Today we can announce that we have accepted an offer for our Whale Cottage Franschhoek, in a drive to reduce the size of our guest house property portfolio.
Eleven years ago we bought the house of the late artist Errol Boyley, Continue reading →
Tag Archives: Sir Richard Branson
WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 22 April
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* Only two South African hotels have made the Conde Nast Traveler list of 60 Hot Hotels, on the basis of ‘Good Food’. This is a surprise award for the Mont Rochelle Hotel & Vineyard (now owned by Sir Richard Branson, but not much is new or ‘hot’ in this restaurant, having the same chef and waitron staff since he took over!). The Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff has also made the list in this category, with a chef unknown to most.
* Travel agents and tour operators are no longer marketing South Africa as a destination due to the new Continue reading →
WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 28 July
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* Professor Francis Petersen has been appointed as Chairman of Cape Town Design NPC, the company co-ordinating Cape Town’s reign of World Design Capital 2014, after the recent passing of its former Chairman Professor Russel Botman.
* Influential travel writer Sarah Khan, originally from New York, fell in love with Cape Town and lives in our city, having met her now husband here two years ago. She tells a romantic tale about her transnational love affair, engagement, wedding and reception, held on three continents! She has written fantastic stories about our city for leading international titles.
* South African rugby player Francois Hougaard has been appointed to work with the tourism authority of the Seychelles, to promote the island to South Africans!
* Brent Perremore of Orphanage Cocktail Emporium, who won the National World Class finals recently, has been prevented from Continue reading →
WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 11 July
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* Mercedes-Benz South Africa will be taken for a ride by the V&A Waterfront for the next 12 months, as a member of the V&A Waterfront Partners Programme, which comes with a number of exclusive rights to connect with the V&A’s visitors, including receiving their e-mail addresses, using their venue for events, outdoor advertising, and business to business campaigns. The V&A sees the advantage as being increased footfall, which it overclaims at 23 million per year! For Mercedes-Benz the deal is an opportunity to become ‘visualised at the V&A Waterfront to aspirational consumers‘.
* Fodor’s Travel has written a comprehensive article entitled ‘Wine Lover’s Guide to South Africa‘, praising our country for its excellent terroir suited to wine farming, and becoming ‘world-renowned’, especially our indigenous Pinotage. Linking food and wine, the Western Cape is becoming increasingly associated with food excellence too. Wine tasting in Stellenbosch is recommended, at Kanonkop, Tokara, and Waterford Estate, while Indochine, Delaire Graff Restaurant, and Jordan are recommended restaurants. In Franschhoek La Petite Ferme, Haute Cabrière, Môreson, and the unique Franschhoek Wine Tram are recommended. The Tasting Room and Bread & Wine are recommended restaurants. In Paarl KWV is recommended, with Bosman’s Restaurant, which is overpraised as ‘one of the best restaurants not only in South Africa, but in the world’ (sic)! Groot Constantia is mentioned as being the oldest wine estate, and La Colombe and The Greenhouse are recommended restaurants.
* A clever and cheeky reply to EFF Commissar Andile Mngxitama, who wrote 
to Sir Richard Branson, saying that the Continue reading →