South Africa Blog

You have seven days left to cast your vote for Table Mountain in the New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign. Currently sitting at number 7 in its category, the majestic icon needs your votes to boost its position before Tuesday July 7, when voting closes.

Table Mountain soared to number five, but now sits at number seven in the New 7 Wonders of Nature global rankings, rocketing 22 places from its previous position of 29 three weeks ago. It is now officially ahead of legendary mountains such as Mount Everest, K2 Mountain and Mount Kilimanjaro but is behind other popular sites including Mount Olympus in Greece and Vesuvius Volcano in Italy.

Photograph from http://www.sa-venues.com/table_mountain.htm

Well-loved and respected South African celebs and sports stars have shown their support for the cause. The Archbishop Desmond Tutu, comedian Marc Lottering, radio DJ Natalie Becker and the Proteas cricketers have all cast their vote for Table Mountain.

To qualify for the next round, Table Mountain needs to be ranked in the top 11 of its category – mountains and volcanoes – which has 36 fellow nominees. Table Mountain is currently ranked seventh out of 37. Other categories include seascapes, lakes, islands, ice formations, waterfalls and forests.

The New7Wonders Foundation in Zurich, Switzerland announced in January 2009 that Table Mountain was one of 261 magnificent natural sites from 222 countries to have made it through to the second round in this global race to name the New 7 Wonders of Nature. The New 7 Wonders of Nature will be determined by votes from the public.

The public can vote online at www.votefortablemountain.com or by calling 0041 77 312 4041 and selecting Table Mountain’s three-digit code which is 332. Calls to the New 7 Wonders Swiss mobile voting number will cost R3.29 a minute in peak times (7am – 7pm) and R2.92 a minute off-peak (7pm – 7am).

Voting to select the top 77 sites (11 per category) runs until July 7 this year. Thereafter a panel of experts will select the 21 finalists (3 per category) – these will be announced on July 21 when the third and final phase of voting will begin. The official New 7 Wonders of Nature will be revealed in 2011.

Contact the Cableway on 021 424 0015 for information.

Hotel Izulu, in Ballito, KwaZulu Natal, has just become a member of the Relais & Chateau chain. This marks the first property in KwaZulu Natal to be awarded the distinction after meeting the “five c’s” that make up The Relais & Chateau Quality Charter – “courtesy, charm, character, calm and cuisine”. General manager, Keith Macvicar, has highlighted the importance of this global benchmark particularly in relation to exceptionally well-trained staff who are able to cater for any guest’s whim in a non-intrusive style to satisfy their expectations.

HOTEL IZULU – Ballito, KwaZulu Natal: Set on a hillside with panoramic views of the lush sub-tropical dunes and shimmering Indian Ocean, Hotel Izulu is situated on the northern KwaZulu-Natal Coast against a backdrop of some of the most breathtaking shoreline in Africa. Hotel Izulu is only two hours drive from two world renowned Heritage Sites, the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park and the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, and a short drive from one of Africa’s most sought after retail and entertainment complexes.

Overlooking the inviting pool and sun drenched courtyard area, eighteen spacious Deluxe and one presidential suite, all with broadband Internet access, add to this intimate elegant residence. With a signature of effortless exclusivity all rooms have been furnished with impeccable finesse, whilst sumptuous light filled bathrooms and private outdoor Jacuzzis constantly beckon for bathing bliss …

Related Pages:
Ballito Hotels
Ballito Accommodation
KwaZulu Natal Hotels
South Africa Hotels

South Africa is the best holiday destination in Africa:

At the 2005 World Travel Awards ceremony in London on 13the November, South Africa’s airline, hotels, airports and more walked off with 16 of the 17 prize categories for the continent of Africa. The Saxon Hotel in Johannesburg, Shamwari Game Reserve and Bushman Sands Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape and Rovos Rail were voted the best in the world in their categories ….

AFRICA AWARDS:
Africa’s Leading Airline : South African Airways
Africa’s Leading Airport : Johannesburg International Airport
Africa’s Leading Car Hire : Avis
Africa’s Leading Casino Resort : The Palace of the Lost City
Africa’s Leading Conference Centre International Convention Centre Durban
Africa’s Leading Conference Hotel : Sun City Resort, Sun City
Africa’s Leading Destination : Cape Town, South Africa
Africa’s Leading Golf Resort : Fancourt Hotel & Country Club, George
Africa’s Leading Hotel : Mount Nelson Hotel, Cape Town
Africa’s Leading Hotel Brand : Protea Hotels
Africa’s Leading Resort : Sun City, South Africa
Africa’s Leading Safari : Shamwari Game Reserve, South Africa
Africa’s Leading Safari Train : Rovos Rail – The Pride of Africa
Africa’s Leading Spa Resort : Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa, Knysna

WORLD AWARDS (won by South Africa)
World’s Leading Boutique Hotel : The Saxon, South Africa
World’s Leading Conservation Company : Shamwari Game Reserve, South Africa
World’s Leading Luxury Train : Rovos Rail Pride of Africa
World’s Leading Responsible Tourism Project : Bushman Sands – South Africa
World’s Leading Safari & Game Reserve : Shamwari Game Reserve, South Africa

At the 18th annual Conde© Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards held in New York last week, Cape Town was voted ‘Best City in Africa and the Middle East’. Nearly 28,000 travellers voted this year making it the the highest response rate from travellers ever. The survey asked readers to rate cities such as Sydney, New York and Rome and to score them on a number of criteria including ambience, friendliness, culture, attractions, restaurants, accommodation and shopping.

The Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Nomaindia Mfeketo, said that the people of Cape Town were the driving force behind this recognition: “Congratulations and thank you to all in the tourism industry for this achievement. This prestigious accolade is a testimony to the city’s welcoming and hospitable character, and a manifestation of how the City works for its people.”

Cape Town Routes Unlimited’s Chief Executive Officer, Nokhuthula Dube, said: “The Conde© Nast Traveller accolades are particularly significant because we are seeing substantial visitor growth to South Africa and Cape Town from the US market. In the first quarter of 2005 alone, more than 28 000 US tourists came to the Western Cape. We are thrilled by this acknowledgment, particularly because Conde Nast readers are presumed to be largely well travelled and drawn to the magazine for their independent assessment of destinations, as summed up by the publication’s motto, ‘truth in travel’”.

Over the past year, Cape Town has received two other very high-profile awards. Cape Town has retained its position as the only non-European city to be named ‘Favourite Foreign City’ by the readers of the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph in the UK, and in July Cape Town was voted Best Africa/Middle East destination for the fifth year running by readers of the US based Travel & Leisure Magazine.

Locally, South Africans overwhelmingly chose Cape Town as their ‘ideal travel destination’ in the annual Markinor/Sunday Times survey.

Travelers once again ranked South Africa among the top tourist destinations in the world. At The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph’s annual Travel Awards, South Africa once again dominated, leading in both the destinations and hospitality categories.

Cape Town took top honours as the best foreign city in the world beating Sydney, Venice, Florence and San Francisco and other major cities for the top spot. South Africa was voted the third best holiday destination in the world beating Italy, Australia and other top destinations. The Cape Grace Hotel, situated at Cape Town’s popular V&A Waterfront, was rated the fifth best hotel in the world.

Over 25,000 readers were polled in this survey, making this the biggest survey on the UK’s travel habits. This is the second instance this year that readers of top travel publications in the world have heaped praises on South Africa as a travel destination. Earlier this year Travel & Leisure Magazine readers voted Cape Town as the best city to travel in the Africa/Middle East Regions and they placed the Hotel at Singita Private Game Reserve as the best hotel in Africa.