I was lucky enough to be invited on the annual British
Airways Top Customer Trip last week and although we managed to cram
an enormous amount into 3 days there were some unforgettable
moments.
We landed in Johannesburg early on Saturday morning and
had to wait for the electrical storms to clear before boarding the
light aircraft (!!) to Sun City - I needn't have worried as there
were plenty of sick bags to hand. We arrived 45 minutes later
in Sun City and were transferred to the Palace for the
night.
The Palace is a very large, opulent hotel (the first
Kerzner hotel) with a huge bronze elephant in its centre
courtyard. After making good use of the waterpark it was time
to go and feed the real elephants - an experience not easily
forgotten!
Dinner that evening was a sumptuous affair and a great
introduction to the local food (and wine!). Due to having a
very early start for the morning game drive the late night visit to
the casino was abandoned.
I've never been on a game drive before and although we
didn't tick off all the 'Big 5' (debate over the list endured for
most of the journey - I still maintain that giraffe should be on
there) we were lucky enough to spot a pair of Black Rhino (very
rate I'm assured), some hippos and an assortment of bambi-like
creatures to photograph for the kids.
After breakfast back at the hotel it was back to
Johannesburg for a flight to Cape Town where we were spending the
night at the imposing Mount Nelson hotel. The hotel was
established 130 years ago to cater for the first class passengers
of the cruise ships docking in the port so I felt right at home and
the food, wine and hospitality the flowed that evening was
unforgettable. It would be great to spend a few more nights
here exploring this incredible city and it's on my bucket list for
sure.
Another early morning (although not quite as perky as the
previous day) for a drive along the stunning coast line to Hermanus
to spot some whales. We lunched in some style at Grootbos
which is an amazing lodge in the hills above Walker Bay and well
worth a few days out of anybody's itinerary before heading down to
the bay to watch the whales slapping their tails and sunbathing in
the waters below. Unfortunately it was a little too choppy
for the boat trip so the shark-cage was off limits.
The journey through the mountains to Franshhoek was truly
amazing and the scenery the otherside breathtaking. Our beds
for the evening were in Africa's best hotel, La
Residence. I wasn't quite lucky enough to sleep in Liz
Hurley's bed but my 2-bed villa was more than sufficient. Each and
every room is individually decorated by the owner and they were all
truly stunning with incredible attention to detail.
A quick dip in the villa's pool was a perfect livener
before the gala dinner (these will be hooked up to the central
heating before long), our final evening of fabulous food, wine and
company.
The following morning we were greeted by a thunderous roar
as 17 Harley Davidsons edged round the driveway. After
jumping on the back we were whisked off on a wine-tasting tour not
to be forgotten before taking a more sedate coach back to Cape Town
for the flight home.
Some incredible experiences in such a short time and I've
vowed to take my family back again so that they too can see what a
wonderful country South Africa really is with truly amazing hotels,
fantastic hospitality and such a massive variety of things to see
and do, we really only scratched the surface.
Author: Karl Lloyd
