Brett, your voucher is on it’s way. Please contact South African Golfing & Safari Tours to redeem the voucher (valid until 31 December 2009). We’re sure you’ll enjoy your stay!

Jealous?

• See other competitions at Win with SA-Venues.com
• Just because you didn’t win, doesn’t mean you can’t go. Find out more about this wonderful establishment, read guest reviews, find rates and special offers at Kwa Maritane Bush Lodge.

The prize:

• Accommodation for 4 couples for 2 consecutive weekend nights (Friday and Saturday nights)
• One 3-course set menu served in the dining room for each adult staying at Tladi lodge on Friday night (a nearby restaurant will be recommended for Saturday night, but is not included in the prize)
• A full breakfast will be served on Saturday and Sunday morning between 8am and 10am
• Excludes all beverages as well as any other extras

Tladi Lodge Johannesburg combines all the benefits of a hotel with the intimacy of a guest house. This beautiful area boasts an abundance of cultural, natural and social highlights – from the Lion and Rhino Parks, to the Cullinan Diamond Mine, you’ll be spoilt for choice for things to do. Whether you fancy an awe-inspiring champagne balloon ride or a day on a manicured golf course, the hospitality staff at this 5 star guest house will be happy to advise.

Tladi Lodge is an extensive thatched property surrounded by verdant trees and set amidst romantic winding pathways. The on-site tennis court, swimming pool and trampoline will keep you in shape whilst you enjoy the open-air life. Welcoming business executives, couples and families with children of 8 years and older, the guest house is the perfect haven for work, relaxation or that extra-special break.

Your morning begins with a tasty full breakfast served in front of a toasty fire in winter or on the patio in summer. Secure parking, airport transfers, laundry service and conferencing offered – you don’t need to worry about a thing – other than what to wear for your night on the town!

Useful Links:
Can’t wait to win? Want to book now?

• Tladi Lodge
• Tladi Lodge Rates and Special Offers

Terms & Conditions:

• The competition is open to all except employees of SA-Venues.com and Tladi Lodge, their families and advertising agencies.
• Decision of judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• Competition closes at midnight on the 14th of December 2009.
• The winner will be announced here on the 15th of December 2009 by 12h00 and informed by email.
• Prize is valid until 15 March 2010 and is subject to availability.
• Not transferable – the winner must be one of the eight adults staying.
• Adults cannot be replaced by other adults for the second night.
• The prize is for 2 consecutive night (the nights cannot be split across two weekends).
• Cannot be exchanged for cash.
• A refundable R2000 breakage deposit will be requested at time of confirming the booking.
• Maximum of two adults per room. Regret no children.
• Tladi Lodge reserves the right to change rooms allocated to prize.
• Cancellation and changes at managements discretion.
• Transportation to and from Tladi Lodge in Sandton, for own account.

Enter Now to Win

Photographs submitted will be featured here for all to admire (so bookmark this page and come back daily to check out your competition). If you have a favourite, help us to choose the winner by leaving your vote below in the comments area.

Nikon Sporter EX 10x50

The Prize:

Nikon Sporter EX 10×50 Binoculars (brand spanking new and valued at R2100)
Lightweight, easy to use, water- and fog-proof, with a rubber coating for a more comfortable grip. The Sporter EX 10×50 has multi-layered coatings on the lenses, an eye relief of 19.6mm and a magnification of 10x (meaning that a deer 100m away will appear just 10m away).

I have a pair of these and believe me when I say that they make a game drive a far more rewarding experience. We’re sure you’ll love them as much as I love mine.

Specs / Conditions:

• Amateur photographers only please.
• Content must be related to game reserves or nature in South Africa – any animals except the Big 5, plantlife, landscapes, sunsets, 4×4 vehicles – anything that took your fancy on a game drive or bush walk. For those of you that have a special Big 5 photo you’re dying to show off, visit Big 5 Photo Gallery to submit your photo.
• Large, good quality images only please. Portrait format preferable, but landscape will be considered. We regret any photos smaller than 800 pixels in height cannot be considered.
• You must have taken the picture yourself i.e. hold the copyright to the image.
• By entering this competition, you agree to allow us to display the picture on this blog and the winning photo on our newsletter (with full credit to the photographer). To view previous issues of our newsletter, please visit SA-Venues.com Newsletter Archive.
• Judges decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.

How to Enter:

• Email your photo, together with your full name, postal address and the caption on your photo.
• Competition closes midnight on the 6th of January 2010.
• Winner will be announced here on the 7th of January 2010 and informed by email.

Entries:

Jo-Anne, your voucher is on it’s way. Please contact Zebula Golf Estate & Spa to redeem the voucher (valid until 15 April 2010). We’re sure you’ll enjoy your stay!

Jealous?

• See other competitions at Win with SA-Venues.com
• Just because you didn’t win, doesn’t mean you can’t go. Find out more about this wonderful establishment, read guest reviews, find rates and special offers at Zebula Golf Estate & Spa.

• Lynne Bindeman (South Africa)
• Dale Burns (UK)
• Valerie Elizabeth Burns (South Africa)
• Janet Churchill (South Africa)
• Holly Godfrey (South Africa)
• Debbie Greener (UK)
• Bev Isaacs (Israel)
• Pauline Prinsloo (South Africa)
• Rebecca Sims (USA)
• Patrick Taylor (South Africa)

The winners have been selected and the giveaway is over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get one of these calendars for yourself – and support this worthy cause. Find out more about the 2010 SAGA Calendar.

How to Order

To order the 2010 SAGA Calendar, please contact Laura Hodgson:
Email: laura.guidedog@gmail.com
Telephone: +27 (0)21 674 7395
Or download the order form and fax it to SAGA.

The prize includes:

• accommodation in a Family Room for 2 adults AND 2 children (under 18 years) for 2 consecutive nights
  OR accommodation in a Double Room for 2 adults for 2 consecutive nights (depending on winner’s preference)
• breakfast and dinner daily
• 4 game drives (morning and afternoon departures) subject to check-in and check-out times

The ambience of the African bush is the perfect soundtrack to a leisurely day outside which can be experienced at the Kwa Maritane Bush Lodge. The Pilanesberg National Park is home to healthy populations of lion, leopard, black and white rhino, elephant and buffalo – Africa’s “Big Five”. A wide variety of rare and common species exist with endemic species like the nocturnal brown hyaena, the fleet-footed cheetah, the majestic sable, as well as giraffe, zebra, hippo and crocodile, to mention but a few. Bird watching is excellent with over 300 species recorded.

I just wanted to write to compliment you on a fantastic achievement in rebuilding Kwa Maritane from the ashes of the devastating fire, after having just spent two glorious weeks with you again after a break of three years due to unforeseen circumstances and the fire! The repairs have enhanced the facilities enormously, and the refurbishments (prior to and after the fire) are excellent! – Dina Muller

Useful Links:
Can’t wait to win? Want to book now?

• Kwa Maritane Bush Lodge
• Kwa Maritane Bush Lodge Rates and Special Offers

Terms & Conditions:

• The competition is open to all except employees of SA-Venues.com and Kwa Maritane Bush Lodge, their families and advertising agencies.
• Decision of judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• Competition closes at midnight on the 29th of October 2009.
• Competition CLOSED (midnight 29th October 2009).
• Congratulations to Brett Lee (South Africa) who has won this wonderful prize.
• Many thanks to all who entered! See other competitions at Win with SA-Venues.com

Lastingham Guest Lodge

CONGRATULATIONS to Olivia Kotze of South Africa who has won a romantic weekend for 2 in a luxury suite at Lastingham Guest Lodge in Lidgetton, in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands, including dinner, bed and breakfast plus a full body massage.

Olivia, your voucher is on it’s way. Please contact Lastingham Guest Lodge to redeem the voucher (valid until 31 March 2010). We’re sure you’ll enjoy your stay!

Jealous?

• See other competitions at Win with SA-Venues.com
• Just because you didn’t win, doesn’t mean you can’t go. Find out more about this wonderful establishment, read guest reviews, find rates and special offers at Lastingham Guest Lodge.

For those of us who can see and who can move freely through the world it can be hard to understand just how dependant a blind person can be on those around them. Being dependant on other people can be debilitating, soul destroying even. But being able to travel to and from work, being able to walk to the shops … these things, in the words of many guide dog owners, have quite literally been a god-send.

Terms & Conditions:

• The competition is open to all except employees of SA-Venues.com and SAGA, their families and advertising agencies.
• Decision of judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• Competition closes at midnight on the 11th of October 2009.
• The winners will be announced here on the 12th of October 2009 by 12h00 and informed by email.
• Not transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash.

How the Calendar Came into Being

The 2010 South African Guide-Dog’s calendar came into being because of the calloused hands of a blind man. It seems a strange beginning, but one which led to thirteen fantastic wedding photographers from around the country agreeing to donate their time and talent to photographing guide dog owners and their dogs.

In 2007 a young Cape Town photographer, Roberta Crumplin, was struck by the cheerfulness and energy and incredibly calloused hands of a blind man collecting money in a shopping centre.

In chatting to the man, Roberta discovered his name, Roy, and that of his guide dog, Xass. She discovered that despite his blindness he had put his three children through university; that he ran a cane workshop for blind people, and that he was in fact collecting funds for an old age home that he was concerned about. His ability to do all of this, to move freely through the world, was as a direct result of having his guide dog. This was a man who didn’t simply sit back and allow life to happen around him, this was a man, who quite literally, got his hands dirty and worked, really hard, for everything that he had in his life.

Inspired by his sheer tenacity and determination, Roberta wanted some way to take Roy’s story further and so the 2008 Western Cape calendar came into being.

Roy was one of the first guide dog owners to be photographed for that calendar. Shot in his workshop, his deft fingers weaving the arm of a cane chair, and with Xass at his feet, Roy was the epitome of inspiration.

The calendar was a great success for SAGA; it helped to raise much needed funds for its new puppy training centre in Cape Town and it showed so very clearly and eloquently the immensely powerful relationship between the guide dog owners and their dogs. It was decided then to do a 2010 calendar that looked at the lives of blind people around the country and to use the insightful photography of some of South Africa’s top wedding photographers: Jean-Pierre Uys, Joe Dreyer, Greg Lumley, Andrea Carlyle, Dror Eyal, Dirk Visser… Testament to the character and generosity of these photographers is that almost everyone who was approached said yes straight without a minute’s hesitation.

SAGA breeds, rears, trains and places all of its own dogs. It is an enormous undertaking. Throughout the dog’s life SAGA stays involved and on hand. Your support of this calendar and of SAGA generally is what allows the organisation to provide the phenomenal and life changing service that they offer for blind people. We hope you’ll buy your calendar today and let it show you exactly what it is that your donation is helping to do – affording people who can not see the dignity of independence and mobility.

How to Order

To order the 2010 SAGA Calendar, please contact Laura Hodgson:
Email: laura.guidedog@gmail.com
Telephone: +27 (0)21 674 7395
Or download the order form and fax it to SAGA.

Useful Links:

• For more information about SAGA, visit South African Guide-Dog’s Association
• For more information about Roberta Crumplin, visit Big Day Big Picture
• For more information about Joe Dreyer, visit Joe Photography

Andrew, your voucher is on it’s way. Please contact Karkloof Spa to redeem the voucher (valid until 31 March 2010). We’re sure you’ll enjoy your stay!

Jealous?

• See other competitions at Win with SA-Venues.com
• Just because you didn’t win, doesn’t mean you can’t go. Find out more about this wonderful establishment, read guest reviews, find rates and special offers at Karkloof Spa.

Shannon, your voucher is on it’s way. Please contact Inn with a View to redeem the voucher (valid until 28 February 2010). We’re sure you’ll enjoy your stay!

Jealous?

• See other competitions at Win with SA-Venues.com
• Just because you didn’t win, doesn’t mean you can’t go. Find out more about this wonderful establishment with panoramic views of Table Mountain, read guest reviews, find rates and special offers at Inn With A View.

Valued at R11000, the prize includes:

• accommodation for 2 people sharing for 3 consecutive mid-week nights
• a game drive daily (excluding drinks)
• breakfast, lunch and dinner daily
• 2 x signature Indoceane Day Spa Packages at Zebu Health Spa

Golf, Game, Bush and Spa! Zebula Country Club and Spa is situated on 1600 hectares of ‘malaria free’ pristine African bushveld. Zebu Health Spa complements the five star accommodation, golf course and nature reserve. Zebula offers a variety of activities including game drives into the adjacent nature reserve. This reserve boasts over 12000 hectares of bushveld, where rhino and elephant are frequently seen.

Zebula is blessed with glorious weather, spectacular scenery, wildlife in abundance and the most beautiful, well-groomed 5-star golf course any golfer could wish for. – Chris Potgieter, Chairman SAA Golf Society

Useful Links:
Can’t wait to win? Want to book now?

• Zebula Golf Estate & Spa
• Zebula Golf Estate & Spa Rates and Special Offers

Terms & Conditions:

• The competition is open to all except employees of SA-Venues.com and Zebula Golf Estate & Spa, their families and advertising agencies.
• Decision of judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• Competition CLOSED (midnight 14th October 2009).
• Congratulations to Jo-Anne Pillay (South Africa) who has won this wonderful prize.
• Many thanks to all who entered! See other competitions at Win with SA-Venues.com

Lastingham Guest Lodge

WIN a romantic weekend for 2 at Lastingham Guest Lodge in Lidgetton, in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands. Enjoy luxury accommodation at one of the Natal Midlands’ grand old rural homesteads which has been restored to its full Victorian / Edwardian splendour. Relax at Lastingham Guest House and enjoy the fresh air, beautiful countryside and hospitable environment.

Lastingham is a popular wedding venue in fabulous country garden surroundings and is giving one lucky couple the opportunity to experience the romance of this tranquil country setting in the foothills of the mighty Drakensberg mountains, amid rolling hills and beautiful gardens. The weekend getaway consists of dinner, bed & breakfast accommodation for 2 persons sharing for 2 nights in a luxury suite plus a full body massage.

“Dear Mike & Lynne, The entire weekend was such a happy time for us! Your expertise, your attention to detail and your passion for Lastingham in every way is is remarkable. The music was delightful, the food delectable, the setting is beautiful and our ‘banquet’ was magnificent. Lots of love, Sharn & Ingrid”

“Thank you so much for what you did for Steve and Myself.  The wedding went off really well and everyone commented on the FOOD and the decor; the table settings were stunning, everything just went off so well. I am really pleased that we found Lasstingham, because it will always have a special place in my heart. The setting for breakfast was also super and had a nice ‘goodbye’ touch to the whole weekend! Kind regards, Debbie Anderson”

“Dear Lynne & Mike, We can hardly begin to thank you enough for enabling us to have the wedding of our dreams! Your amazing hospitality, boundless energy, enthusiasm & immaculate organization made our day [actually our entire weekend!] a relaxed fun event. Nothing was too much to ask – even under enormous pressure you were truly gracious hosts. With love, Rosemary & Robin (London)”

Prize:

• 2 consecutive weekend nights for 2 persons sharing, in a luxury suite
• dinner, bed & breakfast
• a full body massage
• prize is valid until 31 March 2010 and is subject to availability
• not transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash
• transportation to and from Lastingham Guest Lodge in Lidgetton, for own account

Terms & Conditions:

• The competition is open to all except employees of SA-Venues.com and Lastingham Guest Lodge, their families and advertising agencies.
• Decision of judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• Competition CLOSED (midnight 20th September 2009).
• Congratulations to Olivia Kotze (South Africa) who has won this wonderful prize.
• Many thanks to all who entered! See other competitions at Win with SA-Venues.com

Useful Links:
Can’t wait to win? Want to book now?

• Lastingham Guest Lodge
• Lastingham Guest Lodge Rates and Special Offers

Inn With A View

WIN a 2 night stay at Inn with a View for a couple in the stunning Penthouse Suite, including a full breakfast, a bottle of sparkling wine and flowers (valued at R2,500.00).

Situated in a unique setting against the highest slopes of Table Mountain, Inn With A View offers breathtaking views of the mountain, trees, and city below, whilst at the same time is within quick and easy distance to nearby hikes and nature trails, the Waterfront and historic city, Camps Bay and famous Clifton beaches.

All rooms have stunning panoramic views of Table Mountain and the city below. Watch the squirrels playing in the Oak trees in the garden, while enjoying a sundowner on your own private balcony or in the lounge in the company of your host, Christine.

Had a very enjoyable time here, great location, stunning views and within easy reach of all of the Cape’s many attractions. Christine made me feel very at home and couldnt have been more helpful. – David (Northern Ireland)

Prize:

• 2 consecutive nights B&B accommodation at Inn With A View for 2 persons sharing the Penthouse Suite
• a bottle of sparkling wine and flowers in the room
• prize is valid until 28 February 2010 and cannot be redeemed during Peak Season (20 December to 10 January)
• prize is subject to availability
• not transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash
• transportation to and from Inn With A View in Cape Town, for own account

Useful Links:
Can’t wait to win? Want to book now?

• Inn With A View
• Inn With A View Rates and Special Offers
• Inn With A View Guest Reviews

Terms & Conditions:

• The competition is open to all except employees of SA-Venues.com and Inn With A View, their families and advertising agencies.
• Decision of judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• Competition CLOSED (midnight 31st August 2009).
• Congratulations to Shannon Mitchell (South Africa) who has won this wonderful prize.
• Many thanks to all who entered! See other competitions at Win with SA-Venues.com

Congratulations to Franciska Pile (SA) for her winning entry. This photograph will be featured on our electronic newsletter which will go out at the end of the month (and credited to Franciska).

“Mother & Child Reunion, Kruger National Park” – By and © Franciska Pile (South Africa)

• Sign up here to receive our newsletter, if you haven’t already done so.
• Honourable mentions – see how hard it was to pick a winner at Photos of South Africa.
• See all of the entries received at Photographers’ Competition July 2009.

Got a great photo of the Boulders Beach Penguins? Taken a great shot at the Golden Gate Park? Maybe you’ve got a stunning sunset photo you’ve been dying to share? We’d love to see and display your photographs taken anywhere in South Africa. Help us build a “Brag Book Photo Gallery” to show off our beautiful country to our readers.

Specs / Conditions:

• Large, good quality images only please. Portrait format preferable, but landscape will be considered. We regret any photos smaller than 800 pixels in height cannot be considered.
• You must have taken the picture yourself i.e. hold the copyright to the image.
• By entering this competition, you agree to allow us to display the picture on this blog and the winning photo on our newsletter (with full credit to the photographer). To view previous issues of our newsletter, please visit SA-Venues.com Newsletter Archive.
• Judges decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.

How to Enter:

• Competition CLOSED (25 July 2009 at 17h00).
• Congratulations to Franciska Pile (South Africa) for her winning entry – “Mother & Child Reunion, Kruger National Park”.
• Many thanks to all who entered!

Entries: