Private Departures: South Africa and Rovos Rail

Enjoy your stay at these unique accomodations

Cellars Hohenort
Cape Town
Located just 25 minutes from Cape Town International Airport, the Cellars-Hohenort is a haven of peace and tranquility situated in the heart of the Constantia Valley. Previously known as the famous Klassenbosch wine estate, the hotel has unified two great traditions: the magnificent restoration of the 18th-century Klaasenbosch wine cellars and the splendid manor house of the Hohenort, previously owned by the Spilhaus family. The hotel offers privacy, comfort, and elegance. Each of the 53 luxury rooms and suites has been individually decorated with antiques and South African works of art. Plus, each guest room includes a breathtaking view across nine acres of world-renowned gardens and vineyard, and False Bay or the towering slopes of Table Mountain. The hotel features two swimming pools, one heated pool, a tennis court, and a Gary Player Designed Putting and Chipping Green. The Carchele Beauty Spa awaits those in need of complete relaxation.

Oyster Box
Durban
The Oyster Box hotel, originally constructed in 1869 as a navigational beacon and converted to a hotel in the 1930s, is situated on the edge of the Indian Ocean. The recently refurbished hotel provides easy access to Durban, the majestic Drakensberg Mountains, and various game parks. Inside the charming hotel, the décor retains the elegance of its original era, with a number of original furnishings such as the terrazzo tiled foyer and hand-painted murals. The Oyster Box offers 86 different styles of rooms, all with the original colonial charm complimented by natural stone and timber. It houses six dining venues offering local and cross-cultural cuisine of ethnically inspired menus, all using the freshest seasonal ingredients sourced from local suppliers in order to support the local community and be more environmentally sustainable. Restaurants feature panoramic views of the beach, freshly caught seafood, oysters from the hotel’s personal oyster beds, an exceptional wine cellar, and traditional afternoon tea. Hotel amenities include a state-of-the-art fitness club, an Infinity pool overlooking the ocean, and an extensive library. The luxury spa, nominated for the Best International Hotel Spa by The Spa Traveller, includes two hydrotherapy baths, Nuvola dry floatation, color therapy bed, Hammam, a plunge pool, and a tranquility lounge.

Kievits Kroon
Johannesburg/Pretoria area
In a rural setting on the outskirts of Pretoria and Johannesburg, a long avenue of Jacaranda trees leads to Kievits Kroon Country Estate. The attractive Cape Dutch style buildings are set in park-like grounds with trim lawns and gardens in the Dinokeng area near Johannesburg. Kievits Kroon provides easy access to the quaint Victorian village of Cullinan, where the world’s largest diamond was found. Guests can enjoy mine tours in the turn-of-the-century town, or go to one of the nearby game reserves for a horse-back safari, sunset dam cruise, mountain bike excursion, or hot air balloon ride. Guests can also golf on one of the nearby golf courses or have a picnic lunch in the rose garden.
Other dining options include several restaurants offering local, seasonal ingredients and a wine list that won a Diamond Award and the Diners Club International Wine List of the Year award. The bar features an exquisite collection of contemporary South African art and a selection of the finest cigars. Kievits Kroon’s spa has one of the most advanced thermae facilities in the area. It also offers holistic wellness treatments such as plunge pools, steam rooms, hydrotherapy baths, Swiss showers, massages, and a relaxation lounge that overlooks the heated indoor pool. Guest rooms feature classic Cape Dutch design, with amenities such as digital satellite television, air-conditioning and heating, electronic safes, hair dryers, coffee and tea facilities, telephones, and room service. (Children over the age of 14 are welcome.)

Mala Mala Safari Camp
Mala Mala Safari Camp is situated amid shady trees and manicured lawns on the banks of the Sand River. The rooms consist of spacious rondavels under thatch, each with a spectacular view, and individually decorated with sets of animal or bird prints, completing the attention to detail for which Mala Mala is world famous. Guest rooms are equipped with "His" and "Her" bathrooms, air-conditioning, insect proof screens, electric shaver plug, PABX telephone/intercom, and top quality extra large twin beds. The entire camp is furnished in rattan furniture, however, despite the comfort offered, Mala Mala retains a camp atmosphere. Breakfast and lunch are served in an attractive air-conditioned dining room overlooking the Sand River, with dinner served in a reed enclosed "Boma," a Mala Mala tradition for over 60 years. Seated around a log fire, under the starry African sky, enjoying superb food and sampling the outstanding South African wines is yet another highlight of the Mala Mala experience. Over 76% of Mala Mala guests have achieved membership of the prestigious Mala Mala "Big Five Club" after contact sightings of lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and buffalo from open land rovers. The reason for this phenomenal rate of viewing success may be attributed to the fact that Mala Mala owns 45,000 acres of pristine game viewing land, with a common boundary of 33 kms with the world-famous Kruger National Park. The reserve also straddles the perennial Sand River. As you explore in open four-wheel drive vehicles with your highly qualified ranger and tracker, you are likely to see resident game, including cheetah, zebra, wildebeest, black-backed jackal, wild dog, white rhino, black rhino, hippo and leopard, to name a few. In addition, as you are on a private reserve, you are able to go on night drives, which are not allowed in Kruger National Park, providing an opportunity to view game rarely seen during the day. Walking safaris may be arranged depending on the inclination of the guests.