Tag Archives: New Zealand

South Africa voted Best Holiday Destination in the World by The Telegraph Readers 2023

South Africa has been voted as the Best Holiday Destination in the world in 2023 by The Telegraph readers. Our country has moved up the ladder gradually, having made third rank in 2017, second place in 2018, and now top of the pops in 2023.

The Top 5 ranked Holiday Destinations in 2023 are the following:

1. South Africa

2. New Zealand

3. Maldives

4. Japan

5. Australia.

Italy, Kenya, India, and Costa Rica follow in the footsteps of the Top 5.

It is evident from the motivation for South Africa’s number one ranking that it is Cape Town and the Cape which largely contributes to our country’s holiday destination attractiveness, with the mention of Cape Town, Table Mountain, the Garden Route, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch.

‘Your reward for 12 hours in the air is a place of true beauty – Cape Town is the super model at the foot of Table Mountain, the Garden Route a ribbon of road-trip nirvana, the wineries of Franschhoek and Stellenbosch crafting fine vintages ….’

Johannesburg, the Drakensberg range, Motlatse Canyon, and Kruger National Park, all located in other parts of our country, are also mentioned in the motivation.

Overall the availability of direct flights between the UK and Cape Town and Johannesburg in almost identical time zones means that visitors do not experience jet lag when travelling to our country. Whilst not mentioned, the favourable exchange rate of the Rand to the Pound must be an added incentive for UK holiday makers.

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog

Tel +27 082 55 11 323

Twitter:@Ulmenstein

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Restaurant Review: New ëlgr. has most complex restaurant name, a breath of fresh air, food light and multi-cultural!

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The new ëlgr. restaurant which has taken over the space of the former Janse & Co is a breath of fresh air, having moved more of its restaurant seating to its newly created outside seating area, bar and pizza counter area. It opened on Kloof Steeet two months ago.

It has the most complicated restaurant name I have ever come across, a Swedish word that means moose, but the reason for the choice is not explained. It is pronounced like the composer Elgar. With such a Scandinavian introduction, one might expect the food to be from the region too, but it is local yet ‘multicultural’, its website informs, offering French cooking, South African dishes, and Italian pizzas., made with fresh ingredients, and to be enjoyed in a relaxed environment.  Continue reading →

International Travel regulations: its green for Germany and red for UK and the USA for Tourists to SA, from 1 October 2020!

 

A long list of 60 countries has been red-listed for non-Business Leisure Tourism to South Africa as of tomorrow, a list that the Government will update fortnightly, it was announced by International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor this afternoon.  Sadly for our Tourism industry, Tourists from our larger source markets, namely the UK, USA, France, Holland, India, Portugal, and Switzerland will not be allowed to enter our country currently. Good news for me personally is that Tourists from Germany will be allowed to visit South Africa. All visitors from African countries are welcome to visit South Africa, as are those from Asia, and from Australia and New Zealand.

A number of errors were made in the Government’s list initially, admitted to and apologised for by the Department of Home Affairs!

Continue reading →

Restaurant Review: Cowboys & Cooks De Waterkant serves excellent food, but service lags!

I attended the opening of Cowboys & Cooks Sunset Beach about a year ago, and with it the Media Lunch, which was handled very impressively. Last month the second Cowboys & Cooks opened, in De Waterkant, and I was invited to the launch function, at which I received a voucher entitling me to eat at the new restaurant before the end of January. I somehow fell off the Media lunch invitation list for this new restaurant, so went to the try the restaurant on my own steam, armed with my voucher. Continue reading →