Woodall-Country-Lodge & Hotel - Eastern Cape

We were all set for the long weekend away in March and looking forward to visiting Nguni Private Game Reserve in the Addo Elephant Park. Flights were booked from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth and the car hire organised. My partner and I were just on our way to Cape Town airport when we received a call, Nguni was waterlogged and was now closed. Paying guests were re-located, luckily for us unpaying guests, a friend of mine very kindly told us we were being re-located to another location near to Addo.

We arrived in P.E. and collected the hire car at the airport, directions were simple to our new accommodation, Woodall Country House and Spa, which took about 45 minutes.

I was expecting holes in the road but the tar was absolutely fine. There was only one area, on the 1 km gravel road to the lodge, which was covered in water, but the VW Polo was fine and we drove through without a problem. We were lucky the rain had stopped and the sun was shining, in fact the forecast for our three days was looking good.

Woodall reflects a charming ambience and character and is nestled peacefully on a fully functioning citrus farm.

Our suite was complete with an outside shower, which brings out the earthy nature in me, so I always use one when I have the opportunity.
The sliding door led us to a lounge area equipped with a well stocked mini bar and through a magnificently carved wooden archway housed the beds, two further relaxation chairs and an en-suite complete with generous products. A bowl of fruit was placed at the end of the beds and the temperature was nice and cool under the aircon, pure opulence.

We took a walk to the dining and communal relaxation area, which was next to a small pond with an array of colourful birds going about their business. That afternoon we chose to relax by the pool and soak up the sun. The pool was to the brim due to all the rainfall and was a lovely cool shade of blue.  The lodge’s spa offers in-house therapists with world-class skills. They are on hand to pamper and revitalise guests with a range of treatments.

At 6.00pm snacks are served and guests can meet each other in the dining/bar area before dinner, to chat about their holiday so far.

We made our way to dinner at 7.30pm where we enjoyed a six course set meal, which was washed down with a beautiful bottle of La Motte, chardonnay. Woodall stocks the finest South African wines personally selected by the owner and offers the perfect compliment to a delicious gourmet meal. The chef prepares the finest karoo venison, freshly caught East Coast fish, home made stocks and a selection of local cheeses. Staff are always on hand, very friendly and the food is truly delicious. We watched the light fall and birds go into evening song, a wonderful setting.

The next day, after an irresistible buffet and hot breakfast made to order, we went on a game drive for 4 hours into Addo Elephant park.

 I didn’t know what we would expect to see as generally rainfall sends game into the bush, but as the sun shone, we saw an amazing amount of elephants, two huge buffalo and an abundance of eland and zebra.

Addo rests in the scenic Sundays River Valley, flanked by the majestic Zuurberg Mountains and the vast blue Indian Ocean. An expanse of wildlife experiences, adventure activities, natural landscapes and cultural delights are available in the surrounding areas.

I would recommend a 2 night stay at least at Woodall lodge. That way you can experience at least one game drive, the Spa and some time to relax by the pool.

Thank you very much to owners James and Debbie Miller, who looked after us during our stay, it was very much appreciated.

For bookings visit www.woodall-addo.co.za
Or call +27 (0)42 233 0128

Victoria Falls - Found Travel

I was eager to see how Victoria Falls had changed since I was last there in 1997, which I remember vividly as the day Princess Diana died. It was a sad occasion but didn’t dampen my experiences then, I remember it was full of excitement and beauty.

A colleague and I flew from Cape Town on BA’s Comair via Johannesburg, with the first segment full of pax and the second leg, Joburg to Vic Falls mostly empty. Was tourism still suffering from bad Zimbabwean press? We were just about to find out.

We landed on time and made our way, with cash in hand, to the small arrivals hall. We had not planned to visit any other country during our two night stay, so our visa was a single entry. It’s always quite amusing when you arrive at a small airport in Africa, there are normally quite a few officials there to process you and it can take a while.

If you queue in an orderly fashion, don’t raise your voice and keep smiling, you will be just fine. One official took my US$55 another gave me a receipt and another stamped in the visa, luckily we were first in line. Our driver was holding up our name card and we were whisked away to our hotel, Ilala Lodge.



During the journey, it was all coming back to me and when we arrived at the lodge, which is next to the falls, the surrounding area looked no different to how I remembered it, but it was a little more deserted.

We checked in to 4 star Ilala and made our way to our rooms. Ilala really is a beautiful place to stay, you can literally feel the dampness from the spray of the falls, which is a short walk away. The porter carried our bags past the main restaurant, which opens out onto the lawn, past the outdoor swimming pool and to our rooms, where we unpacked and got ready for a walk to the falls.

It is advisable to take a waterproof jacket, failing that you can buy or hire one at the falls, but at the very least, take an umbrella, which our hotel provided. For the nervous amongst you, a guide can escort you through a handful of locals selling local currency and artefacts, or if you can deal with them yourselves, a friendly no about 5-6 times should do it. I didn’t feel threatened but it does distract you from viewing the scenery during the short walk to the falls, but once inside, it’s pure beauty.

Several viewing platforms offer different views of the falls and various amounts of spray. Wildlife can also be spotted at the falls, we saw this female spotted antelope, which just popped up in front of us.

You can also view the falls by helicopter, which we did arrange, but unfortunately our flight was cancelled due to low cloud and mist and we had no time to re-schedule.

After buying some Zimbabwean notes from the sellers during our return walk, which incidentally made me a trillionaire, we dried off back at the hotel and got ready for our sunset cruise on the Zambezi. What a way to finish the day.

The cruise offers as much as you can drink, and breathtaking scenery. The spray from the falls can be seen from a safe distance. You certainly wouldn’t want to cool off in the Zambezi and take a dip, its full of hippos and crocs.
Your hotel will arrange the trip and offer a transport service, it’s a must. Another must is dinner at the Victoria Falls hotel, which we experienced the second night, you really get the sense of colonialism.



An elephant safari provided a different perspective on the Zimbabwean bush, my colleague and I were placed on the elephants saddle along with the guide. I have to say last time I was in Vic Falls I was solo on the elephant, which I found much less cramped, it does provide a good experience though if you’ve never done it before. A guide led the 4 elephants, with a rifle, just in case, but we saw no wildlife at all, apart from a few birds and got a little wet in the process from a passing shower.

For guests with more time, you may want to get a multi entry visa and experience Zambia. You can do a boat cruise, which takes you across the border and dine at some stunning restaurants by the Zambian waters edge.

As well as walking to the falls or flying over you can also bathe right next to the drop. I did it back in 1997 and it’s quite an experience, well worth it. The pool, called Devils Pool, you have to enter from the Zambian side and in between sprays of water you can look over at the 360 feet drop, quite impressive.

All in all the experience to Victoria Falls was amazing. There are so many activities, which you can do. It did seem a little less busy than in 97, but still retains all the activities, charm and beauty to this day.

Victoria Falls offers daily connections from Johannesburg on BA and SAA with a low budget airline providing flights to Livingstone on the Zambian side. If you don’t have a Zimbabwean or South African passport make sure you budget extra for Zambian and Zimbabwean visas if flying in to Livingstone. You will also need to check with your hotel on the cost of the transfer, as it’s further than Victoria Falls airport, if you’re staying on the Zimbabwean side.

Malaria does exist in Victoria Falls but it’s classed as low risk and it depends on the time of year you go as to how many mosquitoes are around. We were there in January and I didn’t see one, but check with your hotel and consult your doctor. The local currency doesn’t buy you anything so it’s best to trade in dollars or use your credit card. South African Rand can also be used but the exchange rate to a dollar is not favourable.

All our activities were organised by Shearwater Adventures who are the most popular and leading adventure activity operator in Southern Africa. To organise your activities in advance tel: +263 13 44472 / 45806 or email: reservations@shearwatervf.com Website: www.shearwateradventures.com

Ilala lodge Found Travel Portfolio recommends for comfort, accessibility and value for money. Reservations can be contacted on Cape Town (021) 683 6576 email: info@ilalalodge.com or visit their website at www.ilalalodge.com

Hunters Tsala Treetop Lodge - Found Travel

A friend and I set off from Cape Town early Friday morning to experience Tsala, one of four 5 star experiences owned by Hunter Hotels.

We arrived at around 2.00pm and the guard at the gate seemed to know exactly who we were. The car park is conveniently located right next to Tsala's entrance.

This is five star and first impressions are always very important to me, I have to say, it certainly lived up to its standard. A porter was on hand as we parked, to tend to our luggage and we were greeted with a friendly welcome and a cool glass of punch. When you arrive at Tsala, you immediately feel calm and relaxed.

After drinks we handed in our check in form and made our way to the treetop lodge through the age-old indigenous forest via
 elevated wooden walkways.

Tucked away in the forest canopy, Tsala offers 10 hide-away suites and 6 luxury villas. They are complete with plunge pools, viewing deck, living room with open fire and spacious bathroom with external shower.
It was a cool day so I decided to sit on the viewing deck and take in the sounds of the forest, unpacking can wait.

I was born in London and have lived in cities ever since, so a trip to the forest is heaven. I think it must have been at least 30 minutes before I got up to fetch something from the mini bar and again resumed my position, with a glass of bubbles in hand, on the deck. It’s amazing where time goes, I sat there staring at greenery, I didn’t want to read a book or magazine, I just wanted to stare at nothing but nature and think how lucky I am to be experiencing this. 
After unpacking, I had a siesta followed by an outside shower, which I thoroughly enjoyed, as it’s something one never normally does so feels even more special.

Dinner was booked at the on-site restaurant Zinzi.
It’s a new restaurant with flavours from Africa, Europe and Asia. I had Moroccan lamb, truly delicious. The atmosphere provided a wonderful setting and sounds of the forest echoed around the star lit night sky. Once the meal was over, it was time to walk the short route along the lit path, back to the suite for a good nights rest.

The next day, once we had filled ourselves with a breakfast fit for a Michelin star restaurant, we made our way to Monkeyland. This is the worlds first free roaming multi-specie Primate Sanctuary, located 16km east of Plettenberg bay.

Although it was wet, we paid our R140 each, put on our plastic macs and toured the park with a guide. The best viewing for me was the Asian Gibbon ape, running, like a human, along the path as though we weren’t even there. Monkeyland offers you a chance to view a variety of mammals that would normally only be seen in cages. The sanctuary provides its primates freedom in a natural habitat, well worth a visit.  There are many activities and sites in the area, which include Treetop Canopy Tours, Horse riding, Sunset Cruises, A Bird Aviary, Elephant Sanctuary and lots more.
After a couple of hours of walking around taking as many pictures as we could, we made our way back to the Lodge to get ready to experience the second restaurant on-site, at Hunters Country House.

It’s a short walk to Hunters Country House past Zinzi and into the grounds of the estate. Walking gives you the opportunity to see the exterior and its luscious green fields. If time allows, you may want to book at both Tsala and Hunters Country House as both experiences are very different. If you have limited time, at least you will have a taster for a future visit and I’m sure you can organise a pre-arranged tour to see more of the Country House.

The restaurant menus are personalised, which provides a good feeling of the dining experience ahead. It’s little touches like that that I appreciate and those touches extended to the service, which was without fault. The food was exquisite and we both started off with The chefs daily soup, Charles then had Scallop and study of garden peas while I had Oxtail Ravioli. Just the right amount of food to leave you room for dessert, however we skipped dessert and went straight for the extensive cheese board, presented and explained by the friendly waitress. The candle lit tables and atmosphere of the room really provide a memorable setting and the food will leave you very satisfied indeed.

Once coffee was served, we signed the bill to our room at Tsala, which was very convenient and walked the short walk back to our treetop suite. Complimentary port is available in the suite, so should you require a little tipple, it’s yours for the taking.

All suites are air conditioned, so you can close all the windows no matter what the temperature outside. For those that like the sound of the forest and an early start, leave a window open and you will rise to the tunes of many birds.

Check out, after breakfast the next day, was a smooth operation and you feel unrushed, in fact you don’t want to leave at all. However, the time had come to drive back to the fast pace of the city from which we came, a far cry from the “elevated resting place” we just experienced.
I know that I will definitely be going back again.
by Paul Paley

For more details on Tsala, visit Tsala within our portfolio page at Found Travel Portfolio

The World Cup - A South African Winner! by Paul Paley

As the last ball was kicked in Johannesburg on the 11th July 2010, I’m sure South Africans across the world were proud to call themselves SAFAS. I stayed in the country from the first World Cup game to the second semi final game and then flew to London. A flight, which I booked from Cape Town to London 6 days before flying and using miles! Now lets take you all back to before the World Cup, some hotels and airlines decided to capitalise on football fans intending to visit the country, a time to “cash in” surely. Well in most cases it back-fired. It also seemed an ideal time to rent out your property for a fortune, while enjoying Europe effectively for free, that didn’t happen either.

So if you were, lets say an English supporter, looking at booking a few months before the world cup, you would have found most direct flights were double their normal rates and those that retained reasonable prices, were full. High flight prices combined with expensive hotels, it was too much for their pockets. So what did fans do? Well the next best thing, buy loads of beer, a new 42” HD TV and invited friends to theirs, saved thousands of pounds. In fact, Comet stores in the UK saw an increase in sales of 76% on TVs up to the World Cup, reported footballeconomy.com.

Hotels that raised their rates however, suffered and many of them were left reducing prices just before the games began only to find it was too late. This was obviously a bad idea and Match, part of FIFA, did not help. They apparently provisionally booked many hotels out and then due to lower than expected hospitality bookings, cancelled them at the last minute.

At the end of the day decisions are made on advice and opportunities, it is unfortunate that many hotels have suffered, perhaps their game plans were not quite right. But I think we can all be prepared for an influx of visitors over the coming years as there has been so much positivity. I watched the final in a bar in London and although the result wasn’t to everyone’s liking, it seemed the World Cups host country, will come out the true winner in the end.

By Paul Paley
Found Travel Portfolio