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Indagare members DFC and ES recently returned from their South African honeymoon. Here are their impressions of the special journey.

As I mentioned, the honeymoon was absolutely amazing. I will be thrilled to have a vacation that nice ever again. Below are the highlights.

First Stop: La Residence. This was the biggest surprise of the trip. We couldn’t have enjoyed the area or hotel any more than we did. The service was through the roof—redefined for me what a hotel can do for its guests. The food in Franschhoek rivaled or exceeded the best meals we’ve had in Paris. We loved the pace of each day—extremely relaxing with just enough activity to keep us from getting bored. I would have happily stayed an extra day or two. It would have been great to see Stellenbosch too. If I had known how much we could enjoy the wine country, I might have skipped Hermanus, and allocated the extra days to Franschhoek and Stellenbosch.

Second Stop: Birkenhead House. Beautiful. Loved that the beach was so vast and empty. Views were incredible—we had a nice routine of drinks on the terrace before dinner each night. Your advice that too many days at this hotel could get a little slow was right on. Three nights was just about right.

Third Stop: Ellerman House. What an amazing hotel. One of my mother-in-law’s very well traveled friends insists this is her favorite hotel in the entire world. The building and the grounds were unbeatable. I personally think the room and service at La Residence were just slightly better, but it was a very close call. We really enjoyed the food scene in Cape Town and did a pretty good job of eating at variety of restaurants. One day I think we had 22 individual courses. We’ll be happy to share with you the roster of restaurants if you’re curious.

Fourth Stop: Singita Ebony. We knew this portion of the trip would be amazing and it was. We saw every animal we hoped two within the first two drives. We still can’t get over how close to the animals we were. Lions walked within several feet of my wife’s elbow. The cats were our favorites. The warthogs were the underdog surprise. We saw the carcass of an antelope hanging from a tree—incredible stuff. You were right that three days/night was just about perfect. We could have stayed two nights and still seen all the animals, but it might have felt a little short. I would definitely recommend that safaris longer than four nights be split among multiple properties. We’ve been told that Singita is developing a new lodge in Mozambique that should be ready in two or three years—we’re pretty serious about using that as an excuse to get back to Africa. Our guide was terrific—has a biology degree from a Mexican university.

We knew it would be a terrific trip, but I don’t think either of us expected to like the country/area so much that it would be a priority for us to go back.

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From D.W.H., Stamford, Connecticut

“Celebrating my wife’s birthday, we went to Cape Town for a week, then up to Kruger National Park and Lion Sands, in the Sabi Sand Reserve, hoping to see leopards. While in South Africa, we took the Rovos Rail from Cape Town to Pretoria. Everything about the experience was wonderful, starting with our arrival, where we were served Champagne in our private sitting room. The other passengers—about fifty of us altogether—were mostly from the United States, Denmark and South America. The Victorian-era train cars have been completely redone and have beautiful wood paneling, very clubby and warm, and comfortable furniture. Everything is impeccably maintained. We were in one of the three Royal Suites; I particularly appreciated that it had an en-suite shower with scalding hot water. (When I took a trip on the Orient Express, which I didn’t like nearly as much, you had to walk down a corridor to get to the shower. Orient Express also charged for drinks, while on Rovos Rail, everything is included.) The Rovos Rail travels very slowly, with a top speed of 60 km, which allows you to really relish the landscape going by. You pass through the plains of the Great Karoo and through gorgeous canyons—so much different scenery. The train stops for a few hours each night for people who don’t like the rocking and to prolong the journey. We found both the service and the food to be superb. The three-course dinners are served in the dining car at tables of two and four. I especially enjoyed the duck. For the last part of the journey, the train is pulled by a steam locomotive. Of course I had to go up and see the controls. The owner, Rohan Voss, once said, “I may not have as much money as before, but I have one hell of a train set!”

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Once a week, the Rovos Rail makes the 1,600 km journey between Cape Town and Pretoria, passing through the Great Karoo and the Highveld. Stops are made at Matjiesfontein and Kimberley. The train has thirty-six suites. Rates from R19,490 (about $2,500). (27 21) 421-4020; fax (27 21) 421-4022; www.rovos.co.za

For information on traveling to Southern Africa or to book, contact our advisory department by calling 212-988-2611 or by sending an inquiry

Read our insider report on Cape Town

Read more about Singita Grumeti

Read about Saving Lions in Crisis

Read about Kenya-based designer Anna Trzebinski

Read about a special elephant sanctuary in Kenya

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Indagare member M.V. recently returned from a family trip to South Africa. Here are her thoughts on the experiences they had at Kurland, along the Garden Route, and Samara, an East Cape private game reserve.

“At the Kurland Hotel, we stayed at the Manor House, which really is the personal home of the owners, about five minutes from the main hotel. The house sits on an amazing piece of property and is how a great land home should be – elegant, cozy and grand with a perfect layout. The home is built around an outdoor living room, which has a fireplace, big couches, pizza oven and a large dining table. We spent a lot of time there looking out over the landscape. The property is entirely private and we never saw another person, house or vehicle; we could only see the South African landscape. For an extended family or a large group of friends looking to relax, this property is perfect.

“We had our own chef and butler and the owners did everything they could to make our stay memorable. We were provided with quad-bikes to get around the property (which were especially popular with the boys) and also a van to take us to the beach (a five-minute drive away) or into town. When we asked for bikes, we immediately got them. When we decided we’d like to take a horseback ride, a trip was instantly lined up. Whenever we asked for something for the house, or a special bottle of wine, it arrived as soon as they could get their hands on it.

“While the hotel part is a member of Relais & Châteaux, the food was good, but not great. The wine selection was fabulous though, and the service was impeccable.

“Activities at the property included polo, pony rides for the kids and mountain biking. Five minutes away was an elephant camp (a bit too commercial and group-travel style for our taste), monkey camp (especially recommended and a fun adventure for kids) and a gorgeous beach. The coast is stunning, the weather was perfect, and we spent a great afternoon on the beach. Visitors should know, however, that it is not a beach club, and people should bring their own towels.

“It was a perfect beginning to the holiday with young kids. Horse-lovers would really like this place.

“Our next stop was to Samara, where, again, the house was perfect for us. It maximized family time while still giving everyone their own space. The house was more contemporary and very cozy and comfortable. The pool wasn’t working properly but nobody had any interest in going in it anyway.

“Again, we had our own chef and staff and they did whatever they could to make our stay comfortable. The food was better than at Kurland, but still not great.

“Our ranger, Test, was amazing. His smile was so infectious, we never cared that it was 6am when he started our days. We tracked a cheetah on foot and stood within six meters from it for a good 15 minutes. It was amazing. We also tracked white rhino on foot and after leaving the car behind and walking into the bush behind Test, came upon five white rhinos in a group. Again, amazing. We saw tons of other wildlife despite the property not being a Big Five. More seasoned safari-goers might have been disappointed without seeing all five animals, but to see white rhinos and cheetahs, this was the place to go. The property itself was a bit rockier than most, making the rides really bumpy, so it might not be right for people with health problems.

“We had lunch at the main hotel one day and the look, feel and service was not up to par and a far cry from our private house. I would not recommend staying in the main hotel.

“Given that we were traveling with small children and were really late in booking, this was a good alternative to Sabi Sands, though they would still win over Samara every time.

“You were absolutely right to suggest us visiting two properties to see two sides of South Africa. We took charters from all destinations and I would not recommend traveling any other way, as it saves so much time.

“Between the relaxation in the hills and beach at Kurland to the adventurous safari at Samara, we have the perfect family holiday.”

Read Indagare’s South Africa destination report.

Read other members’ postcards from South Africa.

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J.H.B., New York, NY

“Had a wonderful time in S.A. The trip is awful, and if going from the U.S. the fastest way is via SAA to Joberg. Delta also does this from Atlanta (Some 85% of European/US/Asian land there). The problem is that you then transfer to Cape Town if you go there first. Which is kind of a pain. Or you can fly to selected European places, usually requiring an extra day or overnight stay, and fly direct from there to Cape Town, i.e. Amsterdam or the U.K.. All safari flights are from Joberg, so that is a different story. Contrary to rumors, we never had luggage looting and were told that is a most rare occurrence.

Cape Town is superb, there are three great hotels: Cape Grace (brand new, luxurious, at the vital, shop-restaurant infested harbor); Ellerman House (older, smaller, fashionable, looking over the sea but a bit outside of town and somewhat facility limited—i.e. no Sunday lunch); and the Mount Nelson (under Table Mountain, in town, but big gardens, full-service, colonial, huge). We stayed at the first and last, but visited the third, and would strongly recommend the Mount Nelson. Taxis are plentiful and unbelievably cheap—make Paris for the former and London for the latter shameful.

The museums are interesting (Gold, Machis) and the national botanical garden wonderful and very well done – reverse side of Table Mt. fifteen minutes out. The people are friendly and the food and atmosphere terrific. Our two favorite restaurants were Aubergene, near the Mount Nelson, and Beluga, in an alley with lots of young. But the Showroom in the Mercedes sales barn had very good food. Even in the very best restaurants with the best wine and tips, you will never spend near $200 and can spend a lot less. [EDITOR’S NOTE: The Showroom closed in 2009.]

An hour north of Cape Town is the wine country and a charming, very upscale Huguenot valley where there are two superb hotels, Le Quartier Francais and Montcalmer, the latter with a wonderful view over the valley, and the former with beautiful rooms around little pools right in town. There are many world-class shops and things to do. The wineries are many and some of the wines very good (Waterford whites). If you go out past the airport, you pass two of the huge settlements outside of Cape Town, which are well worth driving past, and the mountain scenery as with all that part of the country is superb.

An hour South of Cape Town is the tip of Africa, Cape Point, where the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean, and the drive there through multiple ecosystems is both beautiful and unusual. Coming back, a stop on the East side of the Cape’s mountains is the Boulders, where there is the penguin reserve—which is a must to see. The penguins there don’t march, just live there year round, and it is fabulous and you have to come away smiling. For this part of the trip, I would take four or five days. A day in the North, and probably three in Cape Town—one of which would be spent in the South.

Back to Joberg for the safari camps, up the East Coast. Regular, substantial (twenty passenger) Federal Air planes fly to the various camps from a special terminal in the main airport—making the transfer easy for incoming or outgoing international travelers. Our experience was with Singita, with one of the largest surrounding properties and three camps, Ebony (oldest and most traditional) Boulders (more swish and modern) and Castleton (smallest and for private groups).All are well-done and travel through the property is in large, four decker, six tourist jeeps with a tracker and a ranger. Tours are at 5:30 in the morning and 4:00 in the afternoon. You go to find the game, and the trackers actually follow things like lions, leopards, and cheetahs on foot with rifles. We had the good luck only four drives (two days) to see every single African animal—although after tracking the leopard for thirty-five minutes we saw his back leaving the boundary of the park and couldn’t follow him. Accommodations are modern and superb—every house at Ebony had its own pool for example, and if you let them the monkeys would come right into your room. The hotels are located near water holes so animals are visible from the lodge.

In summary, S.A. despite being a long way to go is a trip to take, enjoy, and remember. It is cheap, English-speaking, friendly, remarkably sophisticated, visually splendid (the clouds coming over Table Mountain are a real sight), and we never, ever saw or felt threatened by crime or had a power outage.”

For information on traveling to Southern Africa or to book, contact our advisory department by calling 212-988-2611 or by sending an inquiry

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Postcard from Cari Gray, New York, October 2009

Next year, from June 11 to July 11, South Africa will host the World Cup—the first ever in Africa. The 64 matches will be played in 10 venues across the country, including Pretoria, Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town. Preparations are underway to receive 450,000 visitors from around the world, driving both tourism and investment. Some top hotels, which typically shut down for winter, will be opening up. In fact, properties as far away from Cape Town as Paarl are already sold out (these include the gorgeous Grande Roche, nestled in the vineyards 45 minutes away). Other hotels, such as the Pezula Resort outside of Knysna, are being taken over by teams for training camps. Fans can combine game watching in Nelspruit with another form of game watching in Kruger National Park, home to exquisite safari camps including Singita and Londolozi, and new accommodations are also sprouting up to coincide with the event and capitalize on the world’s attention. In Cape Town, the lavish One & Only opened to great acclaim down at the Victoria & Albert Waterfront; in Johannesburg, designer Sumari Krige has created the new, very luxe ten-suite boutique hotel, Athol Place (www.atholplace.co.za).

One of my favorites discoveries on a recent trip, however, was Hartford House (www.hartford.co.za), a special property in the Midlands, in the KwalaZulu-Natal province at the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains (South Africa’s largest peaks). The lush, green, rolling landscapes of this region bear a strong resemblance to England. Art galleries, craft boutiques, and local specialty food producers line the country roads; there are also many horse farms, including the Summerhill Estate, which boards the stallions of the Rulers of Dubai, and has over 800 thoroughbreds. Hartford House is a small family- owned lodge located on the Estate grounds that was once the home of Colonial Natal’s last Prime Minister. It’s a lovely sprawling property owned by horse breeders Mick and Cheryl Goss, with twelve suites, a spa and pool. It’s also home to Chef Jackie Cameron, who at age 27 is a force of nature and was just pronounced one of South Africa’s Top Ten chefs. For her nightly five-course meals, she uses the best ingredients, including artisanal cheeses, locally raised meats and fresh garden herbs. Her combinations of flavors and techniques are very original. Especially noteworthy are her soups, which she frequently accents with sorbet or ice cream; a personal favorite on my trip was roasted butternut soup with pear custard ice cream, pumpkin seeds and curry oil.

Read on about this member’s visit to Culinary Cape Town and the Winelands

Read about a philanthropic safari in South Africa

For tailored travel advice on how to plan a trip to South Africa, contact our booking department by calling 212-988-2611 or by sending an inquiry.