How luxury lodges are evolving
DEFINING luxury is
perhaps an impossible
task. When bouncing
this off stakeholders, each
responded with the expected
platitudes – attention to detail,
exceeding expectations,
amazing service and
exclusivity.
But a common point they
all made was that luxury is
subjective. Henk Graaff, md
of SW Africa Destination
Management, says as luxury
means different things
to different people, it is
incumbent on product owners
and service providers to
ascertain what the word
means to individual clients
before recommendations are
made and programmes are
designed.
For some clients, he says,
luxury is material. “It would
be enough to stay in a lodge
where luxury simply means
five- or six-star accommodation
with spacious and luxurious
bedrooms with every
conceivable mod con, the best
chefs and butler service.”
But for Nic Griffin, ce of
Thornybush Luxury Game
Lodge Collection, the bush
experience itself is where
true luxury is found. “The
game drive in an open cruiser
with abundant wildlife to be
viewed so close is a humbling
experience on its own. Given
this as a backdrop, our
group lodges are focused on
warm hospitality, friendly and
detailed service and good
food. This enhances the bush
experience and provides
guests with a memorable,
holistic experience.”
Experiential safaris
Indeed for many travellers,
luxury is about experiences,
rather than ‘things’. “Simply
put, this luxury is all to
do with the experience of
natural beauty, knowledge,
and humanity at its most
meaningful and inspiring
best,” says Henk.
Travellers in this category
aspire to out-of-the-ordinary
encounters that few have
had the opportunity to
access. “They would argue,
for example, ‘Why stay in
the same luxurious bedroom
at your five-star game lodge
every night if it would be
possible to sleep in a treehouse
under the stars on one
of the nights?”
In agreement with this is
Chris Anagnostellis, coo
of An African Anthology.
“Typically, we strive for a
five-star offering from an
accommodation point of view,
of which there are numerous,
however there are also luxury
experiences from activity and
hosting points of view that
can be leveraged from this
definition.”
He too offers a bush sleepout
as an example of an
extraordinary experience – at
Kapama, one of the lodges in
the African Anthology stable,
luxury nights under the stars
are offered on an elevated
platform with en-suite
facilities.
Extra touches
Examples of luxury service
offered by Suzanne Benadie,
sales and marketing
director of Your Africa,
further illustrate the point of
uniqueness, such as guests
coming back from
a safari drive to find a bath
has been run for them, or
being surprised by a candle-lit
bush dinner.
New and upgraded lodges
• Wilderness Safaris’ Bisate
Lodge in Rwanda opens this
month. Bisate’s six thatched
forest villas all have a
bedroom, reception space and
bathroom, fireplace and views
of Mount Bisoke. Activities
include gorilla trekking, the
golden monkey trek and
guided hikes in Volcanoes
National Park. The company is
also upgrading Serra Cafema
Camp in north-west Namibia
during the first half of 2018.
The camp will be closed from
January 15 to June 15 with
a proposed opening date
of June 16, 2018. The new
camp will be completely solar
powered and will comprise
eight riverside villas on
elevated decks.
Natural Selection opened
Sable Alley in the Khwai
Private Game Reserve,
Botswana, in May. The camp
borders both the Moremi
Game Reserve and Chobe
National Park in the north
of the country. It comprises
12 tents, two of which are
interconnected family tents.
The 63sqm tents are raised
on decks and have mesh
windows. The bathrooms have
flush toilets, double vanities
and a choice of an outdoor
and indoor shower. Activities
include day and night game
drives and mokoro trips.
Natural Selection has also
refurbished Hyena Pan in the
Khwai Private Game Reserve.
The camp’s eight tents have
been replaced with new, larger
tents and soft furnishings
have also been refreshed.
Lalibela Game Reserve in
Grahamstown, Eastern Cape,
is in the process of renovating
one of the farmhouses into a
luxury villa – Hillside Private
Villa. It will comprise five
en-suite bedrooms and is
suitable for families or small
groups of up to 10. It also
includes a bar, lounge and
dining room. Outside is a
swimming pool and sundeck,
fire pit and braai area. The
villa is scheduled to open
September 1.
African Bush Camp’s
Somalisa Expeditions has
opened in Hwange National
Park, Zimbabwe. The camp
has been fitted with six
Serengeti-style tents and the
central area includes a lounge,
dining area and a small pool.
Asilia Africa is set to open
Roho ya Selous in the Selous
Game Reserve, Tanzania,
in August, comprising eight
tents, including one family
tent and a swimming pool.
The stretch canvas tents
have twin or double beds,
private verandas and en-suite
bathrooms. Asilia Africa
will also open Jabali Ridge
in Ruaha National Park in
Tanzania.
Gorongosa Collection in
Mozambique will open Muzimu
Tented Camp at the end of
the year. It will be the first of
several tented camps in the
park and will operate from
April to the end of December
each year, weather permitting.
Seven great bush specials
1. Kulula Holidays has
launched a two-night
special for the threestar
Tshukudu Game
Lodge near Hoedspruit,
Limpopo. Rates start
from R1 710, including
accommodation in a
standard self-catering
room. It excludes
activities and meals.
Valid until September 30
for SADC residents only.
2. Thompsons Holidays is
offering a three-night,
five-star Zimbabwe
special with rates
from R19 082pps.
Included in the rate
is accommodation at
The Elephant Camp,
return flights between
Johannesburg and
Livingstone, airline
levies, all meals, local
brand drinks and house
wines, sundowners at
the Batoka Gorge, guided
tour of the Victoria Falls,
laundry, emergency
evacuation cover, birding
and nature walks.
Added values include
complimentary minibars,
two transfers to Victoria
Falls town per day, village
tour, visit to the Victoria
Falls Wildlife Trust and
lunch at the Lookout
Café. Valid until October
31.
3. Hylton Ross Tours is
offering a two-night
‘Journey through
Kruger’ with a choice
of either tents with
shared facilities from
R6 770pps or rondawels
with private facilities
from R7 740pps. The
rate includes game
drives in open-safari
vehicles and 20%
commission. Additional
nights are available
on request, subject to
availability. Valid until
October 31.
4. Flame of Africa’s
‘Call of the Wild’
three-night special to
Zimbabwe starts from
R31 380pps. Rate
includes return
charter flights from
Johannesburg to Buffalo
Range (Mondays
and Thursdays), road
transfers, three-nights’
accommodation at Chilo
Gorge in a luxury room
on a fully-inclusive basis,
activities, park fees
and departure tax. It
excludes travel insurance
and visa costs. Valid for
SADC residents only until
September 28. Block out
period of June 22 – July
6 applies.
5. Just Holidays is
offering a five-night
Namibia special,
with accommodation
at Emanya Lodge at
Etosha starting from
R8 135pps. Rate
includes breakfast and
dinner daily as well as
morning and evening
game drives. Valid until
October 31.
6. Rove Africa’s ‘Migration
Madness’ special for
Tanzania starts from
R41 340pps (based
on four pax) for a sixnight
stay. It includes
return flights from
Johannesburg, private
4x4 safari vehicle
transfers, four-star
accommodation, specific
meals, game drives,
park fees. Valid until
August 31.
7. Falcon Africa Safaris
is offering a threenight
gorilla safari in
Rwanda from R41 900.
Rate includes midrange
accommodation,
return flights between
Johannesburg and
Kigali with taxes,
transfers in a private
4x4 vehicle with an
English-speaking driver/
guide, all meals and
gorilla permit. It excludes
drinks, vaccinations and
insurance. Valid until
October 30.
A new look for Thornybush Lodge
THORNYBUSH Game
Lodge, near the Kruger
National Park, is currently
refurbishing its suites.
Other upgrades at
the lodge include the
installation of a new
deck, with all work due
for completion later this
year.
In other news, so far
9km of fencing has been
taken down between
Thornybush/Timbavati
and the Greater Kruger.
Nic Griffin of Thornybush
says the result is already
overwhelmingly positive in
terms of the abundance
and freedom of movement
of the parks’ wildlife.
“The fence removal
should be complete by
mid-July,” he adds.
To the point!
Thornybush partners with Rovos
Rail every June to provide South
Africans with the opportunity
to combine a luxury train and
safari experience. Nic Griffin of
Thornybush says this is an example
of one of the structured and
focused opportunities it creates
for hard-pressed South Africans
to stay at its lodges. “Over 200
South Africans visit the reserve on
the train, which for the fourth year
was a sell-out,” says Nic, who adds
that despite the difficulties in the
SA economy, Thornybush has seen
its number of South African guests
grow from 6% in 2008 to over
17% currently.
