 2008

Beautifully appointed en-suite rooms open up onto a rambling garden littered with myriad facilities including a sparkling swimming pool and deck, Bernard’s herb and vegetable garden, croquet lawn and boules pitch.

The garden makes the ideal spot for a tasting of Bernhard’s handcrafted Mimosa wine label. These exceptional wines are handcrafted by award winning Swiss chef, Bernhard Hess & boutique winemaker, Lourens van der Westhuizen. On the foothills of the majestic Langeberg Mountains at the gateway to the arid Karoo, they create a fitting tribute to this collection comprising a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and a heady Shiraz. Complexity meets balance to create elegance in a bottle, seduction for the tongue and sunshine for the soul.

It is not only the Lodge and the restaurant reaping in the awards, but also the wines. The Mimosa Shiraz 2008 and the Mimosa Chardonnay 2009 both received 4 stars in the “John Platter Guide” and and the Mimosa Chardonnay 2009 also picked up 3½ stars from “Wine Magazine”, which is often considered to be an even higher accolade.

Why not explore the Robertson Valley for a more intimate wine route experience or visit the neighbouring towns and villages of Robertson, Bonnievale, McGregor, Ashton, Barrydale and Swellendam. Alternatively, enjoy local sites and relax at the hot springs, lumber along the numerous nature trails or try some rock climbing.

With sweeping views of the majestic mountains, blue skies, excellent conference facilities, idyllic Wedding venue and innumerable culinary delights, Mimosa Lodge is an ideal spot to refresh, revive and rejuvenate.

I don’t like Cricket “oh, no” I love it at the Protea Hotel Waterfront

If you are anything like me, and as always I pray to God that you are not, you will have struggled through this weekend with a bad case of sleep deprivation and woken a little earlier over the last couple of days to race downstairs and check channel 401 for the latest updates from South Australia.

And in this joyous moment of a one nil Ashes lead it is easy to forget that England and Australia are just two nations who enjoy a passion for Cricket.  Once this Ashes series is over thoughts will turn to the ICC Cricket World Cup in India which will take place from 19^th February to 2^nd April and where both South Africa and the hosts will be highly fancied to take the title.

The Protea Hotel Waterfront in Centurion is offering cricket fans a fantastic opportunity to see the Proteas take on India in the first test between 16^th – 20^th December to see the top two ranked Test sides in the world.  This package includes overnight accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis, a welcome drink on arrival the hotel, complimentary transfers to the match and 2 tickets to see the days play. 

The two teams will meet again in a ODI match on back at Supersport Park Cricket Stadium on the 23^rd January and this package will be available then as well.

Centurion is located midway between Johannesburg and Pretoria so and makes an ideal choice of destination from which to explore both of these cities from. There is plenty to do for the whole family in the area. Visit the De Wildt Cheetah Conservation Centre and the Lion and Rhino Parks for some up close encounters with wildlife. The Lion and Rhino Park is situated in the Cradle of Humankind, one of South Africa’s premier archaeology sites and a World Heritage Site.  The Tswaing Crater was formed some 220,000 years ago by a meteorite slamming into the earth’s crust. It is one of the best–preserved terrestrial meteorite impact craters in the world.

The elegant yet affordable 4-star Protea Hotel Waterfront Centurion is located on the safe and tranquil Centurion Waterfront. The Hotel is situated adjacent to the Centurion Mall shopping complex with its variety of restaurants, bars, boutiques, cinemas and banks.  A great choice for an event such as the cricket as it is just 5 minutes door to door. Located on the water’s edge is Protea Hotel Waterfront Centurion’s a la carte restaurant, Emanzini, with its contemporary African atmosphere. The trendy bar and lounge area is the ideal place to come and enjoy a drink and I can highly recommend a plate of sandwiches at the bar if you are looking for a filling snack.

Thank You Cape Town

As I am sure you can imagine it was quite a shock for me last week to go from the warmth of Cape Town to the sub arctic conditions of England. 

This was my back garden last Tuesday to prove my point and many of us struggled through the weather or were stuck completely cut off for days with no human contact.

For all those I had the pleasure to meet on my Cape Town marathon talking to you about Top Secret, Special Offers and Social Media please remember the opportunities are there and I’m always delighted to hear from you.

And through all these cold days memories of Cape Town warmed me up a little so please take a look at my week in Cape Town.