Luxury Travel Advisor - February 2008 - (Page 44) Suite at the Forest Lodge, which comes with a private plunge pool. The suites have separate lounges with fireplaces and large verandas, bedrooms with views of the ocean and spacious bathrooms with double sinks. Here, the luxury is in the details: The oversized bathtub overlooks the forest, mountains and ocean; the heated floors and towel racks make the bath- room cozy and warm and the outside shower provides a wonderful nature experience in hotter months. In addition to daily hikes, flora walks, horseback riding and 4x4 drives through the reserve, lodge staff can arrange scenic helicopter flights and shark-cage-diving tours. While we hesitated at first, we soon found shark-cage-diving to be one of the highlights of our trip. Contact General Manager Peter Kunz (peter@grootbos. co.za; 27-28-384-8018) for VIP bookings. For whale watching, The Marine, Hermanus (www.col lectionmcgrath.com), a Relais & Châteaux property, is tough to beat. Book one of the firstfloor Premier Suites, which face the ocean and afford amazing views of the whales (nothing SUITES AT GROOTBOS place guests in the heart of a Milkwood forest and offer large balconies for taking in the view (above). ACCESS: The long-haul flight to South Africa—it takes 17 hours from New York; travelers typically fly into Johannesburg and meet connecting flights there—is best made on South African Airways (www.flysaa.com). In business class, seats recline into fully flat beds, and the service is top-notch. The South Africa Tourism Board (www.southafrica. net) can be contacted for adventure travel in the country. To visit Camp Jabulani, travelers can take South African Express from Johannesburg to Hoedspruit 44 LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR | February 2008 Airport. The camp arranges private pick-ups from the airport. Additionally, private charter flights can be arranged directly from Johannesburg to Camp Jabulani (contact the camp for arrangements). For Grootbos Nature Reserve and The Marine, travelers fly to Cape Town on South African Airways. Upon landing, both properties can arrange for luxury ground transfer services. Travelers wishing for a helicopter or charter flight can opt to travel with Civair (www.civair.co.za), which provides private VIP transfers (contact your clients’ hotels/ lodges to arrange all transfers). tops looking out the window to find whales breaching just a short distance away). Bookings should be made six months in advance for high season (November through March) and the Whale Festival, which spans the last two weeks of December. Private whale-watching excursions can be booked through Greta Olivier (traveldesk@the marine.co.za; 27-28-313-1000). Tip: After a long whalewatching tour, book the Indocean Treatment at the spa through Serene Valentyn (healthandbeautyspa@herma nus.co.za; 27-28-313-1000). General Manager Jo Massie (jmassie@themarine.co.za; 27-28-313-1000) also can be contacted for VIP bookings. http://www.collectionmcgrath.com http://www.collectionmcgrath.com http://www.flysaa.com http://www.southafrica.net http://www.southafrica.net http://www.civair.co.za
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