Sandals Guest House - Umhlanga, South Africa

The highlight of a brief trip back to SA in January was a visit to my parents new guest house in Umhlanga, called SANDALS. My parents completely rennovated and redesigned the house, and after a great deal of hard work it was open to its first guests at the end of December.

The house is positioned perfectly, in the quiet residential part of lower Umhlanga, and only a 5 minute walk from the beach and all the wonderful restaurants and shops of the village. The huge flamboyant tree in the garden, and the Georgian design of the house, immediately transports one into a feeling of peace and tranquility. The interior has been immaculately decorated and has the perfect balance of simplicity and style.

Jackie and I stayed in a fantastic double room, which had doors leading out onto the pool area. All the rooms have air-conditioning, and satellite TV, and ours had a huge bathroom with both bath and shower. At the moment there are 4 double rooms, but my parents are planning to add another 3, built on top of the existing structure.

We enjoyed a beer or 2 in the bar, which looks out over the pool and Indian ocean, a perfect (and dangerous?) setting. I lived with my moms cooking for quite a few years, but I must admit that I was amazed at the culinary delights on offer in the morning. A rainbow of fruits, cereals, muesli and yoghurt, a choice of cooked breakfast, and a selection of pastries to end off.

I am obviously slightly biased, but I would give Sandals 10/10 in every category. My parents have done an amazing job in such a short space of time, and they look like seasoned professionals. I feel sorry for all other similar establishements in the surrounding area. Well done mom and dad!!!!

See the link to Sandals on the sidebar.

New Years in Wales

A weekend in South Wales for New Years sounded like a great plan. The village called Glasbury was in the Wye valley, not far from the Brecon Beacons National Park. We checked into our hotel/pub late in the afternoon, and it soon became obvious that we had lucked out as far as accomodation goes. Literally cardboard walls seperating the rooms, and noisy welsh neighbours, a 'great' combination.

The only saving grace was a fancy dress new years party in the pub, which was packed full with the whole village. I was Dr Doolittle (possibly the village idiot), Jacks was an Indian Princess, and her mom a sailor. We settled in quite nicely for a while, especially with some great real ales on offer. All came crashing down however when dinner was served. A selection of completely tasteless delights on offer. I could have cooked a better curry in the dark, using only my feet. Jacks and I managed to see the new year in, and got a bit of sleep, while learning more than we needed to know about our neighbours (whose new years resolution seemed to be more tap dancing).

The next morning we were told that a cooked breakfast was unlikely, as the kitchen was a disaster area. We were also told that the chef had really had a good party, and was feeling quite rough. After breakfast we checked out (a day early), telling the owner that his hotel was well below average in the noisy pub category.

As the sun lifted over the mountains of Wales so did our spirits. We found a fantastic country road and drove off towards the ruins of an abbey in the Brecon Beacons, passing a million sheep on the way. Welsh lamb tastes so good, because they enjoy a life with amazing views. I have always maintained that happy animals taste better.

After arriving at the abbey, we shoved our walking shoes on and made our way up an extremely muddy hillside. Really worth the effort, as we had great views through a beautiful and wild valley.

The drive back took us over the Severn Estuary, and back into England. Our next port of call was Bradford-upon-Avon, not far from Bath. A beautifully picturesque village on the river Avon (as the name suggests), it also boasts wonderful walks along a canal. On the way back to London, we drove up to Norton-St Phillips, where we enjoyed a freshly baked cake, and a good glass of wine with Jacks' aunt and uncle.

Italian Christmas

We decided to spoil ourselves over Christmas, and went on a tour to Lake Garda - Northern italy. The tour company was Page and Moy, and they specialise in tours for the older generation. We were quite lucky on this trip, as there were 3 other young couples, so there was quite a nice mix. The best thing about the trip was that you stay in a really comfortable hotel, and are taken to all the sights, and really well looked after.

Our hotel was in Arco, which is a little village about 4km from the Northern tip of Lake Garda. The village is guarded by an imposing castle, built on a large 'koppie'. It turned out to be a wonderful base for our stay, really quiet, and with real italian charm. They had a great Christmas market, and some fantastic shops.

Each day, the 36 people in the group, jumped on a bus, and went off to a different destination. The first was to Bolzano, and the Dolomites. We caught a cable car up into the mountains, and then went on a 20 minute train ride though serious snow. The snow was amazing, and the view over the Dolomites was superb. After some great fun in the snow we drove down into Bolzano, were we had some free time to see the Christmas markets and for some Sangria, and a Currywurst.

Our next trip took us to some of the castles of Trentino, the highlight being a tour and a tasting at Castle Noarna, a great castle and vineyard up in the mountains. Amazing how a wine tasting can improve group dynamics.

Christmas eve dinner was spent in a restaurant in Riva. After 7 courses of food, and drinks to match, everyone was seriously stuffed. A little grappa was the perfect end to a great evening.

Christmas day was spent relaxing around the hotel, and once again stuffing ourselves on an italian style lunch. It was great to just park out and and chill.

On Boxing day we drove off to Venice. Our arrival was great, catching a waterbus, and pulling up to St Mark's Square. We had quite a lot of time to explore the city, and it truly is a one of a kind. Beautiful buildings wherever you cast your eye. We were lucky enough to go on a gondola, and it turned out to be a really great way of seeing the city. We cruised along some back canals, and found ourselves arriving on the grand canal, at the Rialto bridge. We then walked around, and saw some of the famous churches and palaces. Amazing that the prediction is that future generations will be exploring Venice under water. So, if you've never been, and are keen to see Venice, get there soon.

Our last day trip took us to Verona, the setting for Romeo and Juliet. Amazing that even though the story is fictional, the most popular tourist attraction is Juliet's balcony. We had a tour of the whole city, and it was really prettier than expected. Great fresco's on the buildings, and an arena, pretty similar to the Colosseum in Rome, only better preserved, and older. After the tour we found a little pizzeria, and enjoyed our first pizza of the trip.

A very different trip for us, but one that we thoroughly enjoyed. Great to be looked after so well. Also really great to spend Christmas with Jacks' mom.