Cape Town has done it again, being named Best City in the World in the Telegraph Travel Awards 2014 by its readers for the third year in a row! Vancouver and Venice follow in second and third position, respectively, this year. The motivation for Cape Town’s top position is written by Pippa du Bruyn, who is a Cape Town-based local travel writer and ‘destination expert’, including author of a ‘Frommer’s Guide’ to South Africa, and of ‘A Hedonist’s Guide to Cape Town’. De Bruyn surprisingly exaggerates our restaurants as ‘Michelin-rated‘ fare, and in describing Dyer Island near Gansbaai as being in Cape Town. Her laudation for Cape Town follows: Continue reading →
Tag Archives: Melbourne
Exciting developments on the table at The Kitchen and The Tasting Room at Maison!
The Kitchen and Tasting Room at Maison has been operating for almost three years, and during its recent two month winter break, a number of changes were made to the interior, to the menu, with further changes on the way.
Ten days ago I visited Maison after a long absence, mostly due to the winter closure, and my less frequent visits to Franschhoek in the winter months. In walking to The Kitchen and Tasting Room at Maison it was a delight to see that the uncomfortable stony entrance walkway has been replaced with very comfortable walkable wooden decking. Tables and chairs have been set up on the front lawn, to allow for overflow of unbooked guests. Inside, the ceiling near the pass has been redone with wooden
cladding, as has a wall alongside the fireplace. New lamps have been hung, looking like seahorses to me. Lamps have been erected above the pass, with shelving above it, and the pass exterior has been wood-clad as well.
The biggest change is that a Deli is to be introduced in the winetasting section, on the right as one enters the building, with a bar counter, at which one will be able to taste six to eight Maison wines (the number is still to be finalised), each paired with two tapas-like bites reflecting some of the dishes which Chef Arno Continue reading →
WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 9/10 August
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* Minister of Tourism Derek Hanekom said that he does not have the power to change the new Immigration Regulations which come into effect on 1 October, when he addressed the Southern African Tourism Services Association (SATSA) this weekend. He admitted that ‘new regulations could have unintended, negative consequences for the tourism industry‘! However, the new regulations are the responsibility of the Department of Home Affairs, he said. Some concessions have been made by the Department, including that the unabridged birth certificates of child travelers no longer have to be translated into English, and that more visa application centres (in India and China in particular) will be created. Fortunately tourists from Europe, the UK, and USA do not require visas to travel to our country, and are therefore not affected. Tourism consultancy Grant Thornton is to conduct a study to measure the impact on Tourism of the new regulations.
* Cape Town has been rated as 8th friendly international city, while Johannesburg has been ranked as the most unfriendly city in the world by Conde Nast Traveler! Auckland and Melbourne were jointly voted as the most friendly cities in Continue reading →
WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 5/6 April
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk said that tourism in South Africa is to undergo ‘revolutionary changes‘. He spoke in New York at the Ubuntu Awards, which recognises leisure and trade partners that work in the interest of our country.
* Consumer confidence remains low, at -6 index points on the FNB/BER Consumer Confidence Index for the first quarter of 2014, a slight improvement by one index point relative to the previous quarter, reports The New Age. The Bureau for Economic Research index measures consumers’ expectations of the economy, their financial situation, and ability to buy durable goods.
* A South African Chenin Blanc Planetbee has been launched in the UK, and is causing a buzz in supporting a good Continue reading →
