Trapped in airports and on planes for an 11 hour flight from Los Angeles to London and another 11 hour flight from London to Cape Town, we finally arrived in The Mother City. It was cold, raining and Table Mountain was hiding behind a thick layer of clouds, the same way it was the first time I landed in Cape Town 3 years earlier.
After spending our first night at a nearby resort and not getting a wink of sleep from a incessant & loud generator, we found Hip Hotel… our glimmering oasis! Since we were looking for 9 nights on such short notice we had to move around every couple of days to the next available space, but that meant we got to experience a lot of the different rooms. We know this place inside & out!
We went to The Spring Resort for a weekend birthday getaway and fell in love! So quiet, peaceful and relaxing… The hosts are super professional and catered to our every whim. Most places in Palm Springs are overcrowded, a little ragged and loud; but at The Spring Resort we often had the pools to ourselves, met very kind travelers and found all of the amenities to be exactly as expected. We stayed in Room 9, which is at the end of the pool and comes with a hammock around the corner… highly recommended!
We took a little extended weekend over Easter and stayed at Korakia Pensione – a fabulous boutiquey little hotel in downtown Palm Springs. They have two pools, a bocce ball court, free bike rentals, an outdoor projected movie every night, fire pits, day beds, free home cooked breakfast — you really can’t ask for more!
Last spring I took the luxurious Rovos Rail from Cape Town to Pretoria, traveling across the Karoo with pitstops in Matjiesfontein and Kimberley. The trip took two days, slowly traversing the vast and varied land that is South Africa. We embarked from the station in Cape Town midday and made it to Matjiesfontein by sunset, which created a pretty stunning backdrop for the train! Matjiesfontein is a random little town without much going on, but it was fun to explore and get a drink at the local pub.
On my first visit to Africa, I took a week to tour the Garden Route and was traveling serendipitously without any solid plans… While I was hanging out in Hermanus, I read a magazine that was raving about Phantom Forest, an eco-reserve in Knysna, so I decided to make that my next stop! The trip was a pretty huge whirlwind of awesome, but Phantom Forest stood out among other hotels with its amazing views, hilltop privacy, monkeys!, delicious homemade breakfast, and a cabin that felt like my own personal fort in the Afromontane forest. I even got to see a Knysna Turaco! [/lourie, whatever you guys are calling it!]
On the northernmost peninsula of Zanzibar Island, Ras Nungwi Beach Hotel overlooks a sparkling expanse of iridescent Indian Ocean, a cluster of whitewashed and palm thatched cottages in rich tropical gardens. Its myriad pathways are shaded by elegant palms, creating soft sun-dappled walkways between beach and banda, balcony and bar.
Lukula Selous is a private photographic sanctuary of over 300,000 acres set in the southern region of the world famous Selous Game Reserve. Guests have the opportunity to explore this wilderness in complete privacy and with total freedom under expert guidance. The Selous Game Reserve is world renowned for its wild character and large populations of elephant, buffalo, lion and leopard, as well as crocodile and African wild dog. Lukula Selous boasts a diverse landscape seldom visited and unchanged by man.
All aboard the Sonesta Nile Goddess for a four night, five day cruise down the Nile River from Luxor to Aswan! The deluxe accommodations on board feature panoramic views from your bedroom, a full size bathtub with showerhead, in-room minibar, air conditioning, an outdoor pool on the sun deck and wireless internet connection. Included in the daily rate is a large breakfast and lunch buffet, as well as a la carte dinners. Evening entertainment includes a belly dance show, a quirky fun Galabya party and a Nubian Folkloric show.
