Addo National Park Road Trip!

So, last week we visited the magnificent Addo National Park! Yay! Was so much fun – we went on game drives, had amazing dining experiences and just relaxed the rest of the time. We stayed over at the Gorah Elephant Camp. Definitely the best lodge amongst all the Addo lodges. This camp was the first private concession in a National Park and is a premier lodge and is set in the heart of the Addo Park. The amazing Addo is home to the densest elephant population on earth; over 350 elephants! The park will soon be the first park on the planet containing the ‘Big 7’. Who are the other two you may ask? Whales and great white sharks! We will definitely be back soon and stay over in the amazing Addo Lodges. Till next time!

Cape Town Accommodation

Cape Town accommodation is plentiful and there’s something to suit every budget but it is highly advisable to book ahead, especially over the Christmas season (December to mid-February) and during the Argus Cycle Tour (usually mid-March). The greatest density of Cape Town hotels, boutique hotels, Bed and Breakfasts, guest houses and self catering apartments and holiday villas are situated in the City Bowl area and immediate South Atlantic Seaboard belt, all within a 10 minute drive from Cape Town City Centre and the V&A Waterfront. Highly desirable suburbs like Tamboerskloof and Oranjezicht spill down the slopes of Table Mountain towards Gardens, Cape Town City Centre, De Waterkant and the exclusive Waterfront. From the Waterfront the dazzling Atlantic coastline curves south, fringed by the seaside suburbs of Green Point, Sea Point, Bantry Bay the ultra glamorous suburbs of Clifton and Camps Bay.

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Disposable Cup Suppliers

Suppliers of disposable cups to South Africa and its neigbouring countries hot and cold beverage market, NW Beverages pride themselves on being able to deliver the highest quality at the most competitive price in the market. They service the small user right through to the Giants.

Their Smoothie Cups which are PET products are recognised as the most environmentally friendly plastic products worldwide. Compared with traditionally plastic products, such as PP and PS products, PET products are eco-friendly and highly transparent. No noxious gas is produced when being burnt and it is also a recyclable plastic product.

Hermanus Guest House

Villa blu guest house offers Hermanus accommodation at its finest, enjoy supreme relaxation and comfort at this picturesque guest house b & b, situated in beautiful Hermanus, the whale watching capital of the world.

Each one of the guests suites has a private patio area, some looking out onto the pool or garden, others with sweeping views of the sea, each with every creature comfort you could wish for, including your own bag with beach towels.

From the Whale Viewing Deck, just a flight of stairs towards heaven, you’ll take in 360-degree panoramas of the ocean, the lagoon, the mountain and the beach down below. This is one of the prime land-based whale watching spots in the world, and it’s yours to behold.

Beauty fills this place. You’ll sense it in the tempera wall finishes, the works of art, the little thoughts like the sparkling spring water that awaits you in your room, and the care that has gone into every aspect of making you feel wonderfully at home away from home.

Bayview | Luxury Cape Town Accommodation

The sun is setting fire to the horizon over the calm Atlantic Ocean in front of you and the mountains behind are bathed in the orange light from this natural spectacular, you’re lounging on a deck chair next to the heated swimming pool with an ice cold cocktail. You’re unwinding from a day of sightseeing while at the same time preparing for a night out on the strip enjoying some of the finest dinning in the country. Welcome to our world, welcome to the finest luxury Cape Town accommodation.

Bayview Penthouses in Camps Bay, Cape Town has a selection of self-catering Cape Town accommodation. Our luxury apartments reflect the natural beauty of the bay and epitomize the lifestyle that has made Camps Bay synonymous with celebrity. The apartments and double bedrooms are situated high on the slopes of the rugged Twelve Apostles mountain range, giving panoramic views of Camps Bay, Cape Town. The guest house has been laid out so that no matter which apartment you choose or where you are within your private self-catering accommodation you can enjoy the views that make Camps Bay famous.

From the pool deck with its solar heated swimming pool or from the private balcony of your penthouse apartment you can enjoy a view of Camps Bay and the Atlantic Ocean that will become a part of your holiday memories forever.

Bayview Penthouses

Wine Town Wonderland

Stellenbosch is South Africa’s second oldest town, after Cape Town and is the sentimental heart of the Winelands. Lined with shady oaks and beautiful gabled, white-washed buildings the streets of Stellenbosch still have small irrigation channels on either side of the older roads. In the past, these were used to water gardens, as each householder had a time slot in which to divert the town’s irrigation into their plot.

This magical town has a character of its own and once you have arrive you will never want to leave! Plan your stay in a Stellenbosch hotel for an unforgettable experience. Read the full article here to find out more about Stellenbosh.

Food & Wine at Parker Cottage

Breakfast

At Parker Cottage Guest House, every day sees a different culinary touch to our sumptuous breakfasts. We always offer freshly baked croissants, individually prepared fruit salads, a wide range of cereals and freshly prepared cooked breakfasts. There is a range of excellent cold meats, cheeses and fresh bread all of which is delicatessen standard and sourced from local suppliers within a 200km radius (so it`s fresh, excellent quality and supports local industry.) We really like you to take your time over breakfast. You`ve a choice of outside on the veranda, in the garden under the orange tree or in our grand dining room. As far as possible, we use local, organic supplies from local entrepreneurs.

Here are some recent arrivals at our breakfast table:

• Parker Open Sandwich: toasted rye bread with creme fraiche, topped with mushrooms sauted in garlic and lemon juice and layered with rocket.
• Really Wild Salad (Phil’s invention!) – nectarine segments skewered with Kudu biltong and grapes and strawberries
• Parker Cheese-on-Toast: grilled halloumi on toated wholewheat with pear julienne and avocado scoops.

Evening Drinks

At least twice a week at Parker, we invite our guests to share a glass (or three!) of wine with us at sunset. Suitably charged up for the evening, you can then take a short stroll through Cape Town’s mellow evening streets to one of several restaurants we recommend in the neighbourhood.

We’re still compiling our winelist, but so far, at least two or three of the following splendid creations will be on offer most evenings:

• Cape to Cairo Syrah – a very smooth Syrah, marketed by a good friend of ours, who introduced us to this very easy drinking and perennial Parker favourite.
• Le Pommier Cab. Sauv. Res 04 – a lovely vanilla-essense wine and some delicate tannins. This is one of those wines that seems to compliment anything, from conversation to Kingklip.
• Four Fields Chardonnay – Liz loves chardonnay, Phil loathes it, but this Four Fields we describe as the ‘Chardonnay for Non Chardonnay Drinkers’! Fruity and zesty without the cloying. Lovely.
• Haute Cabrière Chardonnay-Pinot Noir. A very easy drinking almost apple-flavoured wine, off dry and sociable. This one is real crowd-pleaser and we’re never without a case or two.

Restaurants we recommend

We spend a lot of time choosing fine places to eat in Cape Town. We honestly believe that you really can’t find the same variety at the same price for the same quality anywhere else in the world. Cape Town is just a food paradise, no question about it!

We tend to favour owner-managed, unpretensious, highly personalized eating, so you won’t find any restaurants on this list that are too serious, too fashionable or too aloof. These places are about the welcome and the food, not just the food. Some are more about a dining experience, others more about a place to eat and laugh.

For our full restaurant list, please see the Parker Cottage Guide to Dining Out in Cape Town

Parker Cottage | Cape Town

Cape Winelands Accommodation | Stellenbosch Hotel | Wild Mushroom

This Stellenbosch boutique hotel comprises of six beautiful suites offering luxury Cape Winelands Accommodation. Each tells the tale of a specific mushroom species.

Russula
This spacious 5 Star Accommodation in Stellenbosch was the lounge and sunroom in the original manor house. The huge fireplace is now equipped with a little wood stove, which creates a pleasant atmosphere in the cold winter months. An outer door gives direct access to a private patio. The sunny bathroom is equipped with a stand-alone bath and a double shower and washbasins.

Deliciosus
The Deliciosus room in this Luxury 5 star boutique hotel opens on a private patio under an enormous palm tree. The bathroom is exceptionally spacious and a chandelier above the stand-alone bath adds the finishing touch to the decor. It is further equipped with double washbasins, a large shower and separate toilet facilities.

Golden Oyster
This was originally the main bedroom of the manor house with views in a western and southern direction. The room opens on a private patio. An outer door allows for private access, offering some of the finest Stellenbosch Accommodation, this is a true 5 Star experience in the Cape Winelands. The bathroom is fully equipped, with a bath and a shower.

Psilocybe
This room offers a delightful north facing sun filled view and overlooks a cosy courtyard. It has a spacious bathroom equipped with double washbasins, a shower, bath and separate toilet facilities.

Kalaharituber
A view of the hotel’s beautiful garden and swimming pool, with a full panorama of the Mountains in the background makes this suite very popular. The bathroom has double washbasins, a spacious shower and bath with separate toilet facilities.

Copper Trumpet
Wide views from this 5 Star Boutique Hotel to the Hottentots-Holland Mountains in Somerset West characterise this spacious room. The bathroom is equipped with double washbasins, a double shower and a bath with separate toilet facilities.

Purpureum
The library/media centre is also used as a conference facility in Stellenbosch for up to 12 people, and opens on to the Clathrus lounge and a balcony with mountain views.

Wild Mushroom

Novawes Import (Pty) Ltd

Novawes Import, the specialist suppliers of specific food ingredients and pharmaceutical products service various markets in South Africa and neighbouring countries, including the food, beverage, hygiene and pharmaceutical markets. Their range of global products include examination items, empty gelatin/vegetable/fish/bovine capsules, vital wheat gluten, tapioca starch, potato starch, PET cold smoothie cups and hot beverage paper cups. For a more detailed overview of these pharmaceutical product and food ingredient suppliers and their range of products, navigate to the Novawes Import website.

Helderberg Manor Retirement Village offers an attractive lifestyle

Helderberg Manor Retirement Village Somerset West has been developed by the Devmark Property Group, leaders in the development of retirement villages. They have successfully completed 6 retirement villages, and Helderberg Manor is their 7th retirement village. They are also presently busy with their 8th, the Knysna Retirement Village (www.knysnaretirementvillage.co.za).

Your retirement should encompass every excellent
entity that life has to offer and at Helderberg Manor
Retirement Village in Somerset West, this is what we endeavour for. Helderberg Manor Retirement Village is located at the foot of the quaint Helderberg Mountain in Somerset West, in the Western Cape, South Africa. Helderberg Manor Retirement Village offers an attractive lifestyle which will, on completion, include a fully equipped gym and library, swimming pool, bowling green, restaurant and coffee shop.

Retirement Communities
The Helderberg Manor Retirement community will, on completion, have 155 houses, 18 garden cottages, 65 townhouses, 18 assisted living suites and a 48 bed Health care centre.

Garden cottages within the retirement community are available from R840 000 (one bedroom) to R885 000 (two bedrooms), with optional garages priced at R95 000.

Houses are available from R1, 365 000.