The Adolf Hitler, James Dean Mash up

Written for Marklives.com

‘Whether its software and microchips or music to swing your hips, we’ve got it.’

That’s the line from one of the ‘mash up’ images in a CNA campaign by Jupiter JHB.  The campaign morphs together images of famous people, with some interesting results to make the point of CNA’s wide product range.

The line above belongs to Bill Presley, a visual mash up of Bill Gates and Elvis Presley.

The campaign includes mixes of the likes of John Lennon and Albert Einstein as John Einstein and Queen Elizabeth II and Mother Teresa as Queen Teresa.

And in a move that the Huffington Post describes as ‘controversial’, the most eye-catching mash combines Adolph Hitler and James Dean as Adolf Dean.

The images in the series are quirky and arresting. But I have to wonder if the Huffington Post and AdFreak are right in saying the Adolf Dean image will provoke a storm of outrage.  Is using and image of Hitler in this context apt?  Or is it just another example of clanging commercialised insensitivity?

All kinds of images inform our cultural consciousness, good and bad. And advertising tends to work best if it speaks to and has meaning within that cultural context. What makes Hitler any less of a cultural reference point for dictators than Marilyn Monroe is a cultural reference point for pin ups? What do you think?

Advertising Agency: The Jupiter Drawing Room, Jhb, South Africa
Chief Creative Officer: Graham Warsop
Creative Director: Thomas Cullinan
Art Director: Dana Cohen
Copywriter: Shane Durrant, PJ Eales
Illustrator: Wayne Trotskie

Lurking about at the Loeries

I had the joy of being Marklives & Mandylives‘ social editor for the 2009 #Loeries.  In between happily  tweeting my fingers off as @Marklives and hanging out with the brilliant Simone, assistant editor of Biz.Com, I got to get a first hand look at what goes down at the ad industry’s biggest event:

Loeries 2009: Apocalypse Now? For a Loeries virgin, the annual weekend of awards and debauchery was something of an eye-opener. The work was inspiring. The dress code was suitably kooky. And the awards ceremonies were big. Certainly bigger than expected. With uber-graphics, pounding audio and a massive, people-dwarfing stage.

The response from the attendees was less so.

For the rest of the round up, read here.

And since we’re supposed to be talking about ‘the work’ and not the hangovers…my favourite campaign?  BP’s “A Nation United” campaign for 2010 by Ogilvy JHB, who won a gold for the work.

Watch Cafe Owners vs Mamas*

Interestingly, this ad wouldn’t have been made in another country – apparently the suits would have insisted on some skinny mamas and some female cafe owners.

Building Castles in the Sand

A right royal place to stay

The beach is empty except for a few whirling sea gulls and a man flying a kite.  A tea coloured river meanders out of the cool natural forest and carves a gully out of the sand to meet the sea.  The only sound the crash of the sea and the tinkle of ice in my glass.

I’m on the front parapet of Craighross Castle on Noetzie beach, watching the sun gild the world in pinks and tangerines and toasting the end of a day.  I can’t quite believe I’m in a castle.  And I certainly can’t believe I’ve got a beach to myself for a sun set swim.  I’m the guest of John Loewen, owner of one of famous Noetzie Castles and one of the only castles in the area that is also a private residence.

I say guest because Craighross might look like a castle on the outside, but it’s a perfectly modern home on the inside, a home that John has now opened to short term let when he and his family aren’t using the property. In fact, the large open plan kitchen and living area and mostly tiled floors make this home more like a fantasy beach house; somewhere you can feel like a princess and still put your feet up.

The setting is really what makes the property special.  Noetzie bay is one of the hidden gems of the Cape’s Garden Route.  Tucked away behind the Knysna Heads, the tiny bay is like a secret; a place that shouldn’t be.  Despite being 10 minutes away from a major tourist route, it is virtual unspoiled.

Surrounded by conservancy protected indigenous forest, filled with yellowwoods and birdlife, and cupped by rocks studded with mussles and oysters, the beach is breathtaking.  John tells me that he’s had visits from baboons, bush buck, otters and the “pesky vervets”, warning me that the latter are likely to be opportunistic with any open windows.

The castles, which jot the shore line in amongst miners’ cottages and beach shacks, just add to the fairy tale atmosphere.

Called “the Follies” by some locals, the castles have an intriguing history. Visitors might be teased about pirates and kingly hideaways, but the buildings are actually quite “new”.  The original castle, built in the 1930s, sadly no longer stands.  It was built by Herbert Stephen Henderson VC, a Scot who fought in the Matabele wars and struck it rich mining gold.

Legend has it that Henderson built the first castle using stone from the area.  Someone noted that a few alternations would make the building look like a castle and the so the idea was born. A few years later Henderson built a second Castle, now virtually a ruin, and then a third in the 1940s, which is now owned by the neighbouring Pezula Estate.  Henderson’s older son Allan inherited the main Castle while his youngest son, Ian built Montrose Castle in the 1970s.

In 1960 Donald Lindsay, a professional big game hunter who worked with the

Hendersons, purchased a plot of land at the end of the beach and built Lindsay castle, now a B&B.  Craighross is the newest of the lot.

John tells me he first visited Noetzie in 1986, visiting the Lindsays who were old family friends.  It was “love at first sight” and in 1999 he bought a plot from the Henderson brothers, and started building.

The castle, named for his sons, has 6 bedrooms, all en-suite, including the master bedroom which occupies the entire top floor.  All the conveniences are provided, like satellite TV, high speed wireless internet and a Skype phone.  Of course, with great glass sliding doors to replace the expected narrow windows of medieval architecture and two large balconies with views of the wide, open ocean, I couldn’t spend one moment looking at a screen.

When writing to me, John’s email is filled with his passion for the bay.   ”You can swim with the dolphins right off the beach and the fishing is fantastic.  We have a lagoon formed from the Noetzie River for safe and gentle swimming for the kids.  We have the best oysters and mussels along with small clams, snails, fresh fish, which we collect daily for dinner.”

But I choose the lazy life for my two days in this hidden paradise.  I get up with the sun and swim in the bracing sea before I’m even fully awake.  I read and sleep and listen to waves break. I drink wine and amble on the beach, following the footprints of birds.  And I plan my return.

Craighross:

Craighross and its guests are taken excellent care of by Jean and Allan De Souza, who also manage Lindsay Castle.

For booking enquiries:
+27 (0) 44 384 1849
+ 27 (0) 866115111 (fax)
+27 (0) 84 813 4887
www.knysnacastles.com
knysnacastles@kingsley.co.za

Visit Google Earth to view the beach and the castles at Latitude 34° 4′46.84″S and Longitude 23° 7′35.67″E. (castle 3)

Photographs by Gideon Joubert

Written for Moneyweb Life in February 09

Getting good head*

Who knew hair styling was such big business?

A girl sometimes needs a little help with her hair.  No, scrap that.  A girl sometimes needs a lot of help.  Especially when she’s a Capetonian and forced to give up “styling” after years of howling-abuse from both South Easters and North Westers.  There’s not much point in doing your ‘do’ if 20 minutes from your front door it looks like an Amy Winehouse special.

So when I was invited to the ghd Style Lounge for quick style fix on a Friday afternoon, I phoned just to check they had the right person.  ghd, short for Good Hair Day, are the makers of ceramic styling irons and styling products.  They are, according to my mates who know about this stuff, the über-gods of hair beauty.  The stylers use “thermodynamics” – or in layman’s terms, lots of heat and clever hair products – to straighten or curl your hair in nano-seconds and make you look like Gisele Bündchen on a runway.

ghd are clearly on to something.  Founded in 2001 by UK entrepreneur Martin Penny, the business has experienced rocket ride growth.  According to their website, the company’s business plans for the first three years anticipated revenue growth from between £3 and £4 million to £5 million. But by 2004 it had clocked £37 million.  Since then, the company has launched in South Africa, Spain, Italy, Scandinavia, Germany, France and the US, had a 2007 turnover of £115 million and had the likes of Madonna, Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow on waiting lists for limited edition products.

Clever marketing has been part of the brand’s success.  The cool irreverence of the branding speaks perfectly to a generation of women raised on “Sex and the City” and Fashion TV.   Cunning celebrity and hair stylist endorsements, careful distribution through top salons and a premium price tag of around R1900 for the signature styling iron have ensured that the brand has become more of a fashion accessory than another tool in the beauty game.

The mobile Style Lounges are one of ways the brand is reaching out to South African ‘stylistas’.  The lounges are based on the concept of pop up retail, one of those fast fashion fads that have swept the high streets of London and the avenues of New York where brands have created temporary buzz spaces to connect with in-the-know brand fans. Fast indeed.  For my mini makeover I was whisked in and out of the pop-up salon in under an hour and transformed from drab to fab.  And the hair?  If I do say so myself; gorgeous!

“The gospel according to ghd” might just be a clever bit of advertising frippery, but it takes on a whole new meaning when you speak to converts to the products. From major celebrities in Hollywood to 16 year old cousin in Cape Town, people of all ages, styles and ethnic backgrounds literally gush at the mythic power of the stylers.

One student I spoke to got quite cross when I asked why she’d spend her entire discretionary income on a glorified hot plate.  She archly informed me that when a girl has good hair, she has good karma.

I can’t argue with that.

To locate your closest ghd salon, call (031) 717-2530.

Written for Moneyweb Life in January 09

*the orginal title, changed by the powers that be

Moseying about in Montagu

Four star and fine dining filled with small town warmth.

Bernhard and Fida Hess were living the Jozi high life when a moment of chance changed their lives.  Visiting family in the small, picturesque town of Montagu, they cast their eye over a building for sale and idly thought they could turn it into country hotel.  That idle thought turned into a business plan and the Mimosa Lodge was born.

Experienced in the restaurant and hospitality industry, Bernhard and Fida wanted to create something special in the village most well known for its mineral baths.  Bernhard, an award winning Swiss-trained chef and previous owner of Ma Cuisine in Johannesburg runs the kitchen while Fida, a former GM of the V&A Waterfront hotel, manages the day to day running of the Lodge.

Together they’ve woven together the warmth and hospitality of small town South Africa with the service and quality of the big city.  The lodge, surrounded by the Langeberg Mountains, has a strong art deco theme, filled with beautifully restored furniture and the work of local artists.  Lush gardens, both decorative and edible, surround the property, revealing a sparkling pool around one corner and a hedge of rambling, perfumed roses around another.

The rooms are spacious and comfortable with the kind of beds that are made for holiday sloth.  I didn’t mind that our room was without a TV (a welcome change, in fact) but I would have preferred a kettle on hand, rather than ringing for my morning cuppa in my nightie.  Waking up to pink mountains and the bird-filled quiet of a small town more than made up for it.

In the evenings, guests are invited to join Fida in the bar for a drink and a little conversation before dinner.  A natural hostess, Fida tells stories about the village and surrounds, shares insights into country life and brings an unexpected amity to a room full of strangers. The food is excellent, recently winning the American Express Platinum Fine Dining Award.  Bernhard’s French cuisine training is evident in the presentation and his passion for fresh ingredients.  My companion and I were just discussing how the portions were perfectly sized, when we were tempted by an evil chocolate concoction that pushed us both right over the edge.  We could, of course, have said no.  But we didn’t.

Bernhard is happy to share his secrets. Guests can enjoy a personalised cooking course, designed to give food lovers a sense of what it’s like to be part of a working kitchen.  Students participate in planning the day’s menu, then visiting the local markets and wine farms for ingredients and matching wines they will use to prepare that evening’s gourmet meal.

Often referred to as the gateway to Route 62, Montagu is a perfect base for those who want to explore the region.  The village and its surrounding mountains are filled with historic buildings, gentle walks, mountain bike trails and the famous warm baths, as well as a number of other foodie havens like Templeton’s at Four Oaks.

It’s a 15 minute drive from the Robertson Wine Valley where I couldn’t resist stopping to buy a case of my favourite Sauvignon Blanc, the Springfield Life from Stone.  It’s also worth popping into Fraai Uitzicht for lunch, not just for the delicious food, but for the sweeping views of the valley.  Sparkling wine lovers should visit Graham Beck and try their Méthode Cap Classique Brut Rosé.  Delicious.

Mimosa Lodge
Church Street, Montagu
Tel: +27 (0)23 614 2351
info@mimosa.co.za
www.mimosa.co.za

Templeton’s @ Four Oaks:
Reservations: +27 (0) 23 614 2778

Fraai Uitzicht:
Reservations: ++27 (0) 23 626 6156

Written for Moneyweb Life in December 08.

High tea

The Nellie’s ditching tatty tea bags for indulgent infusions.

When I was a little girl, tea with my Gran was a treat.  She was elegant and silver haired, dressed in diamonds and silk caftans. Tea was one of her favourite rituals.  A ceremony brought to South Africa from her colonial past on the island of Madeira.

She used the good china (always the good china).  Translucent cups with saucers.  Tiny silver spoons.  Plates adorned with miniature chocolate éclairs and crustless cucumber sandwiches.  A choice of thinly sliced lemon or milk for the tea. One part of Darjeeling to two parts Lapsang Souchong. Dark pungent leaves, spooned from tea-stained tins engraved with images from the east.  Left for slow minutes to tumble and steep in a warmed and curving pot. The ticking of an old, oiled clock a companionable measure of our comfortable afternoons.

I’ve never been able to recreate the taste of that tea; smoky and fragrant, filled with memories of my grandmother’s soft hands and twinkling eyes.

Not surprising then, that I’ve always loved a good afternoon tea.  Travelling, I loved the cream teas of Devonshire, the green teas of Thailand and the endless cups of “builders” that got me through a stint in London.  But the Mount Nelsen’s famous afternoon tea has to be one of my favourites.

The Nellie has a wonderful discreet sophistication, and tea on the terrace overlooking the gorgeous garden is one of those things I always wish I could do more often.  Perhaps now I will.  The hotel has banished bags! Tea bags that is. They’ve introduced a speciality loose leaf tea menu – including a selection of over thirty tea blends – which has added a whole new dimension to the iconic experience.

Each loose leaf tea is presented in a delicate glass infuser, which is placed inside a matching glass teapot and left to steep for the period indicated on the hanging label on the pot. Individual egg-timers are provided to help you follow the correct infusion time.  Seeing the leaves float and swirl in the transparent teapots is beautifully hypnotic.

The tea menu was designed in collaboration with tea aficionados Mingwei Tsai and Joel Singer of Nigiro Specialist Tea Merchants (the new subsidiary of Origin, the coffee guys who’ve challenged everything you ever thought about good coffee). It features a selection ranging from a Standard Loose Leaf List, including delicious sounding varieties like Gunpowder Temple of Heaven Green Tea, to the Premium List, which includes my favourite Lapsang Souchong.

I tried the Mount Nelson Hotel Special Blend, which Tsai and Singer created specifically for the hotel.  It includes a combination of six locally and internationally sourced and blended black teas, flavoured with buds and petals from the hotel’s own pink roses. Delicately flavoured, with just a hint of tannin and finished with the subtle touch of rose, it was refreshing and needed neither milk nor sweetening.

No tea is complete without something to nibble. Pastry Chef Samantha Waring is the genius behind a tempting table piled high with finger sandwiches, chocolate indulgences, petit fours and classic confectionery.  In the spirit of the new tea menu, some tea infused treats have been included; Vanilla Tea Fudge, Forest Berry Tea infused Turkish Delight, Rooibos Strawberry and Vanilla Mousse Cups, Chamomile Lemon Loaf, Green Tea Cake and Rooibos Orange Marshmallows.

As part of the Hotel’s Afternoon Tea experience, they’ve introduced a series of differently themed Afternoon Teas each month:

• November: Fruit and the Spice Route (fresh flavours inspired by the seasons’ best)
• December: Cool Yule (celebrating Christmas with delicacies from around the globe)

Afternoon Tea is served daily in the Hotel Lounge from 14h30 to17h30 and includes Standard Loose Leaf Tea, coffee or hot chocolate.  R150 per person / R75 per child under 12.

Mount Nelson Hotel
76 Orange Street,  Cape Town
Tel: +27 21 483 1000
www.mountnelson.co.za

Written for Moneyweb Life in November 08

Lapping up luxury

Private castles and bespoke bath times at Knysna’s Pezula.

Some places are like a deep, slow breath.  Pezula Luxury Resort is such a place.  The property, which stretches out over one ridge of the Knysna Heads, is set apart from the whirl of the world.  Every detail is thought of, every whim is catered for.  Nothing’s too much trouble.  Whether you’re scoring a birdie on the 9th or ordering a bespoke bathing experience from the bath menu, Pezula makes laidback hedonism an art form.

The goal of Pezula’s Chairman, Keith Stewart, has been to create a lifestyle of effortless luxury for guests and residents of the estate. The gorgeous location, with views of the Indian Ocean and Knysna lagoon, is augmented by the Championship Golf Course and the Pezula Spa and Gym.  The latter has won numerous awards and was most recently voted one of the world’s top three Overseas Hotel Spas in the 2008 Condé Nast Traveller’s Readers Awards.

It’s not hard to see why.  Facilities include a 12m indoor heated pool, outside Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room, sun bed, hair and nail studios and a state of the art gym.  Beautifully appointed treatment rooms deliver you into a world of sanctuary and calm, while skilled therapists smooth away tension with magic hands.   Earth tones and the sounds of running water make the interiors feel like an extension of nature.

The hotel’s gourmet restaurant, Zachary’s, is reason alone to visit the resort.  Chef Geoffrey Murray brings international experience to his kitchen, using only the very best of local organic suppliers in his African inspired interpretations of classic cuisine.  Although everything was a feast, Oom Hennie’s Garden Greens & Herbs salad is one of the most simple, yet deceptively delicious dishes I’ve tasted in ages.

Geoffrey is also apparently a generous believer in sharing the provenance of food, and will gladly discuss the ingredients (and their source) with interested guests.   Naturally, the collection of local and international wines available is unrivalled, all lovingly attended to by a very enthusiastic sommelier.

For all the foodie indulgence, there is also plenty of action on the estate.  Apart from the golf course, guests can canoe, hike, bird and explore the nature trails either on foot or horseback through the surrounding Knysna forests.  The Estate’s Field of Dreams sports complex offers tennis courts, a multi-purpose sports oval and a 300m golf practice range.  Plans are in place to extend this into an international sporting complex, including a 25m 4-lane heated pool.

Guests have access the stunning secluded Noetzie beach and its faintly surreal private castles.  In fact, as mentioned in the hotel’s magazine, “If you’re wealthy.  Seriously wealthy. And you want to be alone,” the breathtaking fully staffed Pezula Castle is available for private hire.

Those with the cash can invest in the Pezula Private Estate, the estate’s property development which includes a range of residential options.

Reassuringly, everything has been done to ensure that the estate has a minimal ecological impact.  Jessica Hayes, the estate’s Environmental Manager, tells me that every aspect of the development of the estate and resort has been scrutinised and planned with the surrounding environment in mind.  Rehabilitation of the indigenous forest, wildlife and conservation management and an environmental education programme are all under Jessica’s remit and she’s fiercely protective of this portion of the beautiful Knysna hills that she’s responsible for.

This is what really sets Pezula apart.  It’s people.  Natural, warm, passionate and genuinely interested, the people of Pezula offer that particular kind of service that’s hard to articulate.  That transcends the accolades and state of the art facilities.  The kind of service that makes you feel special and at home, whether you’re the president of a country or simply a writer from Cape Town.

Pezula Luxury Resort

TEL    : +27 (0)44 302 3333
EMAIL: reservations@pezula.com

Photographs by kind permission of Gideon Joubert.

Written for Moneyweb Life in November 08.

A Fynbos Disciple

A Cape Town hotel’s passion for indigenous flora creates indulgent treats for guests and visitors.

The sea glimmers and shines on my right.  The towering mountains march along the coast to my left.  The day is hot and the backs of my legs stick to the leather of the car seats.  I can taste coconut suntan lotion and cherry fizz pops.  And underneath it all, I smell the loamy green perfume of hot fynbos.

These are the childhood memories of summer, driving along Victoria Road to Llandudno beach.  It’s along this stretch of Cape Town shoreline that the 12 Apostles Hotel and Spa was controversially developed around 1995, much to the frustration of locals, who feared it would open the pristine mountain to rampant development. Named for the range that curves behind it, the Hotel takes full advantage of those elements that make my childhood memories so vivid; sun, sea and, most recently; fynbos. The restaurant, Azure, and hotel Spa have both capitalised on the over 6000 species of indigenous plants that are found on these mountains alone, just a small part of the Cape Floral kingdom.

Executive Chef Robert de Carvalho, a first generation South African with strong Portuguese roots, is still very much hands on in the 12 Apostles kitchen.  He tells me the idea for his “Cooking with Fynbos” menu came from walking the rocky heath-land of the mountain and wondering whether the fragrant local plants that grow there could be used in the hotel kitchens.  He started to investigate and experiment and subsequently worked closely with a Stellenbosch University botanist to discover which plants would work best and how to prepare them.

The result is a three course seasonal feast, featuring dishes infused with the wild flavours of some 20 fynbos varieties, all tended and harvested responsibility from the slopes of the mountain which make up the hotel’s grounds.  De Carvalho completes the local theme by ensuring that the other ingredients he uses are either local delicacies or sourced from local suppliers.  Naturally, each course is matched with local wines.

I was lucky enough to enjoy the menu at the nautically themed Azure, overlooking the Atlantic in another of its iconic states; a typical stormy winter evening.  On Chef’s suggestion, I started with the sweet potato, corn, wild garlic (Tulbughia capensis) and pepperdew fritters, served with baby marrow, mango chutney and a pineapple,  red onion and geranium (Pelargonium betulinum) salsa.  The sweet, tart salsa was a perfect match to the crunchy and delicately flavoured fritters.

For mains, I (over) indulged in the Springbok shank, wrapped in Morogo (Amaranthus hybridus) and smoked bacon served with stywepap and roasted butternut, with a wild rosemary (Eriocephalus africanus) Namaqua brandy sauce. The meal was finished with delicious Melktert Phyllo Parcels, lightly baked and served with a honeybush (Cyclopia intermedia) and buchu (Agathosma-crenata) ice cream and fresh strawberries.

What made the evening really special was the arrival of the sorbet between the first and second courses.  The palette cleansing ice was served on a platter overflowing with foaming, rolling mist, turning our table into a corner of magic.  I actually clapped my hands with delight. (I’m such a sucker for dry ice).

De Carvalho says his menu is equally popular with local and international guests, but he says the later are more inquisitive about the ingredients.  In response to numerous requests, he now hosts a cooking course for guests interested in finding, preparing and using fynbos in cooking, although this apparently needs to be arranged with the banqueting manager well in advance.

The Spa, part of The Sanctuary Group, has also included fynbos in its treatments.  Built as though carved from the mountain itself, the soothing subterranean retreat uses Moya products as one of the staples of their offer.

I was pampered with a bone-melting, full body massage using a Cape Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) based treatment, apparently known for its detoxifying and calming properties.  The massage, which included a hair mask and facial treatment, left me feeling like some kind of chilled out scented goddess.  Although I had to deal with the amusement of friends when I then headed out to dins with my heavily oiled coiffeur, unwilling to sacrifice the benefits of the oils for an early shower.

I’m most definitely a fynbos disciple.

12 Apostles Hotel & Spa
Tel: +27 (0) 21 437 9029
Azure: email azure@rchmail.co.za

The three course “Cooking with Fynbos” menu is R245 per person for excluding beverages.

The Sanctuary Spa
Tel: +27 (0)21 437 0677

Written for Moneyweb Life in October 08

The divine is in the details

Magic Majeka a Stellenbosch gem

Regular travellers know, a hotel is a hotel is a hotel.  It’s only the small details that set them apart.  The fact that the staff remember your name.  The way the chef cooks the bacon.  The art on the walls.  All these small elements conjure up a personality that can make a hotel somehow feel different.

Majeka House is one of those places.  Hidden on the outskirts of Stellenbosch, just an hour from Cape Town and right in the middle of the area’s famous winelands, this small boutique property is filled with little surprises.  Wooden floors in the showers, crystal, chrome and beaded chandeliers, Lavazza Blue espresso machines in each room and love-seats in the gardens strewn with jewel coloured cushions are just some of the things that delighted me during my stay.

Originally the home of Karine Dequecker and Lloyd van der Merwe, the couple wanted to do something special with the property and decided to turn their large grounds into a tranquil escape for travellers. The family house remains, while additional wings, cottages and a small freestanding villa have been added as part of the refurbishment.   Opened in November 2008, Majeka’s white washed buildings, green awnings and umbrella-shaded chaise lounges merge with a lush, colourful garden to create a French Provencal feeling in an intimate setting.

Both Karine and Lloyd have a background in hospitality, and are widely travelled, so combine their personal experiences with professional expertise.  Despite some real teething problems with their reservations and billing systems, they’ve created something quite special.

The individual rooms are sumptuously appointed, with crisp white linen accented by leather headboards, rich quilted bedspreads and cool terracotta tiled floors.  The good sized bathrooms have a sliding barrier set into their dividing wall so that slothful souls like me can lounge about in the bath with a glass of wine and still watch the wide-screen TV while delicious Moya products add the sent the room with Cape Geranium and Camomile.

When I compliment a piece of art in the cosy bar and library area of the hotel, Karine laughingly tells me that the family influence has definitely extended out of their home and into the hotel’s décor.  She points out pieces from her parent’s home as well as her own in amongst those bought especially for the room.  A wander around the many small boutique shops in Stellenbosch proves the origin of many of the other small décor touches throughout the hotel.

An excellent kitchen offers fine dining, while on-site facilities like a conference room for 16, wireless internet access, heated pool, steam room and sauna, as well as spa run by The Sanctuary Group mean that haven-seekers need not leave the grounds if they don’t want to.  In fact, I spotted a number of guests having breakfast in their slippers, clearly quite at home at the pool-side tables.  Of course, with the historic town of Stellenbosch and some of the Cape’s most award winning wine farms within minutes of the gates, you might still be tempted to venture out.

Majeka House:

26-32 Houtkapper Street,

Paradyskloof, Stellenbosch.

+27 (21) 880 1549

Email: reservations@majekahouse.co.za
www.majekahouse.co.za

Rates are priced from R800.00 per person per night sharing and are inclusive of breakfast.

Photographs by Gideon Joubert.

Written for Moneyweb Life in February 09.

Going Bizerca

In a fickle food market this French-South African classic looks set to become a favourite.

On an average day the only things you’re guaranteed to find in my fridge are a pack of mature Kleinriver Gruyere, half a lemon and a bottle of Pongrazt.  Which is why, if anyone ever suggests lunch or dinner out and about, I’m in.

Discovering new restaurants is half the fun. Cape Town is an odd city for restaurants. Old favourites linger for years, while new epicurean adventures come and go every season.

One of my new finds is Bizerca Bistro. Just around the corner from the CTICC on the Foreshore, it is all windows and clean lines, edged with a retro touch. I fell in love with the light fittings and combination of old and new finishes.  Perfect for lunch, but with a stark, open layout, I did wonder if it would be cosy enough for dinner.

The owners, husband and wife team Laurent and Cyrillia Deslanders, bring an interesting tale to the mix. He’s French (and the chef) and she’s South African.  They met in Paris, and spent seven years in France before heading Down Under for about ten years, winning all kinds of awards in Sydney.  Their move back to Cyrillia’s home shores inspired the name of their new venture; their friends thought they were mad to come back to SA.

Laurent’s French heritage emerges in the menu standards; the Boeuf Bourguignon, Pigs Trotters, Cassoulet with Confit de Canard were all tempting.   For a light working lunch, I settled on one of the many delicious daily specials; the butternut gnocchi. Nestled in a drizzle of creamy sundried tomato sauce and finished off with a handful of peppery fresh rocket, the gnocchi was not the heavy potato dumplings I expected, rather light, crushed butternut based squares both chewy and soft in texture.

My colleague had croquet-shaped fish cakes piled on rosti. She made all the right appreciative noises and I had a brief moment of order-envy.

I didn’t notice the service, which for me is a clear indication that it was good.   That or I was just too wrapped up in our conversation (less work, and more existential ponderings) to notice whether my water glass was filled or the kitchen-to-table time ratio was perfect.

What did please enormously was the excellent selection of wines by the glass. My glass of Ken Forrester Sauvignon Blanc was just right; a cold and crisp companion to the tomatoey butternut.

Sadly, both of us declined desert, but you can be sure I’ll be back for the Panacotta some time soon.

All told, our glass of vino, main meal and a pot of mint tea came to just over R230 for the two of us.  Good value for fine French cuisine.

Bizerca Bistro – The classic French bistro with a local twist

Jetty Street, Foreshore

Call:021-418 0001
Email: bizerca@mweb.co.za

Written for Moneyweb Life in August o8