Stepping out in Stone Town
The best way to appreciate Stone Town’s history in Zanzibar, is simply to walk the streets. Although the principal building material of Stone Town is coral, hence its name, the warm-coloured stone has been sculpted by successive occupiers to leave their cultural and architectural signatures throughout. Zanzibar’s strategic and easily accessible location along the East African coast made it a cosmopolitan melting pot, where...
Vines, Virgin and Views
Visit Mont Rochelle National Park in the winelands of South Africa and you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t stay in Sir Richard Branson’s estate of the same name. Unlike many boutique hotels with traditional architecture and aspirations, Mont Rochelle excels by achieving a showcase resort whilst retaining a magical ambiance that embraces the guest – almost enticing them to become part of the family. Sir Richard Branson...
Your head in the clouds at Mount Kenya Safari Club
When you stay at one of Kenya’s most exclusive hotels, you can’t fail to absorb some of its rarefied and charismatic past. Set upon a high point facing the long-extinct Mount Kenya volcano, this exclusive hotel has as diverse an history as the eclectic owners who have shaped its evolution . Set in 100acres of its own grounds, the property was originally a private residence built by pilot, Gabriel Prud’homme and American, Rhoda...
Ferme Favourite
La Petite Ferme in South Africa’s Franschhoek winelands not only offers high quality homely accommodation but great cuisine and stunning views. ‘The Little Farm’ is named, not as an affectation but as a reference to the 17th & 18th Century Huguenot exiles from France, who escaped persecution by Louis XIV, bringing their vines, crafts and skills with them, at the invitation of Dutch Protestant settlers in the Cape. As the story...
Zanzibar – A local catch-up
If, like us, you quickly tire of simply lazing, roasting on a beach for the complete duration of your holiday, then fishing and familiarising yourself with the local people can provide a welcome distraction in Zanzibar. Once you’ve visited Stone Town (which we’ll cover in a later review) then Zanzibar is largely an exotic beach resort with miles of white sand coral shoreline for the majority of visitors. Not that there’s anything...
Amboseli – wonderful wildlife water world
Amboseli presents a unique environment for wildlife in Kenya, complete with stunning views of Kilimanjaro across the border in Tanzania Whereas the majority of wildlife parks in Kenya are dominated by savannah that stretches to the horizon, Amboseli is typified during and after the rains by its big skies, huge lake and natural spring water-bodies.This can bring its own setbacks in terms of accessibility, with some tracks submerged and...
