Showing posts with label Adventure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adventure. Show all posts

Tuesday, 12 May 2015

River Lodge - Lion Sands, Sabi Sand

Hello Journeyers!


Cedric and I went for a little breakaway for his birthday a while back, and seeing that I have not blogged in ages I decided to start with this one.
If you are looking for a beautiful relaxing location and the joys of spotting some leopards then this place is for you.





River Lodge, located in the Southern Sabi Sand Game Reserve with 20 Luxury Suites is the perfect holiday/honeymoon destination.
We decided to fly to Skukuza Airport because who wants to drive 12 hours return for a 3 day trip?
You drive into the Lodge greeted by friendly staff.




We arrived at the Lodge and settled into our room, overlooking the Sabie River, before heading off for some lunch. Note to self; Starve yourself for at least a week before going to any Lodge, your body will thank you!



Our ranger, Kenneth was extremely nice and really made sure we saw everything we had on our list. We literally went under and over trees to spot that beautiful male leopard. I mean, we had 3 exceptional sightings of leopards in 2 days! A win don't you agree?



The 2 days flew by and I did way too much curio shopping. *Sorry boo boo*



We were very sad to leave, but at least we still had 1 day at Tinga Lodge to look forward to.


Thank you to the incredible staff at River Lodge for making us feel so at home and for the extra 5kg's I gained in the 2 days!!!

Friday, 21 February 2014

River Run Resort Family Campsite

Hello Journeyers!
I was a bit confused shocked when I looked at my posts side bar now. I only did 2 blog posts last week. One of them being my "Affordable Fridays"! Unacceptable! I really have to blog more! And to be honest I have been missing blogging so much. But at the same time have been so crazy busy at work. And I realised that I also miss my Insta-Monthly posts so I will be bringing those back to from next week! Woohoo! Double Yay! As all of you know we bought Mo-Landy last year. And since then Cedris has been wanting to "pimp" out the car to go do proper bush trips. You know get the whole awning, roof rack, roof tent, floating toilet and fridge. So we got the awning and roof rack but Cedric wanted the tent desperately. When we came back from holiday he was past want and determined to get one ASAP. So that's exactly what he did. We bought the roof tent the Thursday and were packed and ready the Friday and on the road and on our way to River Run Resort.

About
"We are situated in the Beautiful Vredefort Dome ,Parys along the Vaal River. This Family Camping Site is on a Private Game Breeding Lodge just 60 minutes drive from Johannesburg 36 km from Potchefstroom and 42 km from Parys"




I grew up in a family that loved camping, and to be honest when I was younger I loved it. The whole sharing a bathroom with 1000's of others did not put me off at all. Now. Well that's a different story. I'm very fussy about that. Call it snobbish but it just freaks me out a bit. When Cedric and I went to camp last year after we bought our 3 second pop up tent we tried a place. It wasn't dirty but we only stayed the night and left early the next morning. We showered at home. This place I was blown away with. Although they weren't very busy, the ablution blocks were spotless. And I'm not lying.




We spent our the weekend relaxing in the pool as it was extremely hot or sitting under a tree soaking up the beautiful scenery. We asked for a stand next to the river and surprisingly the mozzies weren't as active as I expected. I'm a mozzie magnet. It is very annoying. We enjoyed a nice braai every evening and were baked out of the tent early morning. But I didn't complain, I loved it. There are 28 River Front Stands and 8 Grass stands at the back.








Things to do
There are so many things here to keep you entertained, whether young or a bit older. From fishing, birding to table tennis. They also have tubes that you can float on down the river. I REALLY wanted to do this but I couldn't handle the heat so were hiding in the shade most all of the time. Parys is also a mere 42km from the place so perfect to sneak off to go have a nice lunch. If you are the active type they do have walking trails and mountain biking trails. So yes it is very safe to say that you will not be bored.







Things that made me happy
The ablution blocks were extremely clean. A few people we spoke to who were camping there too that weekend told us how impressed they were.
The Tuck Shop. It kept my mouth and their till full most of the weekend.
The views were so pretty. Looking at the mountain while listening to the river. 
The manager was so friendly. Thank you for your hospitality.

Things that made me sad
I wish they had more trees to create shade. When it's so hot and you are running around with your chair chasing after the shade, it's not nice.
I can picture that camp site with trees as far as the eyes can see. It will really round of that picture perfect view.
Something to consider in the near future is to maybe put up some sort of divider between each campsite. I know it's a long shot because it's a campsite. Even if only on the stands next to the river. It will create a more private feel to your spot.






If you love camping and have children (or don't) you will really enjoy this place. We really had such a nice time and with the efficient staff and management you can't go wrong here. Thank you to the staff for keeping the premises and ablutions so clean! Almost makes me feel like I'm at home. Except I'm sleeping on a car in a tent. But close enough.

 

Rates vary. We paid R260 per night for a River Front Stand. Children 5 years and younger stay free and children 6 - 12 pay 50% of the sharing rate. There is no minimum stay.

You can find them here:

Please share with me what you think of the place if you decide to go visit.

My OJTE Star Rating is.....drum roll please!!!
We are already packed and ready to go camping...again. We will be going with Tammy and her little family. I am very excited. It's nice to see how others camp. Seeing as we are still fairly new to camping you can pick up nice tricks from other more matured campers. Have a wonderful weekend everyone and stay safe! Make the best of the last weekend of February 2014!
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Disclaimer: All expenses were paid for by us for our weekend to River Run Resort. As always, all thoughts and opinions are our own. All of the content and images posted are my own unless otherwise specified / linked to the original source. Please feel free to share photographs and material from this site but please link back to the original image or post. 

Tuesday, 18 February 2014

The Michelangelo Hotel - High Tea

Hello Journeyers!
After our return from a wonderful December holiday Irina and I decided it's time for a little catch up session. So she organised a lovely Sunday afternoon High Tea with fellow bloggers, Chicara, Cassidy and Tammy at The Michelangelo Hotel at Sandton City.
This was going to be my very first High Tea so it is rather obvious that I was extremely excited. I have a very big sweet tooth! Too big sometimes, the proof is in my teeth! haha
I arrived a bit too early (as usual - Cedric always says if you are on time you are late) so I had more than enough time to go and soak in all the bright colours from the dilectable buffet table and take a few snaps before everyone started tastefully stuffing their faces!

WARNING: The following images may result in you either biting or licking your computer/phone. Don't say I didn't warn you!





About
"Located on Nelson Mandela Square, ‘Africa’s Business and Lifestyle Capital’, The Michelangelo is the very essence of status and success. The Michelangelo offers world-class facilities in a stylish and elegant setting with easy access to Africa’s finest shops, restaurants, cinemas and theatres. The Michelangelo is a proud member of the ‘Leading Hotels of the World’."


I know this Hotel pretty good since it's our central meeting point for when his parents come to visit. But I've never actually ever eaten there, we always just wait with a drink or two. The decor is very vintage and it feels like you are transported into a different century when you walk in. I kind of felt like Rose from Titanic. All that was missing was my long white gloves and long thin cigarette. The High Tea was served at the Picollo Mondo Restaurant and as you can see from the photos we feasted like Kings and Queens.  





Things to do
Here you must rather ask what can't you do! The About section above sums it up nicely. As you gathered it is on the Nelson Mandela Square and with a big variety of restaurants and coffee shops it's the pefect location to sit and relax while sipping on a cappuchinno or enjoying a light lunch after breaking the bank at some of the best shops that Johannesburg has to offer. There is enough to do to entertain you from breakfast to dinner. And you can always end the night by watching a nice movie.



Things that made me happy
The service was good.
The food was great. Too bad my stomach isn't bigger.

Things that made me sad
I wish they refilled some of the more popular foods more often.
There were so many things that I wanted to try but was finished by the time that I got to the buffet.
After we paid our bill we sat chatting a while longer (it's what woman do best) and the waiter came to ask us if he can open another tab for us. I saw it as he wanted us to either leave or order something else and not just sit there and take up space.
I wish they tell you when you arrive what the High Tea includes before you order something else.

Chicara & Cassidy
Johlet // Irina // Chicara
Cassidy // Johlet // Irina
Cassidy // Chicara // Johlet
Cassidy // Chicara // Tammy // Irina // Johlet
The High Tea cost R170 per person and included a magnificent display of mouthwatering food and hot drinks.

You can find them here:

Please do share with me what you think of it if you decide to go visit!

And my OJTE Star Rating verdict is......drum roll please!!!!!
Remember you can follow us - #ojte_travel
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Disclaimer: All expenses were paid for by us for our outing to The Michelangelo Hotel. As always, all thoughts and opinions are our own. All of the content and images posted are my own unless otherwise specified / linked to the original source. Please feel free to share photographs and material from this site but please link back to the original image or post.