A sunny summer afternoon found us enjoying a marvelous lunch at the aptly named The Greenhouse Restaurant at The Cellars-Hohenort Hotel and Spa just outside of Cape Town. From our indoor table in a cozy corner, we could see through the glass walls to the lovingly maintained lush gardens and Table Mountain, and observe fellow guests enjoying their meals on the restaurant terrace.
Few cities in the world rival Cape Town for sheer landscape beauty. There’s something irresistibly alluring about Africa’s southernmost city sandwiched between the sea and the majestic Table Mountain. No matter how many times I see it or from which angle, I always marvel at the view when I arrive in Cape Town. On my last visit, I took advantage of the summer weather to go on a 20 minute Atlantico Helicopter flight. What a treat!
This little camp, part of the Relais and Chateaux group, will stand out in my memory for bringing us close up and personal with an elephant herd like no other we had encountered before. It was named for Jabulani, the youngest of the adult elephants, who was rescued from certain and slow death when he was three months old. Humans took pity on him after he got stuck in the mud. His elephant family couldn’t get him out and abandoned him. Jabulani’s journey to survival and young adulthood was arduous for him and his saviors; and eventually led to the establishment of Camp Jabulani and the further rescue of a group of adult elephants from Zimbabwe.
At Rattray’s on Mala Mala, a small and exclusive safari property in one of the best game viewing areas of Africa, Big Five game viewing was the number one priority. Game drives lasted about three hours and were limited to four guests per vehicle. During our last visit, we shared the vehicle with two enthusiastic repeat visitors, a mother and daughter from Europe, who made an annual pilgrimage to Mala Mala, and now Rattray’s, for their game viewing fix. We were accompanied by Warren Meredith, an English speaking young guide who drove the vehicle, and Jeffrey, a tracker who sat in the last row and whose job it was to spot the game viewing opportunities, especially of the highly coveted Big Five animals (elephant, hippo, lion, leopard, and rhino). Warren was our go-to person during our stay. He dined with us, accompanied me on a bush walk, and organized wake up calls and any activities we might want to schedule.
Our visit to Angsana Spa was a success. My husband and I arrived there just after a satisfying lunch at Myoga, an Asian fusion restaurant located on the same property. The reception area was quiet and we received a warm welcome from the staff. We spent a few minutes reviewing treatment options before a staff member escorted us to our double treatment room where we had the Duet Treatment Package, three hours of treatments including a scrub, massage and facial each and a shared milk and orange bath at the end.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Cybele Forest Lodge and Health Spa, a former farmhouse now restored and filled with nostalgic touches and modern comforts. We visited in between a series of game viewing stays at properties in the Sabi Sands Reserve and Kruger National Park. After days of busy early morning and late afternoon game drives, the quiet ambiance, lush flower filled gardens and grounds, friendly staff, tasty treats and alluring spa options we found at the property were a godsend.
