BA lists Cape Town as top destination and Mosaic Farm in Stanford is a good reason to vist.
NOW that Cape Town is amongst British Airways’ list of Top 10 long-haul destinations we can expect even more visitors to our shores this year.
According to Lin Glass, British Airways’ general manager for South Africa, Mauritius and the Seychelles, relative to many other markets, South Africa seems fairly resilient during uncertain times.
The airline cites the relative strength of the pound against the rand and the upcoming British & Irish Lions tour as two of the factors that will encourage travel to South Africa.
“We experienced this after 9/11, the invasion of Iraq and the SARS outbreak in Asia and Canada, when tourism to South Africa tended to buck the trend in many other tourism markets. We’re already experiencing good load factors on the route this year and, so far, forward bookings are encouraging.
“While the economic slowdown will certainly impact global tourism, South Africa is relatively well placed and there’s reason for some cautious optimism. The country offers good value, an established tourism infrastructure and plenty to see and do from beaches to game reserves. The Lions tour will be a welcome boost and the 2010 World Cup will help keep us top-of-mind.”
She says the airline is actively courting leisure travellers and has launched a six-month media campaign in the UK, Europe and Africa to encourage people to visit new places and experience new things.
“This should appeal to many of our customers who’ve never visited South Africa particularly as we’ll back the campaign with special offers.”
This is all especially good news when you consider how many wonderful tourism products we have here. What impressed us the most about the luxurious Mosaic Farm Lodge is the rate. At just under R1000 per person, per night including breakfast it is among the least costly wilderness sanctuary experiences. Situated in Stanford, overlooking the Hermanus lagoon and stunning Overberg mountains, it is a wonderful place to recharge the batteries at the same time as staying active if you’d like to. There are guided 4x4 trips to the unspoilt beach in the Walker Bay conservancy, fynbos walks and kayaking on the lagoon.
As a more adventurous soul than I, JP went on a quad-bike excursion which he raved about.
American owners Breese and Kathryn Johnson are the perfect ambassadors for what is good about the United States. Aside from being passionate conservationists, they’ve created a place and a culture of service that is extremely welcoming and, frankly, difficult to leave. Lodge accommodation is in luxury Shamwari-style tents although there are plans to glass enclose accommodation in June to make them more winter proof.
The only downside during our stay was the noise from the Hermanus/Stanford road. In such a quiet environment it becomes the most prominent sound at night. That said, we were visited by an owl which woke us with its too-wit-to-woo’s and a fellow guest said they heard rustling under their tent which was probably a caracal or bushbuck. We watched beautiful blue cranes in the distance and heard the cries of the fish eagles.
Mosaic Farm can sleep 20 guests. It is a perfect location for a intimate weddings or conferences and the delicious food at the beautifully restored 1892 Stanford Spookhuis comes mainly from the adjacent organic garden. In addition to the accommodation in the lodge, there are self-catering cottages on the 933-hectare property.
www.mosaicfarm.net
028-313-2814.
[07-Feb-09]
Brian Berkman
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