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SOUTH AFRICA - WESTERN AND EASTERN CAPE
THE IDEAL FAMILY HOLIDAY ITINERARY

Wednesday
Arrive in Cape Town where you will be met and handed your travel documents. Collect an Avis Group L car (VW Minibus 1.8cc) and leave immediately for St. Francis Bay and Sandals Guest house.

You can also connect through Cape Town and fly on to Port Elizabeth for a shorter drive.

Sandals Guest house is a harmonious creation of wood, thatch and stone offering spacious in individually decorated bedrooms, with sliding doors, open onto a private balcony or the tropical garden.

The guest house has ten large en-suite luxury bedrooms, all with baths, showers, and extra length beds. Besides extraordinary levels of friendliness, service and attention, everyone at Sandals strives to ensure that your stay with us will be an unforgettable pleasure, whether you are on holiday, enjoying a romantic getaway or on a conference trip.

Each room has a satellite television, tea/coffee facilities, a hair-dryer, telephone and guest amenities.

There is a vibrant and earthy African - Caribbean décor creating an elegantly charming and cheerful ambiance for your dining enjoyment. Sandals cuisine embraces South Africa's rich natural abundance of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and shellfish. Sample imaginative local and international dishes infused with African spices and Indian Ocean flavours.....capturing the essence of our South African cuisine.

The swimming pool is set in lush semi-tropical gardens, inviting guests to relax in the garden.

Spend two nights at Sandals in a triple room and a twin room on a bed and breakfast basis.

Friday
Continue east to Port Elizabeth and make your way to Hlosi Game Lodge.

Hlosi Game Lodge invites you to share understated luxury, to warm to true African hospitality, and find a restful intimacy in the Eastern Cape bushveld. Here elephant herds line the horizon and cheetah settle silently in the long grass. Everything about the lodge reflects an enthusiasm, a celebration of the African bush, of conservation, of food, of life.

Hlosi Game Lodge is situated in the magnificent Amakhala Game Reserve, a 40 minute drive from the Eastern Cape coastal city of Port Elizabeth in the heart of malaria-free game country adjacent to the famous Garden Route. This intimate lodge redefines exclusivity with four individually styled suites designed to capture the spirit of a bygone era, while providing the luxuries of contemporary lodge living.

A maximum of eight guests are accommodated in individual suites (two double suites and two twin suites) each with private verandas overlooking grasslands, large en-suite bathrooms with spa bath and shower, a unique private courtyard with an outside shower, air-conditioning, a fireplace, under floor heating, a bar fridge and coffee/tea making facilities. Each suite is individually decorated and has a telephone and Internet point.

The central building has a lounge and dining area with a fireplace, a library with television and Internet
access point, verandas overlooking the Eastern Cape grassland, a swimming pool, an elevated hide overlooking waterhole, a star-gazing platform and an open air boma.

Your ranger is highly qualified and would be delighted to spend time with you on your specific topic of interest. The lodge is committed to providing you with a memorable experience. As only eight guests are accommodated at one time, the team encourages guests to maximise optimum game viewing time. For example do a full day out in the bush, stopping for a picnic lunch, canoe trip on the Bushman's River for wonderful birding, a guided walk, or tracking some of the larger species in the Reserve etc.

The basic game drive times are given, but as the lodge is extremely flexible. Guided walks with your ranger and tracker are conducted during game drive time or after breakfast or brunch.

Activities at Hlosi Lodge include: A morning and evening safaris in open 4x4 Land Rover (with spotlight), bush walks and bird watching, canoeing on the Bushman's River, African tribal dancing, unique bush breakfasts, dinners and picnics, environmental day excursions e.g. whale watching, Addo Elephant National Park, Woody Cape Reserve, historical / cultural day trips and a visit to the relocation facility for cheetah and cape buffalo

Spend two nights at Hlosi Game Lodge in a twin and a triple suite on a full board basis including activities.

Sunday
Leave Hlosi and travel back down to Knysna as you make your way to Belividere Manor.

Award-winning Belvidere Manor Hotel offers exclusive comfort in relaxed surroundings of incomparable beauty. Guests are accommodated in Cape-style cottages, each individually decorated, offering a comfortable lounge with fireplace, en suite bedrooms, kitchen and wide verandas with beautiful views. Dine in historic Belvidere House and enjoy superb cuisine and Cape wines overlooking the lagoon, or relax in The Bell Tavern. Swim, take a gentle walk or a boat trip - Belvidere is the perfect spot to unwind or explore the Garden Route.

The accommodation at Belvidere Manor consists of 34 Cottages, some of which have a view of the Knysna lagoon and some of which have a view of our gardens. Guests are housed in their own private cottage, single or double storey, whch consist of 1, 2 or 3 bedrooms. Each cottage has a wide veranda, comfortable lounge with fireplace, a fully fitted kitchen, bedrooms en-suite, telephone, television with satellite channels and overhead fans. They are fully serviced.

The Church dates back to the early nineteenth century and the village is lovely. There is a fantastic beach at Brenton-on-Sea "over the hill".

Spend three nights at Belividere Manor in a three-bedroom garden cottage on a bed and breakfast basis.

Wednesday
Leave Knysna and travel up and over the Outeniqua Pass to Oudtshoorn.

Shades of Africa is a relaxing bed and breakfast retreat, situated in a typical Klein Karoo indigenous garden, complementing the ethnic architecture. For the sophisticated young at heart, looking for something unique, the guest house offers an African experience with comfort, tranquillity and style. Love of this land of great beauty that is huge enough to embrace anything and influenced by the cultural diversity of the history, was the inspiration behind the composition of Shades of Africa.

To enhance the many facets of African simplicity, the guest house is filled with comfortable furnishings and everyday artefacts, including unique traditional baskets with intricate patterns, made from grass, reeds and leaves of the Ilala palm. The slate floors are covered with sisal and grass matting: the white walls hung with carefully, selected African paintings and prints, colourful brooms, wall hangings, antelope horns and masks.

Alet, the owner, has a passion for simplicity, natural textures and gaiety of colour. In designing and decorating, she was influenced by nature and its surroundings and has used a mosaic of existing elements to adorn what she calls her "little Mexico".

There are 5 double rooms with twin beds, private entrance each with own bathroom plus shower. Each room has a colour TV, M-Net, safety deposit box, heater, hair-dryers, overhead fan, tea and coffee making facilities and alarm clocks. All rooms are air-conditioned.

Spend two nights at Shades of Africa in a double, a twin and a single room on a bed and breakfast basis.

Friday
Travel from Oudtshoorn through Calitzdorp and Montagu to the Robertson area as you make your way to the unique and very interesting property - Fraai Uitzicht.

Fraai Uitzicht, a gem of a retreat lies in the heart of the Robertson Valley on the scenic Route 62. It nestles among the majestic Langeberg hills, a beautiful wine and guest farm with an award-winning restaurant.

The open hand symbol of Fraai Uitzicht 1798, with its prominent life- and destiny lines, is symbolic of the gentle lifestyle of this farm retreat. The strong life- and destiny lines in turn represent the tranquil country lifestyle and bonhomie you will experience during your stay with here.

Beautifully appointed guest cottages and suites provide superior accommodation, overlooking the Robertson Wine Valley, Sonderend Mountains, fruit orchards and vineyards - some of them right outside your door.

The cosy cottages are built in the Cape Dutch Style, with open reed ceilings, modern interiors and French doors opening onto the verandas.   An open fireplace, music station with compact disc player and television adds to the comforts you find in these stylishly appointed cottages.   Hand-embroidered linen adorns queen-sized beds with original hand-picked artwork indicating personal attention to each unit. The suites offer individually appointed accommodation, each with a private outside entrance.   Either a queen- or king-sized bed may be found in these units, with modern en-suite facilities.

An honesty bar, complimentary tea- and coffee-making facilities, as well as fans or heaters may be found in each of the units.

Be rejuvenated and refreshed by the exquisite beauty, spectacular views and absolute tranquillity of nature

A hand crafted wine is produced here; award-winning food is freshly made every day; a small shop with hand crafted items invites you to take home a special souvenir, and the bed linen in the guest cottages is of the finest hand-embroidered cotton. The interiors of the cottages are styled in the distinct natural earth colours of Africa, all of which emphasize the philosophy of Fraai Uitzicht 1798.  

Guests can be introduced to wine making in the Historical Wine Cellar or experience the live concerts "On Stage" in front of the restaurant. Local artists and professionals entertain with enthralling voices and performances.

Enjoy a stroll through the herb-garden or spend a quiet moment amongst the bamboo trees - you are always welcome to share the spectacular sunsets, or star-filled evening skies, having a glass of wine with the owners or managers on the veranda. The more adventurous could take a stroll through the vineyards and orchards, with there spectacular views or enjoy a mountain bike ride through the vineyards and the valley.

You can have a traditional South African Braai (Barbeque) privately at your cottage or simply relax and enjoy the beautiful surrounds, while lazing in the sun by our pool, with the sound of flowing water providing music to natures' background.

Fraai Uitzicht 1798 also offers exceptional bird watching, with a selection of specimens including the Hadeda, Hamerkop, Blue Crane, Cape Weaver Birds and flocks of Guinea fowls and Francolins and dozens of other, rare breeds.

Overnight at Fraai Uitzicht in a two bedroom cottage with a sleeper-couch in the lounge.

Saturday
Travel down to Cape Town city via Worcester and then along the N1, going through the Hugenot Tunnel,   for a quick route, or via the wine lands as a scenic option and make your way to Houtkapperspoort on the Constantia Nek road.

Houtkapperspoort provides 24 fashionably rustic and elegant cottages and a luxury manor house on the back slopes of Table Mountain only 18 minutes from the centre of Cape Town. Facilities include 24-hour reception, all-weather tennis court, solar heated pool, children's play area, laundry service, security control and magnificent mountain paths.

The resort accommodation is the highest standard of its type in Cape Town and the tariff offers remarkable value for money. The discreetly serviced, fully equipped and superbly appointed cottages are set in spacious, meticulously landscaped grounds. Breakfast and other meals are available.

Enjoy the coffee shop for breakfast or a mid morning break, inside reception or on the lovely patio amidst the trees. Wine, beer and spirits are available by the bottle for sundowners - take away or at reception/patio.

Perfect for short and long stays, for business, conferences, and vacations, for singles, couples or the whole family.

Each cottage has a television with M-net, a PABX telephone, tasteful furnishings, bed linen and towels, a pergola covered veranda, a barbecue facility, daily basic service, a toilet, bath and/or shower, a fridge, cooking utensils, crockery, cutlery and glassware. Cooking facilities include either a three or four plate electric stove with oven and microwave. The cottages all have air conditioning and/or fans as well.

The facility includes a security controlled access, an all weather tennis court, solar heated pool and internet facility at reception/front office. Laundry service, or a token operated laundry and baby sitting services are at an additional cost.

Nearby are major shopping centres, fine restaurants, the V&A Waterfront and Cape Town city centre, Hout Bay beach and harbour, Constantia wine estates and rails through bordering Cape Peninsula National Park to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens.

Spend four nights at Houtkapperspoort on a room only basis in a three bedroom cottage.

Trip to Robben Island included. One hour's pleasant boat trip each way and a guided tour by an ex political prisoner. Very interesting and educational.

Wednesday
Return to the Airport and drop the rental car off in time for flight out.

END OF OUR ARRANGEMENTS

COST: Approx £5,750 for a family of five, depending upon the time of year and availability.
FLIGHTS: Extra and will range from £600-900 pp but £400-500 per child under 12, depending upon the time of the year and availability.

INCLUDES:
Meet and transfer on arrival at Cape Town Airport (or Port Elizabeth)
Double, Twin or triple accommodation
Meals as specified
Car hire - Avis group L
Activities as offered by Hlosi

EXCLUDES:
Flights (quoted separately)
Tips, gratuities and all items of a personal nature
Activities apart from those offered at Hlosi
Meals not specified
Travel and medical insurance

CAR HIRE:
CAR HIRE INCLUDES:
100% cover on CDW and TLW, Personal Accident Insurance, unlimited mileage, airport surcharges, VAT, tourism levy and windscreen damage
CAR HIRE RATES EXCLUDE: Contract fee of SAR 25.00, fuel and "extras" deposit of SAR 1000.00, additional driver fee of SAR 110.00, fuel, delivery/collection fees and undercarriage damage.

NOTES:
•    We will require a deposit of 25% of the value of the arrangements in order to confirm this space.
•  The rates quoted are subject to unexpected changes in the exchange rate and African Odyssey Safari's terms and conditions.
•  The balance of payment is due 45 days prior to travel.
•  Payment may be made by bank transfer.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT US USING OUR ENQUIRY FORM OR CALL +44 (0) 20 7736 4272

Images courtesey of South African Tourism, The Canadian Tourist Comission, Tourism Queensland, BritishColumbia.com and Morguefile.com.