Luxury Real Estate

Courtesy of Amy Toerien of Nox Rentals

You should consider visiting Cape Town out of summer season, too.

Here's why:

Not only are prices drastically reduced in Cape Town's winter months, but there is actually a lot more to do than visiting the top of Table Mountain.

Cape Town is very seasonal. We have a love/hate relationship with our summer. It brings in the business, yes! But this can make the city overcrowded. The usual 10 minute drive to anywhere in Cape Town will, in summer, take you close to 40 minutes. (Our recommendation - hire a scooter.)

Summer is fabulous for the energy and vibe the Mother City puts out. There is always a party or an event, and people are in a holiday mood. The city is not just hosting international guests—the rest of South Africa too flocks to Cape Town for their leave, school holidays and university summer breaks. You're not going to find a more lively place to be during December and January than Cape Town.

But in March the weather cools down, the South Easter winds stop blowing, and this is when Cape Town shows its true colors. This year we were still lucky enough to experience hot beach days - some temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius, right into May.

Autumn allows us the most exquisite sunsets. And you don't have to wait in line for a sundowner while you enjoy it. Yes, the vibe is not as young and contagious as summer in Cape Town, but autumn and winter bring about a relaxed, "earthy" atmosphere that gives you the opportunity to appreciate the truly beautiful surroundings Cape Town is located in.

On a beautiful crisp winter's morning in Cape Town you can smell the ocean as the north breeze sweeps over the Atlantic. Or you can head out to the Southern Suburbs, where there are loads of hikes and trails to keep you energetic. You'll need a jacket because the air is "nippy", but after a couple of climbs or kilometers you'll warm up and start to appreciate the fresh air on your skin. And the best thing about a morning walk, run or hike, is afterwards enjoying a hearty Tasha's breakfast or delicious Vida hot chocolate.

One of the best things for a local in winter is that we get to experience our city at half the usual price! Accommodations and restaurants advertise the most affordable deals which makes it silly not to take advantage of them—from R20 ($3) breakfasts, to R50 ($7) dinners at some great restaurants and cafes in and around Cape Town.

Nox Rentals offer a uxury, fully equipped and secure 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment at R3500 ($500) per night in peak season. In winter you'll get this accommodation at R1600 per night ($228) (sleeping 4!).

Yes, the chances of you getting up the mountain are slimmer because of the weather, but Cape Town will always suprise you. Just when you're dressed in your jacket, scarf and boots to go for a walk along the Pipetrack that overlooks the Atlantic Seaboard and Twelve Apostle mountain range, the sun will come out and you'll want to go relax and soak up the winter rays while enjoying a kilogram of prawns for R99 ($14)! (this is not a joke - Click here!)

And I haven't even started on the Winelands... that's another a blog post for another time. This weekend, Capetonians and our lucky visitors will be enjoying the South African wines and live music at Robertson's Wacky Wine Festival!

Persuaded yet?

Courtesy of Nox Rentals

Nox Rentals has recently returned from Africa’s top travel show. Every year the Tourism Indaba is hosted by Durban, “the warmest place to be”. The city did a great job of welcoming guests and delegates, and the event was well run although not as well supported. The local taxi drivers were loving the influx of guests to Durban, but Indaba delegates seemed to think it wasn’t as well supported this year, with fewer exhibitors present (we’re awaiting stats from the organisers).

Some stats right off the bat to put it all in perspective:

• 12,000 attendees
• 100,000 hours of set up
• 27,000 square metres (equivalent of 4 soccer fields)
• 6.5km electrical cable

We were lucky enough to be present at the Cape Town Tourism stand, a brilliantly colorful design that represented the world’s number one voted destination by TripAdvisor for 2011. We shared the stand with other local Cape Town companies as well as the guys promoting Table Mountain as one of the new 7 wonders of nature. At the moment Table Mountain is lagging and with under 200 days to go—we need your vote. SMS “table” to 34874, or vote online here.

Tourism Indaba is always a great way to meet up with all kinds of contacts from the industry, and the usual events allow for some … um, networking. Some of the highlights are definitely the Jewel Africa cocktail party and diamond giveaways, and the annual Indaba Beach Party. Every year Joe Cool’s on the beach front is populated with Indaba visitors, but this year Joe Cool’s has changed ownership and name, which left us all a little disoriented.

Pretty much every exhibitor had some edible draw card on their stand. I don’t think it was how much money you spent on your design, but rather the attractive eats you displayed. Jewel Africa out did themselves with macaroons! (Jewel Africa – diamonds and macaroons, clearly the winners). You can see the other stand winners for this year’s Indaba here.

From chatting to our suppliers and guests, the consensus seems to be that 2011/2012 tourism is looking a lot slower than previous years. The strength of the Rand has made it more difficult for foreign guests to travel to our country on the same budgets they’ve had in the past. Travel and tour operators are relying more on discounts and leeway from suppliers to meet visitor demands. However, January 2011 stats show a 9.3% increase to in visitors to South Africa, compared to 2010.

There is big encouragement to South Africans to travel more of our beautiful country. Something I was reminded of at Indaba is how much we have to offer. Every province has its gem and is worth a visit. Travel doesn’t have to be a luxury – we have the most amazing beauty and experiences on our doorstep.

Click here to read the Daily Indaba news.

By Jim Walberg of Caribbean Islands Realty

Jim Walberg and a small group of Rotarians in Danville, are promoting information, and support regarding this international tragedy.

It started about two years ago when the International Committee for the Danville/Sycamore Valley Rotary Club heard about the needs of a hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - Panzi Hospital. All our committee heard about was the need for equipment and supplies. We are unaware of main patients of the hospital - women who had been raped and mutilated by the Congolese soldiers in the on-going civil war.

As we learned more about the horrible situation in the Congo we got more involved in how we could better support, not only the Panzi Hospital needs, but also Heal Africa

Heal Africa is a small, grass-roots organization is lead local program directors and is training and equipping new leaders for the long-terms needs of Africa, rather than just solving short term issues. They are leading the way in addressing this ignored holocaust.

Two of the members of our Rotary’s International Committee took on the role of getting the word out regarding this issue that is not easily addressed because it is so horrific. Melanie Prole and Leslie Baxter spear headed the showing of documentary “The Greatest Silence - Rape In The Congo” in the Town of Danville last month. It is a very disturbing documentary. Anyone who watches it will be moved beyond belief to take action. It is easy to ignore issues because of ignorance, but it is impossible to ignore them when you become fully aware of them.

The next step that Melanie and Leslie took was organizing a simple Bowl-A-Thon at the Danville Bowl. The idea was to have teams of four sign up with the entrance fee being at least $500. Well, it was held yesterday and over $6,000 was raised. We are still looking for more community partners to participate in donations. 100% of them will be used to support the Panzi Hospital program. We were so delighted that some of our high school kids from Rotary’s Interact Club formed a team and raised money.

We now have a copy of this documentary and are looking for more venues to share it with; churches, schools, community service organizations, and more. If you have places you would like to have preview this documentary please contact me. Also, please review the links that are a part of this article and see if there is room in your budget for some type of financial support. Any will be appreciated. Contact me for details of how you can get involved.