Whale Cottage Portfolio Blog

South Africa is one of 31 destinations recommended for travel in 2010 by the New York Times on its site www.nytimes.com.  The top five destinations are Sri Lanka, Patagonia Wine Country (San Patricio del Chavar), Seoul, Mysore in India, and Copenhagen. 

“Waiting in the wings”, according to the article, as places to go to in 2010 are countries/cities which include Damascus, Antarctica, Leipzig, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Shanghai, Minorca, Costa Rica, Marrakesh, Bahia in Brazil, Kitzbuehl in Austria, Norway and South Africa.

South Africa made 22nd place on the list, and its selection is motivated by the Soccer World Cup taking place this year,  and Cape Town is highlighted as the best city in the country.  The full text motivating the selection of South Africa on the list follows:

“As host of the 2010 World Cup this summer, South Africa has gotten its game on with a flurry of new stadiums, new hotels and safari lodges.  While soccer is being played across nine cities, much of the action off the field is taking place in Cape Town. Already known for its stunning beaches, mouthwatering cuisine and sophisticated night life, the city is welcoming high-end hotels, including the recently opened One & Only Cape Town and the forthcoming Taj Cape Town (www.tajhotels.com/capetown). Set to open this month, the Taj will have 166 rooms, many with views of Table Mountain. Also scheduled to open in Cape Town this year — but not in time for the World Cup — is the second branch of the nascent Missoni Hotels group (the first property opened in Edinburghlast year, with future outposts planned for Kuwait, Brazil and Oman). Between matches, there’s plenty of time to go on a safari. If money is no object, check out the Ulusaba  (www.ulusaba.virgin.com), a private game reserve that’s part of Richard Branson’s collection of luxury vacation properties. It has opened the new Cliff Lodge, with private swimming pools and spectacular views of the bush. Prices start at 13,800 South African rand (around $1,878 at 7.35 rand to the dollar) a night for two.”

The full article can be read here.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

A new Lonely Planet travel guide  “1000 Ultimate Experiences” has named Cape Town as one of the world’s Top 10 party cities, reports Reuters.

Cape Town’s fellow Top 10 party cities are Belgrade in Serbia, Montreal in Canada, Buenos Aires in Argentina, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Thessalonika in Greece, La Paz in Bolivia, Baku in Azerbaijan, Auckland in New Zealand and Tel Aviv in Israel.

One wonders if the editor came to the South Africa, in its overstated evaluation of Mossel Bay, and its incorrectly stated distance between Mossel Bay and Cape Town!   The Lonely Planet accolade for Cape Town is as follows: “With the 2010 World Cup bringing a global audience to South Africa, the partying will only get harder as travelers converge on a city already well known for nightlife. Luxuriate on some of the world’s best beaches by day and kick back under the moonlight at suave cocktail bars by night. Two hours east, in the Indian Ocean, lies the elegant beach village of Mossel Bay, with more great beaches and chic flair. Visitors must try some of the wines crafted by South Africa’s world-renowned vintners, either at a Cape Town bar or at one of several wineries nearby”

For the full Reuters article, click here.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

The 18 th annual Whale Festival in Hermanus starts today, and runs until the weekend.   Over the years the Whale Festival has been good for tourism, and accommodation establishments, restaurants and retail outlets all benefit from the event.

The focus of the Whale Festival is to celebrate the marine richness of the region, with talks by local experts on marine topics.   Wally the Whale (?!) will be present as well.  Classical music treats, an ABBA-style concert, a boxing tournament, a half marathon, kid’s morning market, winetastings, car show, lifestyle expo, as well as the Southern Right whales, are on the menu for the weekend.

The Hermanus Whale Festival is using the same logo and slogan as it did last year.  The slogan is inane: “Hermanus, the place to be”!   In a special advertising supplement in Die Burger last week, the “Cape Whale Coast” had a three-quarter page full colour advertisement, which is very poorly designed, trying to depict what the area offers - whales, penguins, wines, sharks, fynbos, golf, beaches etc.

A disturbing report in the Hermanus Times is that there are fewer whales in Walker Bay this year.    So far only 45 whales have been counted.  The norm is to count over 100 whales in October and November.   Local whale experts believe that the whales have been delayed in coming to Hermanus, and are on their way.

Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com