Reflecting at the start of 2013 on the wonderful TRAVELIFE that was in 2012, this is part of a series of blog entries that looks at the best aspects of our never-ending, and never-endingly eventful travels. 

This year was so full of indescribable and inspiring experiences — and we’re certainly looking forward to an even more wonderful Travelife in 2013. 

A blessed New Year to everyone

from all of us at Travelife Magazine.

We wish you a year of happiness

and an amazing Travelife.

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Cape Town’s Table Mountain

In fact, thinking about it now, I don’t know why it took me so long to get to South Africa.

It’s a beautiful country blessed with amazing nature, a great lifestyle, and some of the best wining and dining on the planet. Boy, did we eat in some fabulous places. And it’s not even very far compared to Europe.

From Hong Kong, it took us about the same time to get to Johannesburg as to fly to Paris. 12 hours, and on both ways, we just pushed the “flat bed” button and slept for most of the way. Talk about a pretty painless flight.

And guess what. South African Airways has amazing deals from Manila to Johannesburg via Hong Kong. I saw their advertisement in our current Travelife issue (December 2012 – January 2013) and the prices made me do a double take.

FLY SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS

Manila to Johannesburg for as low as US$795

Manila to Cape Town for as lowas US$928

www.flysaa.com

Tel 884-8129

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Then came the fun part.

I volunteered to do the basic planning for the trip because no one can really plan a trip the way we can – we are Travelife Magazine after all, the Philippines’ leading travel and lifestyle magazine. Honestly. I’ve seen lots of seasoned travelers plan their trips pretty nicely, but so far no one — absolutely no one — can plan a seamless and truly interesting trip like us, regardless of destination.

We always include really interesting things to do, we stay in very nice hotels, and we never bungle flights, trains or restaurant reservations because we know what to do about these.

But back to South Africa. I did remember to ask my friend for his wish list, and fortunately it was the same as mine: seeing the Big 5 on a best-of-breed safari, discovering the new hype and vibes of Johannesburg, and exploring the great dining and wine opportunities in the Cape Town area.

Read us every Sunday in the Business Mirror

Knowing my penchant for luxury, perhaps, he left all the hotel choices to me, so I basically chose all the places I’ve always wanted to stay in on a South Africa trip.

These are the places I chose for our trip:

The Westcliff

An Orient Express Hotel

Johannesburg

Sabi Sabi Game Reserve Selati Camp and Earth Lodge Greater Kruger National Park

Le Quartier Francais
Franschhoek

La Residence

Franschhoek

The Mount Nelson Hotel

An Orient Express Hotel

Cape Town

The Steenberg Hotel

Constantia

Then, after I was done with the basics, I turned over the itinerary to him as “homework,” to finish off with things he wanted to do – like go to the top of Table Mountain, visit Robbens Island, where Nelson Mandela was jailed for over two decades, and book all those great cutting-edge restaurants he’s so keen on.

After emailing him the basically finalized itinerary, regarding the non-dining and wining parts of the itinerary, I told him: “Everything not mentioned in this itinerary is part of your homework. You can plan the free time any way you wish and I’m happy to go along as long as you leave enough time for breakfast and get us back in time to dress for dinner.”

We have the same general interests and we both like good dinners — even if he is way more of a “World’s Best Restaurants 2012” kind of person than I am — so I was sure it would work out in the end.

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Breakfast with a view at the Westcliff in Johannesburg

On our third day in South Africa, living a TRAVELIFE, we had a very leisurely breakfast at the beautiful Westcliff hotel before checking out to catch our flight to the Sabi Sabi Game Reserve in Kruger National Park.

A sunrise balloon ride with Air to Africa over the Cradle of Mankind

Since we arrived, it had been a pretty crazy schedule of doing all kinds of stuff because we wanted to see everything possible in Johannesburg.

We’d ticked off every major sightseeing destination on our list and ate in the four restaurants we really wanted to eat in. And we’d even done a hot air balloon ride at sunrise and driven all the way to Sun City as well.

*    *    *

WATCH OUT FOR TRAVELIFE’S PICKS

FOR THE BEST OF SOUTH AFRICA

From the December 2012 – January 2013 issue onwards

Holiday issue on sale everywhere

from December 15

*    *    *

Our 48-hour schedule could’ve probably killed a springbok — excuse the pun — but we’d had lots of fun doing it. We’d just had two very full days, and that third morning in Johannesburg was our very first relaxed moment. Finally.

Perhaps to make up for the rush of the past 48 hours, not to mention the 18-hour door-to-door travel time between Manila and Johannesburg, we spent over an hour just having a nice breakfast at Johannesburg’s grande dame of a hotel.

The elegant breakfast venue of the Westcliff

It was a sign of things to come, because after that day, I don’t think we ever sat at a breakfast table — or at any table, for that matter — for less than an hour again. All our meals after that were very, very leisurely, and we were doing at least three courses whether we were having breakfast, lunch or dinner.


And one dinner in Cape Town was eleven courses! (Test Kitchen by Chef Luke Dale Roberts, South Africa’s most famous chef…)

Everything was bloom in Johannesburg, when we were there

The weather was beautiful and we chose a table with a view of the greenery of suburban Johannesburg. Meanwhile, out in the terrace, a very long table of extremely chic-looking women had gathered for morning tea and what looked like a baby shower.

In Johannesburg, the Westcliff is everyone’s favorite destination for all the milestones in their lives, you see, so we were constantly seeing weddings, baptisms, birthdays, and baby showers going on, all over this massive and extremely picturesque property.

The locals are very proud of this hotel, as well. The Westcliff is very large and spread out, so you need to ride a van from the lobby to your room; and twice, we shared the van with some locals who were taking their overseas visitor to one of the Westcliff’s restaurants for a meal.

The Westcliff is the favorite venue for all milestones…

Yes, the Westcliff experience is considered one of the “best experiences” in Johannesburg, and that’s how proud the locals are of this hotel.

Personally, I would say don’t miss a magical experience of champagne at sunset by the infinity pool, and definitely have breakfast on the terrace of the La Belle Terrasse restaurant on a beautiful and relaxing morning.

Breakfast here is very elegant, refined and old-fashioned. I had my usual, favorite hotel breakfast, and it was a pattern that I would follow almost religiously every day in South Africa.

I always started with a plate of fruits and a pot of roobois tea, no sugar or milk.

Then I got some smoked salmon, some cheeses, and a croissant for a second course.

For the third course, I almost always had the eggs benedict, just because I love eggs benedict. And now I can write an entire discourse on the best versions of eggs benedict in South Africa, since I’ve tasted the eggs benedict in all their best hotels.

The Westcliff version of eggs benedict is a classic, which is very appropriate, considering the environment and their reputation.

Muffins for two

And when we left the restaurant, we took two bran muffins to eat on the plane, on the 70-minute flight to Sabi Sabi from Johannesburg, for the next chapter in our amazing South African adventure.

Lunch enroute to Sabi Sabi

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On Saturday morning, we landed very early in Johannesburg on a flight from Hong Kong. Everything was smooth and seamless, as a TRAVELIFE usually is.

Our friendly driver from the Westcliff Hotel, Johannesburg’s iconic and well-loved hotel, was at the arrivals lounge with a big sign bearing the name of The Boss.

Within minutes we were in the car, on the highway and proceeding towards the Westcliff via some of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Johannesburg.

When we got to the Westcliff, our rooms were ready and so we took a golf cart to Building #2, which is one of the highest buildings on the Westcliff estate and with a beautiful view.

The Westcliff has long been Johannesburg’s grand dame of a hotel, famous for its picturesque surroundings and for its very palatial environment. All the rooms are housed in pink buildings on this hilly estate, and you need a golf cart to get around because it’s so large.

But that just adds to its charm, as it’s like entering a very special world, even when you’re just going from the reception building to your room.

I loved my corner suite which had windows opening on all sides, and a large terrace with tables and a view that I spent too little time in, as we also wanted to see as much of Johannesburg as possible.

But when I first entered my suite, I flung open the terrace doors and went outside to take in the view of greenery and blooming jacaranda trees.

Wow, I told myself. I’m finally in South Africa.

Inside, my suite was decorated in a very classic style, with comfortable furnishings and the kind of details and lovely touches that the Orient Express Hotels group is famous for, the world over.

I had lovely flowers in my room and all kinds of original organic African toiletries in the bathroom. Everything was carefully thought over.

The television, for example, was hidden inside a console cabinet where I could place my books and my gadgets in the daytime. And just before sleeping, if I wanted to watch TV, all I had to do was push a button and the console would rise and the TV would appear magically in front of my bed.

That very day, after a full eight hours or so of going all over Johannesburg, The Boss and I had champagne by the infinity pool at sunset with the hotel general manager.


What a lovely place this is to pass the sunset hour as you can see the sky turn orange and pink in front of you, while you are surrounded by greenery and peace.

I was completely captivated by this, and it was very enjoyable to sit here talking over glasses and glasses of champagne.
I don’t know why but we’ve been in South Africa for just over 56 hours now – less than three days, really – but already it’s felt like a month.

I’m sure The Boss will say this is because of the company, as he’s been feeding me with interesting information about life in the bush ever since we set foot here.

From him, I’ve learned the most useful information that I’m sure will be very handy for life in Manila: like what to do in case you bump into a raging elephant, how not to stand between a hippo and the water, and which side of a zebra to stand next to.

I asked him a couple of times: “Where on earth do you get all this information?”

Then I teased him: “Did you buy some safari handbook and read up on it before the trip, just to impress me?”

We were both in South Africa for the first time, after all. And on safari at the Sabi Sabi, one of the top game reserves and safari experiences in South Africa and in the world, for the very first time as well.

With his usual confidence about everything in the world, he replied: “Stock knowledge. Intuitive information 101.“

Not in my world. So I replied: “Obviously we went to different schools.” No need to tell you which school was better.

Scroll down to read more…

But anyway, The Boss does sound so convincing about his Safari 101 knowledge, that earlier a ranger overhearing our conversation in the jeep actually asked him how many times he’d been on safari since he seemed to know everything already.

No need to tell you what happened after that. Of course, The Boss gave me a big I-told-you-so look.

By the way, I’ve lost track of how many glasses of champagne we’ve had, but I’m certain we’ve had a lot. And if I think about all that awaits us in the Cape Town area as well next week, I’m so sure that this is just an inkling of things to come.

Is it me wanting champagne on our pretty amazing trip around South Africa? Or do South Africans just enjoy champagne so much and we’re just going along for the ride?

We’ve started and ended every evening so far with champagne. We had champagne after our hot-air balloon ride as well. And even on safari, in the middle of absolutely nowhere, we’re having champagne at sunset every single day. But of course, we’re at the luxurious Sabi Sabi, so here champagne at sunset is almost de rigeur.

Either way, I’m not complaining. It’s certainly a fantastic way to end every day in a never-endingly, and never-endingly eventful Travelife.

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It’s been a wonderful and amazing 36 hours in Johannesburg so far, living a TRAVELIFE.

Yesterday we arrived in Johannesburg on a 12-hour flight from Hong Kong and checked into the beautiful Westcliff hotel, an Orient-Express hotel that’s one of the city’s most loved and elegant hospitality icons.

It’s also considered one of the top two — if not the top — places to stay in Johannesburg.

 

WHERE TO EAT IN JOHANNESBURG

 

The kids of Soweto township

We literally dropped our bags and then got back into the car for a city tour and a trip to see the township of Soweto, which is about 40 minutes from the city itself.

Then we had an impromptu, delicious and very enjoyable lunch at a famous and trendy African restaurant in Melrose Arch, one of the cool places to hang out.

 

The restaurant had really cool live music as we ate our first lunch in South Africa yesterday

Here we’d had our first taste of springbok in South Africa.

I’d ordered a very tender oxtail as well. Then we’d shared a huge plate of samosas to start and an excellent almond ice cream dish afterwards.

 

 

In the afternoon, we sat by the infinity pool of the Westcliff having drinks at sunset with Ian Jones, the general manager of the Westcliff who has just moved from Canada, and his top executive Wellington Mpofu.

It was lots of fun as we’re all well-traveled people, and so we sat around exchanging stories about favorite destinations, travel experiences and hotels.

The infinity pool of the Westcliff overlooking the city

 

MY BUCKET LIST NOW IS AFRICA

Tanzania, Namibia, Kenya and Mozambique are all high on my bucket list at the moment, and I learned a lot about Africa in general from our conversation with them, and with other people in the business, so far, over 36 short hours in South Africa.

 

The entrance to the apartheid museum

 

DINNER AT THE WESTCLIFF

Afterwards, we had a tasting dinner at the Belle Terrasse restaurant of the Westcliff — a very fitting start to our two weeks of adventures in Africa.

The Belle Terrasse is supposed to be the most elegant restaurant in the city. It certainly had a lovely view and great service, as well as wonderful food. More on that in a later blog.

 

 

RIDING A HOT AIR BALLOON OVER THE CRADLE OF MANKIND

 

Then today, we woke up at 3 AM to catch a hot air balloon flight over the forests, mountains and lakes around the Cradle of Mankind area outside of Johannesburg with a company called Air to Air Africa (www.airtoairafrica.co.za/).

 There are several hot air balloon companies in this area, but we were so glad we chose Air to Air Africa as the service was warm and friendly, and the management is very safety conscious.

Our pilot had 30 years of experience with hot air balloons.

 

That’s our pilot, very much in charge, as we floated over some lovely hills.

We’ve done hot air balloons before, but I’d never had such precise safety orientation before or seen a management so careful about weather conditions.

They also served a mean breakfast afterwards, which we both enjoyed a lot. We weren’t expecting to, as we’d actually decided to do the balloon ride and then have breakfast at a very famous dining destination nearby.

But they were full, and so we had to have the breakfast that came with the hot air balloon package instead. It was very nice and such a wonderful start to a great holiday.

As for our balloon ride, we had a most scenic flight in our balloon over the plains and hills of South Africa, a country so vast and rich in uncountable ways.

I experienced an adrenalin rush because it was just so beautiful.

BREAKFAST IN AFRICA

 

Beautiful croissants after a hot air balloon ride

 

We’d sat out on a terrace of a lodge in the Cradle of Mankind having eggs over easy, sausages and home-baked croissants, with a view of the pool.

It wasn’t luxury as we usually knew it, but everything was perfect.

 

The third wheel at breakfast today….

 

Then suddenly, out of nowhere, a giraffe comes over for a really close-up look at us, while a peacock meandered about in the other direction, and a couple of springbok played in an adjacent field.

All very picturesque and surreal — but this was probably the moment that I finally felt we were really in South Africa. A trip we’d been talking about and planning since May, ever since we decided to do a trip together.

 

VISITING THE CRADLE OF MANKIND

 

Welcome sign at South Africa’s Cradle of Mankind. We didn’t expect to be truly fascinated with this attraction, but we were.

DINNER AT THE SAXON

 

The beautiful suite at the Westcliff

 

We were back by just after 6 PM for an hour to change before dinner at the city’s hottest new restaurant, even before it opens next week.

The restaurant Five Hundred is opening on Tuesday with Chef David Higgs at the helm, a really famous chef who used to head one of the top restaurants (in the Cape area) in the world, according to the San Pellegrino guide.

We were simply exhausted by the evening, even before dinner began.

A driver with a fancy car had come to collect us at 715 PM for the restaurant, and we were both falling asleep in the car.

 

This cheese appetizer, created by David Higgs at the Saxon Boutique Hotels,  blew our minds away. We enjoyed it with glasses of 30-year-old Port.

But, boy, the meal and the entire experience certainly woke us up. We had such a wonderful dinner and we drank almost every wine in the accompanying wine tasting course.

This evening deserves a separate blog entry, which I’ll do once I catch my breath back, living a TRAVELIFE in pretty amazing South Africa.

Good night from God’s Own Beautiful Country.

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