Quota..Quota..Quota

On my way to the office this morning I caught the news on Higveld 94.7 and for the millionth and tenth time I had to hear..."It does not represent the South African population"

Apparently some-one (I always wonder who this "some-one" is) complained to the producesors of the upcoming Survivor SA that the first Survivor SA did not reflect the true mixture of the SA population...

What a load of bull... We are now in year 13 of our new democracy..Get over the racial issue..Why make every single issue a political issue? I enjoyed the previous Survivor SA and did not see male, female, black or white but just a group of South Africans and I'm a white boertjie from Pretoria.

People sometimes ask me if I'm Afrikaans or 'n boer and I then answer them proudly "No I'm an African"

Leave politics to the politicians and just give us great entertainment. No matter how or who the team consist of. Don't politicians have other more important issues to address, like unemployment, crime and housing?

KiJaaaaaa!!! Kung Fu Kitchen

During our Cape Town trip our friends Willie and Jacques (another Jacques) told us about the Kung Fu Kitchen in Hatfield Pretoria. During our trip it became know as "Set menu D" as they always ordered the Set Menu D Sushi plate and Willie joked that whenever they entered the restaurant the lady would say "Welcome..Set menu D?"

Well we got Willie, Jacques and some other friends together to try out this Set menu D sushi.

The Kung Fu Restaurant is located in Middle Street in Hatfield, nearly next to the well know Thai Restaurant. Like most Chinese Restaurant / Take Aways there is hardly any atmosphere to talk about. Surely not a place to take your date for a romantic dinner.

Friendly staff welcomed us and our table was ready as booked by our friends Willie and Jacques. Well there was no need to look at the menu as we were there to try "Set Menu D" but a did take a quick look and they had a full range of Chinese dishes as well as several sushi dishes.

Hanria ordered some Chicken spring rolls to get the digestive system in gear for all that rice. The freshest spring roll I ever had. Luckily Willie also order the 4 Set Menu D plates when he made the booking. Later the Sheff told us it takes nearly 1 hour to make one Set Menu D.

What is this Set Menu D? Well it's a plate of 52 pieces of sushi and costs only R178. Can easily be shared by 2 - 3 people.

Set Menu D was all as promised by Willie and Jacques. We had a ball of a time with all the sushi not to mention the constant stream of wine.

Give the Kung Fu Kitchen a try if you are in the mood for fresh sushi. Remember to order nothing else but "Set Menu D"

Thank you Willie and Jacques

See their location on My Map

Havana Grill & Wine Bar - Durban

I'm one of those people who are very skeptical when trying out a new restaurant, especially when I need to take a client out to dinner. This is exactly what happened during my visit to Indaba in Durban on 15 May. Apart from www.stay-a-nite.com we also own www.travelcrossings.co.za and specialize in Zanzibar ( www.visitzanzibar.co.za ) We do 80% of our bookings in Zanzibar via Mr. Chasama the owner of a Tour Operator in Stone Town, Zanzibar.

Mr. Casama also attended the Indaba and we offered to take him to dinner that evening and after some asking around and seeing that we were walking distance from the Suncoast Casino we opted to try the Havana Grill & Wine Bar. We've been to the Casino before but always had a bite at John Dori's.

The casino complex was not that busy and the restaurants had many open tables, not the case at the Havana Grill & Wine Bar. They were quite busy but we managed to secure a table. What a surprise! I found the restaurants interior very cozy and comfortable. I just hate those menus with all the old boring starters like snails, garlic bread and chicken liver but luckily this menu had several alternative options such as grilled oysters, snails with champagne, ravioli and several other choices.

Unfortunately I had to skip the starters as our guest did not like to eat starters and just to be polite we also skipped the starter menu. Mr. Casama had a Mozambique baby chicken with fries and Hanria had the Chicken Che Guevara, chicken breasts sautéed in butter with shrimps, Dijon mustard & cream, served with grilled vegetables & buttered fettuccini, I opted for Ostrich Crusted with Herbs & pepper on butter & creamed mash potatoes, port & red wine reduction.

What a FEAST. The food was tasty, unique and well presented and the best of all it did not cost us an arm and a leg. The average came to +/- R160 per person and that included a bottle of wine some beers and other drinks

Will I stay dine here again - Yes, Yes, Yes

Will I recommend the Restaurant - Yes

On the Negative Side - The service was a bit on the slow side

On the Positive Side - Great restaurant, excellent food, reasonably priced

See their location on My Map

Visit their website a www.havanagrill.co.za

Indaba 2007 - SA Tourism Exhibition - Durban

We've visited the Indaba, South Africa's most prestige's Travel & Tourism
Exhibition, in Durban on 15 May 2007. Truly a must see for all involved in
Tourism. We've stayed at the Blue Waters Hotel.

A 3 star establishment located +/- 150m from the Sun Coast Casino. I was warned by several people that this is one of the worst hotels in Durban but had to settle to stay there as I could not find any other available accommodation.

On arriving we were met by friendly staff and check-in was done quick and
efficient. They do charge a R150 key deposit (I guess that for some strange reason they have patrons leaving with keys. Why someone would want a key of a door you can't use is beyond me)

Well...I've stayed at many, many hotels in my life and must be honest in
saying that the Blue Water surely is NOT the worst in Durban. The room decor is basic and a
bit old but clean and neat with TV (with DSTV Channels), Hairdryer and Tea and Coffee making facilities. Room service is available until 23:00 (11pm) and the bar service open 24 hours. The room service menu is of better quality than most 3 star properties.

Breakfast was very good with a wide range of cereals, fruits, yogurt, sausages, bacon, eggs, mushrooms, baked potato, cheese, cold meats, coffee, juice, toast and several other dishes.

I must admit that I see this property to be used by more government delegates than tourists or holiday makers. My personal grading for the Blue Waters Hotel would be 3 star but maybe at the bottom range of the 3 star option.

Will I stay at the Blue Waters Hotel in future - Yes, but will look at other options first

Will I recommend the Blue Water Hotel - Yes, but again will also recommend other options.

On the Negative Side - Right at the end of the "Golden Mile" and therefore not really within walking distance (by night) from the main beach with all its restaurants

On the Positive Side - Within walking (by night) from the Sun Coast Casino. Friendly staff. Nice lounge area. Sea view rooms have great views.

See their location on My Map

Visit their website at www.bluewatershotel.co.za

Cape Town Road Trip

30 April is drawing closer and I'm as excited as a small boy with a new toy. I can't wait to get down to Cape Town. We always enjoy the Mother City (Although I would not want to stay there permanently). I've already bought 4 new tapes for my camcorder and the plan is to shoot as much video as possible.

We will be arriving in Cape Town on 30 April at 16:40. Will be my 1st flights on Kulula. We have rented a Toyota Quantum for the eight of us (We need loads of space for the shopping). We will be staying at the following establishments:

30 April - www.sugarhotel.co.za
01 May - www.theoceana.com
02 May - www.langebaan.biz
03 May - www.colonacastle.co.za
04 May - www.capestay.co.za/fortuintje

We also plan to visit "Die Strandloper" restaurant in Langbaan on 02 May. I've seen quite a bit of Cape Town in my live and would really want to try and see the more hidden treasures of the Western Cape.

For this I need your help. Especially if you stay in the area. What can you recommend we do, see and eat.

E-mail me with your suggestions

Panama Jacks - Cape Town

We never go to Cape Town without visiting our favorite restaurant "Panama Jacks". Located between the containers in Table Bay Harbour. Seafood..Seafood and more Seafood. Fresher you can't get. They have a nearly swimming pool size tank that holds fresh oyster, lobster, abalone and more. There are many up market restaurants in Cape Town but Panama Jacks must be the hidden jewel when it comes to a seafood restaurant.

One must surely try their seafood platter but be warned, a seafood platter for 2 (R260) is ample enough for 3-4 people. Also make sure that you are not in a rush as you will definitely chat the night away and before you know it will be close to midnight.

See their location on My Map

See their website Here

Parkview Cafe - Pretoria

One of my personal favorite restaurants in Pretoria and that is not because it co-owned by one of our friends. One of the few non-branded franchise restaurants in the area. A place to go when you don't feel like Spur or don't want to spend an arm and a leg. Very relaxed and the staff are friendly.

The menu is simple, not a huge selection, but excellent. Prices are very good. Try their cheesy garlic roll made with blue cheese and their whole chicken with salad or chips. They also serve beef ribs, haven't seen that on to many menus. I had some last week and don't think I will have pork ribs again. 10/10 for the beef ribs.

Make sure to visit them when you are in the area.

They are closed on Mondays

See their location on My Map

Their website is: www.rietondalelodge.co.za

Cape Town Road Trip

We will be visiting Cape Town from 30 April to 5 May. I've been to Cape Town many times and always seem to do the "tourist thing". My plan is to try and see more of the hidden treasures of Cape Town.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. E-mail me at jacques@stay-a-nite.com

Indaba 2007 - Durban

The Indaba 2007 will take place in Durban from 11 - 15 May at the ICC. (See
Map Here)

INDABA brings together a showcase of Southern African tourism products and
services for the international travel trade. Exhibitors in the DEC (Durban Exhibition
Centre) include provincial authorities and provincial products. In the ICC (International
Convention Centre), exhibitor categories include accommodation, tour operators,
game lodges, transport, online travel, media publications and industry associations.
Outdoor exhibitors include transport, camping and safari companies.

I will be attending the Indaba on 15 May with the aim of meeting as many as
our advertisers as possible. Please e-mail
me should you wish me to visit your stall.

View the Indaba Video here

Website: http://www.indaba-southafrica.co.za/

Launch of Blog

Written by: Jacques Bezuidenhout

Today is the launch of our new SA Travel Blog and I hope it would be well received.

The aim of this blog is to give the reader more info in my personal experiences of South African Travel & Tourism services. Some readers might strongly disagree with my comments and opinions and some establishments might not like what I write about them but all criticism will be given in the hope to improve the service given by SA's tourism suppliers.

I'm not a professional writer and might therefore not always (Mostly, I presume) use the correct wording, but please feel free to point out any errors to me.

I've been in the Travel Industry for 15 years and my Live Partner, Hanria for 16 years. We are the owners of both Travel Crossings, a SA Travel Agency (9 years) and Stay-A-Nite (3 years)

We just love to travel and been to several countries. We enjoy traveling through South Africa.

You may also follow our travels on our Map section

Enjoy the blog and please ad your comments and experiences

The Sir Thomas Cullinan Restarant

Sunday, 8 April 2007

Hanria was in the mood for a drive and leisurely lunch and opted to drive to Cullinan, just about 35 km from where we stay and we invited my mother and father in law to join us.

The restaurant is a big attraction for the "biker" crowd. I did not feel to drive out to Cullinan but Hanria persuaded me and I must say I was impressed with the location and the ambiance of the restaurant.

A friendly waiter greeted us and handed us a menu with quite a wide selection of dishes. I opted for the Oxtail and Hanria for the Lamb curry. My father in law had a steak and my mother in law an eisbein.

The eisbein was huge to say the least and I was told that is was great. Lets rather not talk about the other dishes but I suggest not to order them when you visit.

The service became less efficient and much slower as the number of people entering the restaurant increased. My guess a shortage of staff, but, why must this be my problem.

In short..Will I go again..Maybe if I have nowhere else to go
Sometimes it's just that specific day or your mood that influence the service but no excuse for the quality of the food, which was poor.

My rating (1 Bad 5 Great) is 2

See their location on My Maps.

Witten by: Jacques Bezuidenhout