Cape Town #1 on TripAdvisor
Travellers' Choice 2011 Best Destinations in the World

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Describing Tswalu, Travel + Leisure says: “Out on South Africa’s Kalahari plains, the fiery sunsets alone are enough to make visitors giddy. After a day tracking cheetahs and black rhinos on game drives in the largest private nature reserve in South Africa, there’s no better place for you to rejuvenate and reacquaint yourself with your mate.

“Dine on five-star Pan-African cuisine under the Kalahari’s bright nighttime sky before retiring to your spacious thatched-roof legae.”

Tswalu is one of only two properties in Africa to have made the list and the only one in South Africa. It covers an area of 100,000 hectares in the exquisite malaria-free “Green Kalahari” region.

Owned by the Oppenheimer family, this vast and magical landscape is the ancestral home of the San people and conservation is its first priority. Nicky Oppenheimer’s vision is simply to “restore the Kalahari to itself”.

With the focus on conversation tourism, Tswalu is able to offer superlative game and sightings of some of South Africa’s rarest and most extraordinary wildlife, including the desert black rhino, black-maned Kalahari lions, meerkats, cheetah, rare antelope, and the elusive aardvark, aardwolf, pangolin and porcupine.

Catering for just 30 guests in two luxury lodges, the emphasis is on privacy, flexibility and exclusivity, and safari experiences, including game drives, bush walks and horseback safaris, are tailored to suit guests.

Families are welcome and children will revel in the special children’s programme with bush walks, picnics and tracking lessons.

For more information about Tswalu see:
Tswalu Kalahari Reserve

Useful Links:
Kalahari Attractions
Northern Cape Attractions
Northern Cape Hotels
South Africa Hotels

Pezula Spa

Pezula Spa at Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa, Knysna, was named one of the top spas in the world in the Condé Nast Traveller’s annual Readers’ Spa Awards 2011, held in London last week.

The awards highlight the finest spas around the globe including the best hotel spas, spa retreats, day spas and thermal spas, based on readers’ votes on criteria including spa facilities, individual approach, ambience/design, body and facial treatments, amenities and products, exercise programmes, cuisine, as well as quality of service and staff.

Pezula Spa was voted 5^th in the category ‘Hotel spas: Africa, Middle East & the Indian Ocean’,  with an overall score of 92.09. The winner in this category, the Spa at La Mamounia, in Marrakech, was also named the Top Spa in the World with an overall score of 95.57.

Pezula Spa is the only spa in South Africa to have been nominated and one of only two in Africa.

Pezula GM, Gert Venter, said that the award was a huge accolade. “Global recognition for our Spa, its facilities, treatments and staff is the best possible reward for our efforts to provide a world class spa experience for our guests.”

ABOUT PEZULA SPA & GYM

Pezula Spa & Gym is a calm sanctuary that reflects the soul of Africa with its natural elements and textures – reed ceilings, stone walls, rich dark wood and subtle, earthy finishes.

It boasts a state-of-the-art gym, outdoor Jacuzzi, 12m heated indoor pool, sauna, steam room, sun bed, rain forest shower, juice bar, nail bar, hair salon and nine therapy rooms. The post-treatment room with its heated massage waterbeds is one of a kind in Africa.

The superb facilities and hi-tech equipment are complemented by a team of highly trained professionals.

Pezula Signature Treatments harness age-old remedies of nature and offer a unique fusion of therapies. Scrubs, wraps, massages, steam baths, milk baths, and hydrotherapy are orchestrated to take you through a sensory experience that creates a feeling of total relaxation and serenity.

The Medi-Spa facility features a comprehensive menu of specialist treatments for a variety of conditions.

Visit Pezula at:
Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa
See their current Special Offers

Knysna Links:
Knysna Attractions
Knysna Accommodation
Things to Do in Knysna
Knysna Events

According to The Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA), which provides educational opportunities to promote the conservation and rehabilitation of the cultural and natural heritage of Southern Africa, the knowledge and insight expected at Level 3 is unlikely to be obtained without at least two years of active guiding in the field.  “A general distinction between the competence at this level as opposed to lower levels is the ability to explain phenomena by means of valid and well-motivated scientific theories and the concomitant use of appropriate scientific terminology.”

Russel Binks, said that he is extremely proud of the team which is now amongst the most qualified in the industry. “We are privileged to have such a professional, committed field guiding team. Their knowledge and inspiration is vital to both our guests’ Tswalu experience and our conservation vision of restoring the Kalahari to itself.”

Adrian Bantich, Jo Neytzell de Wilde, Christo de Jager, and Richard Visser all work under head ranger Marco Tonoli, who started his guiding career in KwaZulu Natal at the St Lucia wetlands, having travelled extensively in Europe and the Middle East. The desire to explore took him to reserves across the sub-continent, where he worked as an overland guide through Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, and South Africa.

In 2005 Marco settled at the Sabi Sabi private Game Reserve, where he worked his way up to senior ranger responsible for training. In 2007 Marco left guiding to realise another dream and study wildlife documentary film-making in Cape Town. He became a skilled film–maker, collaborating on major documentaries and working behind and in front of the camera as director, cameraman, and presenter for Wild Earth TV.

He joined Tswalu in 2008, where he now leads what is arguably the finest team of field guides in the country, all experts in this unique eco-system. His personal passions includes astronomy, botany and the medical use of plants

“Tswalu, with over 100 000 hectares of unspoilt Kalahari Desert, is a guide’s dreamland,” says Marco. “Here guides have to use years of experience to traverse, explore and track down what they are looking for. We have an elite team of guides, with over 40 years of collective guiding experience.

“There are few places left in the world where you can spend the day tracking a Desert Black Rhino, climb a mountain to ancient Rock Art, finish off with a picnic next to a waterhole and not see another person the entire time. Tswalu is one of those places. There is no rush, no deadlines and definitely no traffic. Instead there is the peace and freedom to explore, at the pace that our guests choose, in a wilderness that does not bear the scar of man’s presence.

About Tswalu: Tswalu Kalahari is owned by the Oppenheimer family, and covers an area of over 100,000 hectares. It offers a unique malaria-free game viewing experience with some of South Africa’s rarest and most extraordinary wildlife, including desert black rhino, black-maned Kalahari lions, cheetah, rare antelope such as roan, sable and tsessebe, and 230 species of birds, including endangered raptors.

The word ‘Tswalu means ‘a new beginning’ and Tswalu Kalahari is driven by two ambitions: to create an inspirational experience for its guests, and to realise Nicky Oppenheimer’s conservation vision of restoring the Kalahari to itself. These two goals sit in perfect equilibrium; each guest contributes directly to the sustainability of the reserve in a true model of eco-tourism.

A visit to Tswalu is a unique experience. A dedicated complement of field guides and butlers allows guests to choose how they would like to spend their day – from breakfast in-suite, to a leisurely spa treatment on their private deck overlooking the magnificent landscape of the Kalahari with its dunes and grasslands. The experience includes game drives, a private gourmet safari picnic and a visit to see the ancient engravings of the San (Bushmen) whose ancestral home is the Kalahari.

Tswalu caters for a maximum of only 30 guests at a time, and welcome families. At Tswalu, children are actively encouraged to participate fully in the safari experience.

For more information about Tswalu see:
Tswalu Kalahari Reserve

Tswalu Reviews:

Review by: Fabio Rocchi, Verona : excellent meals, great game drives and wonderful lodges. HIGHLY Recommended.

Review by: Kelly & Brent, New York, USA : This was probably the most fantastic experience of our entire South African trip. The service, the surroundings, the lodges, the game drives — everything was of the best standards and we loved every minute.

Useful Links:
Kalahari Attractions
Northern Cape Attractions
Northern Cape Accommodation
South Africa's Game Reserves

SA-Venues Blog in Top 10

If you appreciate our blog, we would really appreciate your Vote! To vote for us to win the Best SA Blog Award in the TRAVEL category ... PLEASE Click here to VOTE for us! Please! (Once you click on that link you will need to scroll down and enter your e-mail address so that they can confirm your vote). And if you REALLY like us, you can even vote for us more than once! (You can vote once every 24 hours)!

We are incredibly proud and excited that the SA-Venues.com Blog has made it into the finalists of the Top 10 Travel Blogs in South Africa. Having looked at the other 9 Top 10 Finalists, we are humbled to have made it into the top 10 as all the blogs in this category are all of a very high standard ...

Notably, amongst the nominees, is the blog run by South Africa's most popular Travel Magazine (all that yummy content written by professional and very experienced writers), a blog by one of South Africa’s most famous game reserves (photos and experiences to die for), last years winner – the publisher of a prestigious South African Accommodation Guide, the Blog of one of South Africa’s best known Safaris specialists for South and East Africa and Cape Town Tourism’s own corporate blog. To have made it into the Top 10 in and amongst these very fine blogs is humbling. To everybody that nominated us – we thank you most sincerely ...

The SA-Venues.com blog is written and managed by a team of 4 people. We are a small team here at SA-Venues.com – we work full time on managing our actual website – and all content we publish on our blog is written in our spare time, just for fun*, and because we are totally passionate about this beautiful country we call home! We love to share what we know, enjoy the feedback we get from our readers and love being able to provide our fabulously loyal site users and visitors with worthwhile competitions, tales of our travels around the country, snippets of info you might not know about … all of which we hope will inspire locals to travel our country and invite foreigners to visit our shores, and for YOU to find out something about South Africa that you didn’t already know!

We really mean this … it’s an honour just to be nominated … but, if you do like our blog and what we share with you … PLEASE, please vote for us!

You can vote for us by clicking on the image below …

Please Note:
• We do not sell any advertising on the SA-Venues.com Blog, all travel is funded by the writers themselves and restaurant visits and accommodation stays are fully paid for. In the interest of “keeping it real”, we cannot be coerced or bribed into writing nice stories about any venue, attraction or eatery.
•  We do on occasion publish press releases about certain events we feel are of general interest but this is at the blog manager’s discretion. All other content on this blog is © the writers and SA-Venues.com.

Useful Links:
About the SA-Venues.com Travel Blog
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TripAdvisor Awards

TripAdvisor has just released its Travelers’ Choice lists for 2010 and Cape Town is still a favourite with travelers.

Ranked #25 in the Top 25 Destinations in the WORLD, though Europeans ranked our fair city #6. The “Mother City” also featured on a number of other lists:

• #1 in the Top 25 Destinations in Africa
• #2 in the Top 10 Culture & Sightseeing Destinations in Africa
• #4 in the Top 10 Outdoor & Adventure Destinations in Africa
• #6 in the Top 10 Beach & Sun Destinations in Africa

The Western Cape (the South African province which is home to Cape Town as well as the acclaimed Cape Winelands) was ranked #2 in the Top 10 Food & Wine Destinations in the WORLD.

But it’s not only Cape Town and the Western Cape which received a thumbs up from travelers.

Johannesburg:

• #12 in the Top 25 Destinations in Africa

Kruger National Park:

• #15 in the Top 25 Destinations in Africa
• #5 in the Top 10 Outdoor & Adventure Destinations in Africa

Durban:

• #22 in the Top 25 Destinations in Africa

Plettenberg Bay:

• #3 in the Top 10 Beach & Sun Destinations in Africa
• #8 in the Top 10 Outdoor & Adventure Destinations in Africa

A big thank you to all of the travelers who voted and we look forward to welcoming even more travelers in the future.

South Africa Links:
South Africa Travel
South Africa Hotels
South Africa Attractions

Oscar Nominations

The Sci-Fi box office hit "District 9" scores 4 Oscar Nominations for Best Film; Visual Effects; Film Editing and Writing (Adapted Screenplay) and "Invictus" scores 2 Oscar nominations including the coveted Actor in a Leading Role for Morgan Freeman and Actor in a Supporting Role for Matt Damon ...

District 9 Nominations:
Best Achievement in Editing — Julian Clarke
Best Achievement in Visual Effects — Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros, Matt Aitken
Best Motion Picture of the Year — Peter Jackson, Carolynne Cunningham
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published — Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell

Invictus Nominations:
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role — Morgan Freeman (as Nelson Mandela)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role — Matt Damon (as Francois Pienaar)

Photo Credits and References:
District 9: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136608/
Invictus: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1057500/

Other Links:
Oscars.com — The official site presents nominee list, past winners, press room video clips, and voting ballot etc.

But what makes Cape Town such a unique place and especially fabulous for a party? Well, Lonely Planet only hints at the possibilities when they suggest one could “luxuriate on some of the world's best beaches by day and kick back under the moonlight at suave cocktail bars by night”.

Whilst on holiday in Cape Town or if you are lucky enough to reside here, as I am, we are fortunate enough to have a myriad of fantastic places to visit and things to do during the day. Spend a lazy day on one of our beautiful beaches, take a walk through Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens or indulge in a decadent lunch and some wine at one of the many wine estates in the area ...

With a fun filled day you ease into the night and Cape Town is always waiting with open arms to invite you to a party. This is what I feel makes us so unique, no matter what day of the week it is or what your mood is like, somewhere in Cape Town there will be something happening, or you can turn wherever you are into a fabulous party.

With beautiful summer weather it is easy to turn after work drinks or sundowners into a good night out. With so many wonderful restaurants and beautiful locations to chose from we are most definitely spoilt for choice.

One of my favourite summer hang out spots is the Camps Bay strip, as it is commonly known, which is the road directly opposite the Camps Bay beach and is jam packed with restaurants and funky bars. So after spending a relaxing day on the beach it is very easy to just hop across the road to either Caprice or Summerville or you can head a little further down and pop into La Med.

I think however the most renowned party zone in Cape Town has to be Long Street. No matter what the day of the week you will find one or more places with a throng of people in and around it, very vibey music and a fabulous atmosphere. Some of the favourites are Neighbourhood, the Grand Daddy rooftop bar, Zula, Long Street Cafe, The Dubliner, The Waiting Room and Fiction — these are only just a handful of what you wind find. There are also a number of restaurants where you can dine the night away.

Whereever you end up you will find some fun in Cape Town, come round and sip on a glass of Cape wine, knock back a few shooters and dance the night away. One thing you can always be sure of is that Cape Town is always ready to have a great time!

To Buy "1,000 Ulitimate Experiences":
Directly from Lonely Planet @ £15.00
From Amazon.com @ $15.63

Useful Links for planning a Stay in the Cape:
Cape Town Attractions
Things to Do in Cape Town
Cape Town Nightlife & Theatre
Cape Town Hotels
Cape Town Accommodation

Announced by Marthinus van Schalkwyk (Minister of Tourism), who said that the increase of Blue Flag beaches from 19 last year to 29 this year was extremely good for tourism in South Africa. “In order for South Africa to optimise its tourism potential, it is critical that we offer both domestic and international visitors clean, safe and well-managed beaches.”

The South African beaches that have received Blue Flag accreditation are:

• MacDougall’s Bay, Port Nolloth (new)
• Yzerfontein Main beach, Yzerfontein (new)
• Big Bay beach, Bloubergstrand Cape Town (new)
• Clifton 4th beach, Cape Town
• Camps Bay, Cape Town
• Muizenberg, Cape Town
• Strandfontein beach, Cape Town
• Mnandi beach, Cape Town
• Bikini beach, Gordon’s Bay
• Kleinmond beach, near Hermanus  (back in programme)
• Hawston beach, near Hermanus
• Grotto beach, Hermanus
• Lappiesbaai, Stilbaai, Southern Cape
• Santos beach, Mossel Bay (new)
• Hartenbos beach, Mossel Bay (new)
• Robberg 5 beach, Plettenberg Bay (new)
• Dolphin beach, Jeffrey’s Bay
• Humewood beach, Port Elizabeth
• Hobie beach, Port Elizabeth
• Wells Estate, north of Port Elizabeth
• Kelly’s beach, Port Alfred
• Kariega Main beach, Kenton-on-Sea (new)
• Boknes beach, Kenton-On-Sea (new)
• Gonubie beach, East London (back in programme)
• Trafalgar beach, south coast KZN (new)
• Marina beach, south coast KZN
• Ramsgate beach, near Margate
• Margate beach
• Alkantstrand, Richards Bay (new)

We congratulate all the Municipalities who have worked hard to achieve Blue Flag status for their beaches!

Additional Reading:
Find out more about the Blue Flag programme at http://www.blueflag.org/

Photographs:
Top photo — Camps Bay Beach, Cape Town
Bottom photo — Muizenberg Beach, Cape Town

Useful Links:
Cape Town Beaches

• False Bay Beaches
• Cape Helderberg Beaches
• Atlantic Seaboard Beaches
• Hermanus Beaches
• South Atlantic Beaches
• Table Bay Beaches

Eastern Cape Beaches

• East London Beaches

KwaZulu Natal Beaches

• South Coast Beaches
• Dolphin Coast Beaches

Table Mountain

Table Mountain is one step closer to being named one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. South Africa’s iconic mountain, and its only official nominee, has been voted as one of the top 77 sites selected from over 261 participants from around the globe, it was announced yesterday by the New7Wonders foundation, Thursday July 9, 2009.

The much-loved landmark beat fellow category contenders Mount Everest, K2 and Mount Fiji in round two of the international competition that relied solely on votes from the public. Table Mountain needed to be ranked in the top 11 of its category — mountains and volcanoes. Other categories include seascapes, lakes, islands, ice formations, waterfalls and forests. “We are thrilled at the enormous level of support and votes from the citizens of South Africa as well as from fans around the globe,” said Sabine Lehmann, CEO of Table Mountain Cableway, who formed an official supporting committee to promote Table Mountain as a nominee.

Table Mountain

A panel of experts will now select 28 finalists to be announced on July 21, 2009, when the third and final phase of public voting will begin. The official New 7 Wonders of Nature will be revealed in 2011. 

A number of South African celebrities and sports stars showed their support for Table Mountain’s New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign. The Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, comedian Marc Lottering, radio DJ Natalie Becker and the Proteas cricketers all cast their vote for Table Mountain.

The campaign is run by the New7Wonders Foundation which is based in Zurich, Switzerland and works to document monuments and conservation efforts worldwide. For information contact the Cableway on +27 (0)21 424 0015 or visit www.votefortablemountain.com

Useful Links:
Table Mountain
Table Mountain Photographs
Cape Town Accommodation

Tsotsi

Tsotsi, the South African film about a Johannesburg Shantytown thug won the Oscar for best foreign language film on Sunday, making it the first film from the country to win the award.

The film which was directed and written by South African Gavin Hood features a searing performance by Presley Chweneyagae a gun-toting grown up AIDS orphan, who becomes an emotionally dead gangster until he learns the value of human life when he is forced to care for a baby he has mistakenly kidnapped.

"We may have foreign language films, but our stories are the same as your stories. They are about the human heart and emotion," said the film director Gavin Hood.

The film is based on famed playwright Athol Fugard's only novel, a 1950s tale about the dehumanising effects apartheid was having on the lives of black South Africans. Tsotsi’s win is the crowning moment of the South African film Industry which has earned recognition throughout the world.

Tsotsi

At the previous Oscars another South African film "Yesterday" received an Oscar nomination for best foreign film and another South African film uCarmen eKhayelitsha won a Golden Bear award at the 2005 Berlin Film Festival.

At the Awards on Sunday night (5 March 2006), Director Gavin Hood said the following in his acceptance speech:

"God bless Africa. Wow. I have a speech, it's in my pocket, but that thing says 38 seconds. But mine's way too long. Go to tsotsi.com and there is a huge long list of people. Because I'm accepting this not for myself. This is for best foreign language film. ".

It is sitting right there to start with. Please stand up Presley Chweneyagae and Terry Pheto. My two fantastic young leads. Put the cameras on them, please. Viva Africa. Viva. I've got ten seconds. Ten seconds I just want to thank my fellow nominees who I've become deep friends with. We may have foreign language films, but our stories are the same as your stories. They're about the human heart and emotion. It says please wrap. Thank you so much. Thank you to the Academy. Thank you

Related Links:
"Tsotsi" — The Official Website
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

The Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Nomaindia Mfeketo, said that the people of Cape Town were the driving force behind this recognition: "Congratulations and thank you to all in the tourism industry for this achievement. This prestigious accolade is a testimony to the city’s welcoming and hospitable character, and a manifestation of how the City works for its people."

Cape Town Routes Unlimited’s Chief Executive Officer, Nokhuthula Dube, said: "The Condé Nast Traveller accolades are particularly significant because we are seeing substantial visitor growth to South Africa and Cape Town from the US market. In the first quarter of 2005 alone, more than 28 000 US tourists came to the Western Cape. We are thrilled by this acknowledgment, particularly because Condé Nast readers are presumed to be largely well travelled and drawn to the magazine for their independent assessment of destinations, as summed up by the publication’s motto, 'truth in travel'".

Over the past year, Cape Town has received two other very high-profile awards. Cape Town has retained its position as the only non-European city to be named 'Favourite Foreign City' by the readers of the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph in the UK, and in July Cape Town was voted Best Africa/Middle East destination for the fifth year running by readers of the US based Travel & Leisure Magazine.

Locally, South Africans overwhelmingly chose Cape Town as their 'ideal travel destination' in the annual Markinor/Sunday Times survey.

Travelers once again ranked South Africa among the top tourist destinations in the world.

At The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph’s annual Travel Awards, South Africa once again dominated, leading in both the destinations and hospitality categories.

Cape Town took top honours as the best foreign city in the world beating Sydney, Venice, Florence and San Francisco and other major cities for the top spot.

South Africa was voted the third best holiday destination in the world beating Italy, Australia and other top destinations. The Cape Grace Hotel, situated at Cape Town's popular V&A Waterfront, was rated the fifth best hotel in the world.

Over 25,000 readers were polled in this survey, making this the biggest survey on the UK's travel habits. This is the second instance this year that readers of top travel publications in the world have heaped praises on South Africa as a travel destination. Earlier this year Travel and Leisure Magazine readers voted Cape Town as the best city to travel in the Africa / Middle East Regions and they placed the Hotel at Singita Private Game Reserve as the best hotel in Africa.

Useful Links:
For travel information see:

• South Africa Hotels
• South Africa Travel