Recommend December 2012 - (Page 44)

Restaurant in the garden of the Seidelberg Wine Estate, Cape Wine Route. Of course, we cannot mention Tanzania news without noting that in August 2012, the illustrious Singita opened Singita Serengeti House (singita.com) in Tanzania, an exclusive-use homestead housing up to eight guests. Set on Sasakwa Hill and surrounded by 347,000 acres of game-rich savanna, Singita Serengeti House (which includes a lap pool, a private tennis court and a dedicated house team) was converted from a manager’s former residence using environmentally friendly practices. southern africa continues to grow In other “green news” on the continent, South African Airways (ﬂysaa.com) joined an internationally accredited carbon offset program in October, giving passengers the opportunity to make voluntary contributions in the global effort to offset the effects of climate change. The program allows SAA customers to offset a percentage of ﬂight emissions by purchasing carbon offset credits together with their air tickets in a single transaction on ﬂysaa.com. Credits generated through the program will fund projects which will assist communities to limit their impact on the environment, slowing the pace of climate change. And South African Airways (SAA) has expanded its route network considerably in the last year. Adding or expanding codeshares with Qantas, TAP Portugal and Air China, SAA began operations from Johannesburg to Kigali, Rwanda and onwards to Bujumbura, Burundi last January while expansion in Benin, Ivory Coast and The Republic of Congo have also been added. This year also brought increased frequency of Airlink (ﬂyairlink.com) ﬂights between Johannesburg and Pemba in Northern Mozambique, with the addition of Monday and Friday ﬂights to its weekly schedule starting in late-August. Airlink also started running daily scheduled ﬂights from Johannesburg, South Africa, to Maun, Botswana in June of this year. A bit farther south in South Africa, tremendous infrastructure improvements (which have been ongoing since the World Cup) have added to the ﬂow of holiday-makers wishing to visit the country. According to CNN, Cape Town was the ninth most loved city in the world in 2012. New trains and buses are part of the story for the city this year. This fall, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa announced that about 700 new trains (equipped with onboard messenger systems and accessible toilets) will be running on South Africa’s tracks within the next two years. What’s more, Cape Town has expanded the MyCiTi (Bus Rapid Transport System); tourists can beneﬁt from the fact that the Sea Point station links the Cape Town Business District to the Waterfront as well as the glorious beaches of Clifton, Hout Bay and Camps Bay. Property-wise in South Africa, Pezula Resort & Spa (pezularesorthotel.com) joined the Conrad Hotels & Resorts’ portfolio in November. The hotel has 78 suites housed in detached villas, and ﬁve larger family villas. Other luxury amenities at the property include an award-winning spa and health club, an extensive wine cellar and the hotel’s award-winning restaurant, Zachary’s. recommend.com SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM tourists visiting the country. Qatar Airways (qatarairways.com/ us), which already ﬂies to Dar es Salaam from the U.S., has recently added Kilimanjaro Airport to its schedule, which will increase direct access to the famous destinations of Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. In addition, Four Seasons (fourseasons.com) just added its name to the list of American companies that began operating in Tanzania this year. (It doesn’t hurt that Tanzania offers some of the best game viewing on the continent.) And, Tanzania is the home of the famed Great Migration in the Serengeti, a safari highlight for most visitors to East Africa. In fact, in our November 2012 issue we highlighted Tanzania as a must-visit for your clients for 2013 (African Retreats in Tanzania) and Moira Smith, general manager of Africa and the Middle East for Goway Travel, said in that article, “No other destination in the world offers such incredible diversity of game viewing opportunities.” The development of infrastructure in the Southern and Western circuits of Tanzania have also spurred growth to the country. Newly paved air strips, such as at the Mpanda Airport, and the newly constructed Songwe International Airport in Mbeya, now provide increased access to hidden gems such as Katavi National Park and Kitulo National Park, known as the “Serengeti of ﬂowers.” Niche itineraries such as The Africa Adventure Company’s 8-Day Culinary Safari to Tanzania (africa-adventure.com) have also been created, showcasing the best of Tanzania’s organic gardens and coffee plantations while allowing visitors to indulge in a thrilling wildlife safari. 44 december 2012 http://www.singita.com http://www.flysaa.com http://www.flysaa.com http://www.qatarairways.com/us http://www.flyairlink.com http://www.fourseasons.com http://www.pezularesorthotel.com http://www.africa-adventure.com http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend December 2012

Editor's Notes
Hotel Desk: Indie Boutique Hotels & Resorts
Tour Talk: Apple Vacations
16th Annual Recommend Readers' Choice Awards Winners
Cruising 2012
North American Splendor
Tantalizing Tallahassee
New Beginnings
Hard Rock Hotel Cancun
For Asia and the South Pacific, 2012 was a Vintage Year
Europe Always Astounds
Six 2012 Trends That are Here to Stay
Africa Rising
Checking-in to Latin America

Recommend December 2012