A three-week writing focus at Apricale in Italy saw me complete the writing of a book within the time period I had allocated to this first-ever writing challenge. As the catalyst for The Book was Chef Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen, in that I met a special man at his book launch in March last year, and that The Book tells the story of the transformational effect of the meeting, there was no better restaurant to eat at on Saturday, to celebrate the completion of The Book, than at JAN Restaurant in Nice! It felt like Christmas, it being exciting to experience JAN Restaurant again, my third visit in two years! Continue reading →
Tag Archives: B&B
A whale of a 19-year Guest House career comes to an end, a new Food career awaits!
It was Futurist Faith Popcorn who predicted a trend of ‘Recareering’ back in the ‘Seventies, one having multiple careers in a lifetime, at a time when I myself was in my first career as a Futurist. I could not have foreseen that my career path from Futurist to Market Researcher, Marketing Lecturer, Research Consultant, Food PR Consultant, and then Guest House owner for the last 19 years would lead me to my new and seventh career, to that as a Continue reading →
Post Office Sweet Service and Multichoice Sour Service Awards!
The Sweet Service Award goes to the Post Office in the V&A Waterfront, and its staff member Jacques Jordaan. I went to the Post Office to check why a ring, which I had lost at a B&B in Brockenhurst in the UK, still had not arrived, 6 weeks after it had been posted. I had a tracking number, and was told that it was sitting at CapeMail, the postal head office for our area. Jacques called them, and said that the customs officials there needed a purchase invoice, before releasing it. As I had inherited the ring from my late mother earlier this year, there was none. I had to go to the Waterfront branch to present my passport in proof of having been in Europe in June/July! The ring was then sent to the Waterfront branch, costing R20 to receive! All the way through the process, Jacques kept me informed by email, with amazingly quick response time to my emails. I had not received any communication from CapeMail that my ring was with them, and that they needed the invoice! Continue reading →
Apricus Locanda B&B Sweet Service and The Blacksmith’s House B&B Sour Service Awards!
The Sweet Service Award goes to Apricus Locanda B&B in a tiny village called Apricale in Liguria in Italy, just over the border of France, and its vivacious Dutch owner Jeanette. I was introduced and driven to the establishment by Jan restaurant Owner/Chef Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen with his mother, one of his favorite places to get away from his high-pressured lifestyle. On our way there, Chef Jan took us to see the Cours Saleya market in Nice, and stopped at various spots for us to see Nice, St Jean Cap Ferrat, and Monaco. B&B owner Jeanette has a great decor touch, her breakfasts over the five days were excellent, she was informative, her rates are reasonable, she is located in a very quiet area overlooking green hills, and even asked her husband to drive me to the nearest train station in Ventimiglia without accepting payment for it! Continue reading →