Where to Stay in New Orleans - Hotel Monteleone Accommodation Review A lovely hotel - authentic and full of charm. The Carousel Bar is amazing and the rooftop pool is…
The New Orleans School of Cooking was a great place to spend a morning here. The cooking in the Deep South is way different from the rest of the USA. It is Creole - a veritable melting pot of all the nationalities that coalesced in this part of the world (Portugeuse, Spanish, French, Italian) and made it what it is today. Nothing goes to waste - it is "rooter to tooter" as the expression goes - i.e. - everything on the hog is used except it's squeak.
We woke to the smell of beignets wafting in from the street curiously mixed with the scent of lemon from the disinfectant they use to wash the sheets here. Breakfast was served by a cheerful waitress who greeted us with "Morning Sunshines!"
New Orleans has been throbbing 24/7 since 1718. It is the birthplace of jazz and has always had music at its heart. The French Quarter Jazz Festival was in full swing when we arrived - what a great week-end to visit! New Orleans i's way more than honky tonk pianos and saxophones though. The food is great here, the welcome is warm, the people are full of life and colour and the vibe is great.
On Friday, we head to New Orleans for the start of our trip to the Big Easy - Deep South USA Road Trip. We will walk along the sweeping bends of the Mississippi River, visit the bayous of Louisiana and get familiar with the great cities of Memphis, Nashville and New Orleans. I am looking forward to sampling Cajun food and hearing some great live music in the birthplace of soul, jazz, blues, country and rock and roll.
A lovely couple of days spent hiking in the Lake District brought swathes of yellow daffodils, some interesting fauna and some smashing views. A week later and the whole place was covered in snow!
The thermometer is your ally in Gran Canaria! We visited at the end of March when it was grey and wet back home in the UK and were treated to pleasant tempera
Goodbye Hurtigruten - and Tusen Takk - Thank you very much ! Tourism was always part of the basis for the Coastal Express though with brochures printed in several languages…
Gale force winds were blowing all day today meaning that the ship was rocking about a lot leaving many people feeling nauseous - including me. The on board shop was doing. roaring trade in sea sickness tablets - even the crew were taking them. The decks were closed, which meant you couldn't even get a breath of air. Everything began to feel very claustrophobic. Unfortunately, seasickness on Hurtigruten is something you may well have to put up with if the weather is rough - which it often is - so come prepared!
Vesteralen Hike Yesterday, we made a brief stop at Hammerfest - the Northernmost town in the world. It is a tiny place, but there is a really interesting Restoration Museum…
The Snow Hotel Kirkenes 25 tonnes of ice and 15000 cubic metres of snow are shifted each Winter to build the famous igloo Snow Hotel Kirkenes.Every year, the hotel is built…
Where East Meets West On the Edge of a Forbidden Frontier Kirkenes - the turning point of the Hurtigruten's voyage - is just a few miles from the Russian border…
World’s End at the North Cape The ship docked at Honningvãg this morning - the capital of the North Cape. At 71 degrees north, this is as far north as…
What ARE the Northern Lights? The northern lights are a physical phenomenon that occurs when electrically charged particles from the sun hurtle towards the Earth. The light becomes visible when…
Entering the High North - Tromsø The sunrise was beautiful this morning - a gentle pink light hung over the coastline for quite some time. A beautiful Norwegian sunrise Mount…
Crossing the Arctic Circle We are crossing the Arctic Circle at 7.30 this morning. You could have bought a postcard with a special stamp and posted it from here all…
It’s time for the Snowshoes! The Nordlys docked at Trondheim this morning allowing us time to lace ourselves into our snowshoes (snøskoene) for a hike through the deep snow covered…
Day 2 - Friluftsliv Bergen We left Bergen at around 10 last night and headed for the pretty Art Nouveau port of Ålesund. If you wanted time to visit Bergen…
Tomorrow, we embark on "the world's most beautiful voyage" on the Hurtigruten line, departing from Bergen and travelling over 2,500 nautical miles to the Top of the World at the North Cape. We hope to see the Northern Lights (there is a guarantee of a free cruise of you don't) en route and then retrace our steps slowly back South down the coast to Bergen. The voyage will last a total of 12 days, crosses the Arctic Circle twice and visits 34 Nordic ports along the way.
Our trip ends today with aa 5 hour drive south from Dunblane home.. It has been an interesting trip to this remote, far flung land where there is a marvellous amount of nothing to do. If you are looking for solitude, room to wander and reflect and allow yourself to " just be", then you will find plenty of it in the Scottish Highlands.
It took us the best part of 6 hours to drive from Shieldag to Dunblane where we decided to break the long return journey home with an overnight stay. En route, we made a small detour to visit the Kelpies at Falkirk.
The sunshine and rain showers meant that we were chasing many beautiful rainbows all along the remainder of the North Coast 500 road from Shieldaig through Applecross/Lochcarron. At one point, we drove right underneath one!
Shieldaig Lodge is a Victorian hunting lodge set in a 26,000 acre estate next to Loch Gairloch. It has lovely waterside views from the lounge and dining room and a massive selection of whisky and gin in the bar.
Inverewe Gardens at Poolewe - just down the road from Aultbea - provided a great place to spend half a day. There are 54 acres of gardens to explore with interesting plants from all around the world including Japan and Africa.
A small loch-side Highland hotel ideally positioned between Ullapool and Gairloch . Great food, comfortable rooms, beautiful views and a lively bar.
The journey from Kylesku to Altbea wasn't too long today, so we were able to stop at Invercircaig and walk to the Kirkaig Falls on the way.
The Kylesku Hotel is a small hotel sympathetically decorated in modern style with soft natural tones and tweed headboards. They keep a cosy fire burning throughout the day - nice when the weather is wet. The hotel is perfectly located on the edge of the loch with good walks all around.
Oldeshoremore and Loch Gleann Dubh The day started fine, so we headed over to the beaches at Oldshoremore that we had driven past in our haste to reach Sandwood Bay.…
The drive from Durness to Kylesku only takes about an hour and a quarter, so we took a short detour.at Scourie and almost got blown into the sea the wind was so strong.
Mackay's Rooms Durness is a B&B, not a hotel, so if you want an evening meal, you need to walk down the road to the Sango Sands Oasis pub or further to the Smoo Cave Hotel. Alternatively, there is a café called the Whale Tail at Balnakeil Craft Village which offers a reasonable fish/seafood menu, but they only accept cash and close at 8pm. There is a cashpoint at the Spa in Durness village if you need it.
Faraid Head - Almost like taking a walk in the sea itself! From the village in Durness, you can walk out along the edge of the cliffs at the edge…
Sandwood Bay - One of Scotland's Most Beautiful Hidden Beaches About 20 miles from Durness, via Kinlochbervie, the road turns off to the right towards Oldshoremore and leads to a car park…
En route from Bettyhill to Durness, we stopped at the Strathnaver Museum in Bettyhill (opens at 10). The museum gives excellent coverage of the Highland Clearances.
Bettyhill Hotel Accommodation Review A fabulous location with stunning views of the beach from the dining room and the bedroom. The restaurant has a good choice of bar type food…
Dunnet Head on the route from Wick to Bettyhill is actually the most northerly point of mainland Britain. On a clear day, you can see the whole North Coast from Cape Wrath to Dunscansby Head.
The hotel was a little tired around the edges with a rickety lift, but what it lacked in swanky decor was more than made up for with the warmth and friendliness of the welcome.
We had 2 nights in Wick, which allowed us time to tick the box of visiting John O'Groats. We saw a family waiting to welcome back their Dad & his friend Phil - End to Enders - it is 874 miles to Land's End from here. If you headed straight down, it is 12,875 long miles to New Zealand ...
We chased rainbows all the way along the A9 from Durness to Wick and found a stunningly beautiful one in the busy little harbour in Wick when we arrived.
A really comfortable hotel with a well stocked bar offering a wide selection of whiskies to taste. The hotel has a pool with a sauna and steam room. Parking could be challenging when the hotel is being used as a conference centre, but we didn't have a problem during our stay.
We start our trip in Dunblane - best known as being Andy Murray's hometown and - say - site of the 1996 shooting of 16 Dunblane schoolchildren and their teacher.
Today, we embark on a long awaited drive around the North Coast of Scotland. we will cover over 655 miles over the course of two weeks. The GK Chesterton quote springs to mind: "The traveller sees what he sees; the tourist sees what he came to see." Let the journey begin ...!
Short break in Norfolk - Where the Sea meets the Sky. Visit Hunstanton Beach, Cromer, Wells-next-the-Sea.
E noho ra - Goodbye New Zealand. It's time for Final Reflections. New Zealand struck me as a country which is comfortably at ease with itself. Of course, there are some political tensions, but overall people are broadly tolerant and respective of each other.
The Radisson Blu Hotel Media City Dubai is obviously a chain hotel, so we weren't really expecting too much from it. We hotel was chosen because of its location in Media City where we had hoped to visit the Food Festival. In the end, we decided not to to go to the Festival, so a more central choice of hotel in Dubai might have been preferable.
Do buy Dubai. Dubai is trying very hard to sell itself as a city that delivers both a luxurious experience for tourists and an efficient business hub. The city needs to achieve this so it has something to fall back on when the oil money runs out. Everyone is trying to sell you something - from the marketing hype to the souks.
The Crowne Plaza Coogee Beach is a perfect place to stay in Sydney. Apart from great facilities it has very friendly and efficient staff. The breakfast here was well worth the $25 charge. We had a king sized room with an ocean view which was excellent. There is a swimming pool too with an ocean view - we didn't use it. but it looked very well maintained and inviting. There is also a room you can use to shower and change once you have checked out. Highly recommended!
Coogee Beach is what life by the ocean is all about. Coogee is known affectionately as "Sydney's Seaside Village" and it was great to reunite with my old schoolfriend and see her family so happily settled there.
Eliza's Manor Boutique Hotel Christchurch is a quirky boutique hotel centrally located in Christchurch. Our room had a huge bathroom with a roll top bath - nice!. The staff are very helpful and welcoming and do everything they can to make your stay here comfortable.
The Hermitage Hotel Mount Cook has an enviably great location with stunning panoramic views from the restaurant. Our room here was a bit small though and the kettle didn't fit under the tap in the small wash basin (?!). There is very little choice of accommodation in this remote spot though and this hotel was as good as any. Breakfast is a pricey $30 each, if you decide to take it.
We hadn't expected to be woken at 4am with the bad news from home that our house had been subject to flood damage during the "Beast from the East" which is gripping Britain currently. We are still trying to assess the extent of the damage, but it seems as though we will have a real mess to sort out when we get back home. There is always a context to everything though. Christchurch was badly hit by earthquakes in 2010/11 and 185 people died - commemorated by a display of empty white chairs in the town centre.
We visited the Kiwi Sanctuary in Queenstown today. It is a great place to see these fascinating creatures. They are nocturnal and live in the forest, so there really is no easy way to view them without visiting a sanctuary like this. They are much bigger than I had anticipated - about the size of a rugby ball. You get really good close up views once your eyes adjust to the darkness, No photo, unfortunately, as the conditions in the bird sanctuary are very carefully controlled: no cameras; no 'phones; no talking (as the kiwis are very easily scared)!
Peppers Beacon Queenstown is a functional hotel, conveniently located for walking to town and all the restaurants it offers. Our balcony is very small though and the room is a bit tunnel-like and dark. There are better rooms with wider windows and really good views of the lake which might be worth the upgrade if you are here for a while. There is a good guest laundry and a bonus of a hot tub and sauna area too. The buffet breakfast seemed very impersonal after all the friendly B&Bs we have been getting used to here!
To bungy or not to bungy? The first bungy jump happened here and A.J. Hackett is still in business with a big centre in town at Kawarau Gorge. There have been 2 million successful bungy jumps since 1986. It makes you wonder what the definition of an unsuccessful bungy jump is?!
Today, we took a cruise into Milford Sound. It was raining which added to the beauty of this remote region immensely. When it rains, all the non permanent waterfalls really come to life. Within fifteen minutes of a rain shower stopping, many of the temporary waterfalls stop running, When it pours with rain, Milford Sound pumps and roars with appreciation. Fascinating Fact: There are so many Maori words for water. Some of the town names really start to make sense once you understand this:
The Fiordland Navigator has comfortable enough little cabins with a tiny wash basin and a shower. None of the cabins have a porthole, but this didn't really matter as we were only on board 1 night. The evening meal was a reasonable buffet style. Soup was served mid afternoon and cakes etc. too, so you don't need to bring a packed lunch. This is a great way to see the Sounds and stay overnight so you can experience the peace of early mornings here before the crowds descend.
Yesterday, we took a short cruise with Real Journeys across Lake Manapouri then a coach trip on the remote sub-alpine route over Wilmot Pass and into Doubtful Sound where we docked overnight on the Fiordland Navigator. This is a very peaceful and beautiful place where you can experience the Sounds of Silence of Shadowland. The boat turned off its engines and everyone kept a complete silence for five minutes - blissful.
Blue Ridge Boutique B and B Te Anau is upmarket luxuriously appointed accommodation with tea and coffee making facilities in the room. They even provided bathrobes here, which was nice. There is a hot tub too. Breakfast is a generous and conical affair in the host's own kitchen. Best of all, it is just a short walk into town where there are a variety of restaurants, so this lodging ticks all the boxes.
We used today to say Goodbye to Wanaka and travel to our next lodgings in Te Anau in Fiordland National Park - conveniently located for trips into the Milford and Doubtful Sounds. Trips can be booked via Trips and Tramps and Real Journeys.
The weather turned chilly, very windy and promised rain in the afternoon. We managed a leisurely stroll around the lakeside and then paid a visit to Puzzling World Wanaka. We failed the challenge of exiting the giant maze within the 60 minutes target and gave up when we saw an emergency exit. If there was one of these back home, it would make a fortune I think! The attraction houses a whole host of illusional exhibits which turn your brain inside out.
Yesterday, we took the 4.5km Mount Iron Loop Trail which gives great views of Wonderful Wanaka as a reward for the very steep uphill climb. We were only walking for a couple of hours, but the elevation gain - up hill consistently for an hour - made it feel like harder work than that.
Peak Sportchalet Lake Wanaka is certainly a very well equipped chalet, with a full sized oven and all the kitchen utensils you could possibly need. There is a little private, sunny garden too, which is a great bonus. Good laundry facilities and very friendly and helpful hosts add to the charm of this accommodation. The Wi-Fi is free and fast too, which is always an important consideration for me!
OK - it isn't really called Mount Perspiring - it is Mount Aspiring and we walked 775m to view its summit today. Total distance covered in today's walk was 15kms and we felt it at the end of the walk `as it was very steep in places. This walk gets a "hard" category in the walking trails booklet - we saw what they meant! The views at the top were awesome though and worth the climb.
Today did not start well. We woke up early - worried about the effect of Cyclone Gita overnight. There was no water in our chalet, so we had to go up to town to buy some. In town, we discovered that the road from Franz Josef to Wanaka had been closed in both North and South directions. So, we were stuck, in a place with no power, no water and no fuel.
Glenfern Villas offers well equipped accommodation with full kitchen facilities if you want to self cater and BBQs for hire. There is also a laundry on site.
Today, we continued our journey south to Franz Josef. We made an early start (7am) because of the cyclone warnings. Local schools were all shut and there was talk of closing the coast road, so we didn't want to take any chances. Despite the early start - things did not go smoothly ...
The Rocks Homestay Punakaiki is a reasonable choice of B&B with lovely views of the sea. It is a short drive to Punakaiki from here, but it isn't walkable. There are a couple of restaurant options in the village, but you won't find much beyond steak & chips/fish & chips or pizza. The rooms are air conditioned which is welcome with the humidity of the pre-cyclone weather currently. There is also good wi fi reception here.
Today we took a long walk along the beach first thing. The sand in Paparoa National Park is grey and very coarse - very different from the golden, coarse sand at Abel Tasman NP. There is a 23km beach here - and only we are on it - all morning. Awesome! The rest of the day we clocked up another 12kms on the beautiful Pororari River Tramp through lush, dense rain forest. Thankfully, the sun kept shining and the tree canopy gave some welcome shade.
Pancakes in Punakaiki. A 3 hour drive brought us into different countryside again. The West coast of South Island is much wilder than the East≥. There were 8km high waves here during the recent cyclone which had a king tide. They are bracing themselves and hoping that Cyclone Gita stays North and does 't real and more havoc down South. We are obviously keeping our fingers crossed on that one too. We had time to fit in a visit to Pancake rocks this afternoon - worth the trip..
The Ocean View Chalets Marahau Beach offers extremely well equipped chalets with full kitchen facilities, laundry space and within easy walking distance of two reasonable restaurants - perfect! The lovely sea views are a bonus too. This was a great choice of accommodation for this portion of the trip and ticked all our boxes.
Abel Tasman Coastal Tramp. We took a scenic cruise today inside the Abel Tasman National Park, booked through Wilsons - www.abeltasman.co.nz. The boat takes you up to Totaranui Bay at the top of the coastal stretch covered by the park and stops by a NZ fur seal colony on the way back before dropping you off at Medlands Beach to walk the 11.8kms back to Anchorage Bay. It is a beautiful stretch of coast line, but it was tough going on a very hot day.
Punga Cove Resort is a really lovely complex with 19 cabins built up the hillside with good facilities including a swimming pool, hot tubs, hammocks, sea kayaks and a table tennis table. Our large cabin was a well equipped suite with kitchen facilities if required. It is a pity we are only staying two nights here - you could easily spend longer as it is a lovely spot.
Punga Cove Resort - Sanctuary in the Sounds It was a day’s drive from Tongariro to Wellington via the twisting, scenic Wanganui River Road. The next day, we boarded the Interislander ferry from Wellington to Picton - a 3 and a half hour journey. From there, we boarded a pre-booked water taxi (operated by Cougar Line enquiries@cougarline.co.nz) and arrived at beautiful Sanctuary in the Sounds of Punga Cove Resort - an hour and a half later.
The Distinction Wellington Century City Hotel is a well equipped apartment style room with its own washing machine, which was handy at this stage of the trip. The hotel is well located for restaurants and the waterfront.
We have been training for a few months to ensure we were fit enough to complete the 19.4km Tongariro Alpine Crossing, motivating ourselves with a shout of "think Tongariro!" when the training got tough.
The Ruapehu Country Lodge is a great choice of accommodation close to the Tongariro National Park. It is a very comfortable lodge with tea/coffee making facilities in the rooms and is a convenient 15kms from the edge of Tongariro National Park. There is a hot tub in the garden which is nice to relax inn after a hard day's waking. Very friendly hosts who can't do enough for you, including a laundry service ($15).
If you have a problem - fix it. If you can't fix it, forget it. The problem is - the Rotorua weather. It has been raining for a couple of days now. We can't do anything about the rain, so we're making the best of it.
The 124 on Brunswick is a very comfortable and friendly B&B with generously helpful hosts. The best thing about it was the beautiful photography which decorated all the rooms. It is a short way out of town, but there was a good restaurant not too far away.
Ten minutes drive from Cathedral Cove is Hot Water Beach where hot water from two underground springs gushes up from 2kms below ground to the surface when you dig in the sand. The trick is ...
The Copsefield B and B offers reasonable accommodation with very welcoming hosts. It is a real shame that it is 8km away from Whangamata though. We were lucky to have the accommodation all to ourselves for 4 nights - it might have been a bit cramped sharing the communal lounge/laundry facilities and gardens.
Life's a Beach in Whangamata Barefoot Walking If it’s good enough for the kiwis, then it’s good enough for us -we walked 10k today - barefoot! OK - it was…
Yesterday, we made our way down the coast from Orewa to Coromandel, visiting beautiful Rapaura Water Gardens at Tapu en route. Today we embark on a pre-booked tramp along the Coromandel Coastal Walkway with Coromandel Discovery.
The Anchor Lodge Motel Coromandel is a convenient place to stay in this area. It is close to restaurants and all the town's amenities. Two nights were enough though - the room felt a bit damp - probably because of the unusually wet weather at the tail end of the cyclone.
Waves Motel Orewa is a comfortable apartment style hotel just 10 minutes walk from Orewa town centre, which you can reach across the beautiful sandy beach. It is so much nicer than staying in Auckland. If you don't want to shop for your own breakfast, you can order room service at a very reasonable price.
After a last lovely evening in Kerikeri, we said our goodbyes and started to make our way South back towards Auckland via Orewa. We stopped off at Russell en route - the first capital of New Zealand. Russell has changed a bit since its early days. It was once known as "The Hell Hole of the Pacific" - a magnet for convicts fleeing Australia and whalers and sailors too drunk to return to sea.
We visited Cape Reinga lighthouse today which is as far as you can go in New Zealand without falling into the sea - Northland's Toe. The lighthouse overlooks where the Pacific Ocean meets the Tasmanian Sea, which creates a whirlpool effect - fascinating. Maori legend has it that this is the Meaning of Life - where female sea meets male sea, creating the beginnings of life. We passed by beautiful Tapotupota Bay and the huge Te Paki sand dunes on the way.
A 3 and a half hour drive up Highway 1 today towards KeriKeri will end with a family reunited. I am staying with my great aunt and cousin and their family in KeriKeri and we haven't seen each other for many years. Spending a few days with them is one of the main attractions of this trip for me - probablyway more fun than some of the big tourist sights!
Adina Apartment Hotel Auckland is a lovely apartment style hotel - centrally located and withe a reasonable restaurant for breakfast/dinner. Very close to the car hire depots, which adds to the convenience.
Kia Ora New Zealand! It was a long flight to Auckland - 24 hours in total. Emirates made it quite bearable though and the time passed soon enough, albeit with little sleep. Now, it is just a question of staying awake long enough to go to bed at a reasonable time before collecting the hire car tomorrow and setting off for the Bay of Islands.
Today, our long awaited trip to New Zealand begins. Our 4 week Self-Drive New Zealand Road Trip Itinerary begins in North Island then moves onto South Island before returning home to the UK via Australia (Sydney) and Dubai.
A 5.30 start was again scheduled – we didn’t go. Good move – bacon was back on the breakfast menu this morning and was still quite hot early on. Temperatures on the vans were -14 this morning and the only bird anyone saw was the red grouse, again. No Snowy Owls then (which was the one bird we had really both been hoping to see).
We drove right up to the Arctic Circle in the afternoon, which took a long time, but it was sort of satisfying to be able to say we had actually been there and could justifiably put a pin in the map. Scary thought – if I am getting satisfaction from putting a pin in a map, maybe there is something of a twitcher in me? Let’s move on …
Can Finland get any worse? Yes - it can! I was still hoping that things might get better as we went further north and into the Kuusamo National Park…
It was hard to see how this trip could get any worse, but the suggestion was then made that a trip to the rubbish dump might be just the thing to raise the spirits. Seriously?! Yes – this was serious. Rubbish dumps are a food source of course, so there just may be some gulls there … Yes, you guessed it, we waited two hours at the rubbish dump, but it was another no show.
HELP! I am on the wrong holiday! I could have chosen to stay at home, munched a few Easter eggs, dug the garden or just chilled out - but I…
Arrival in Oulu - The light was beginning to fade by the time we got to the snow covered forest. The Northern Hawk Owl sat obligingly at the top of one of the tallest fir trees in the forest and – despite the failing light – I did manage to get a photo of him, although it was so cold that I hard to work hard to make my finger press the shutter button. With hindsight, this eventually turned out to be the highlight of the whole trip!
As the lengthening days of Spring signal the approach of Summer to the Arctic tundra, we are heading far north for a long week-end to Finland to spend Easter on the Arctic Circle in search of owls, many other birds and (hopefully) reindeers.
This has been without doubt one of the best holidays we have ever taken - and it has some strong competition. Stunning scenery, excellent food, luxurious accommodation and friendly people have combined to make this a truly unforgettable trip. There are problems here and the frequently seen townships are a very stark reminder of that. There are some places where we have felt uncomfortable, but very many more where we have felt very welcome and at home. Some of the little cafes we have stopped off at en route are a great example of just how hard so many people are trying here to make the best of what they have. The faultlessly solicitous service everywhere is also a happy memory - everyone, no matter what their job is, has been making a great effort to do it well.
The Cape Grace Hotel is a very comfortable hotel with great facilities, including a whisky bar with a huge variety of whiskies available to taste. It is more expensive than the Victoria & Alfred though and the location isn't as good. either. The swimming pool was very welcome at the end of a long journey and a good place to relax before making the trip home.
Better weather today meant we could take the 4x4 trip through the fynbos clad slopes of the Grootbos nature reserve. They are doing a wonderful job here conserving unique vegetation made possible by the four soil types they have - six flower species are only found in Grootbos. So many of the flowers have medicinal value as well as great beauty. Most of the proteas had finished flowering, unfortunately - they are at their best in October usually. Christmas in Cape Town. It took 3 and a half hours to get back from Grootboos to Cape Town in the end - much longer than we had anticipated because of heavy traffic. It looked very different from three weeks ago - Christmas had arrived here while we had been on our travels!
We arrived to a very warm and friendly welcome at Grootboos Private Nature Reserve and were shown to our suite. The lodge has panoramic view across beautiful Walker Bay, which is a protected site, accessed by permit only. The suites are beautifully decorated and the food is absolutely fantastic. Of all the lovely places we have stayed on this trip so far, this is definitely one of the best.