Who They Are

Possibly the most astonishing thing about Ellerman House – and there is plenty to ogle here – is that so few people know about it.  Now almost 20 years old, it has succeeded by being as under-the radar as it has been reverentially consistent in luxury. The people who need to know about it do.

Room No. 7

This former residence (or, to be exact, mansion) high above exclusive Bantry Bay, is a study in refinement and peacefulness. Even though the gracious building is in the heart of Cape Town, its 9 rooms, two suites, and 5-bedroom villa, each with unsurpassed views across the Atlantic, offer the perfect amount of isolation.

Room No. 10

Below the spacious yet cozy reception rooms and large porches spreads a manicured garden and pool. The rooms throughout the property are decorated with magnificent works by South African masters, including Irma Stern and Pierneef.

At the Villa

The rooms have recently been buffed up – new fabrics, bedding, and wallpapers – although subtly enough that repeat clients (of which there are many, despite the prices) probably won’t notice. While the main residence has a more traditional ambiance, the more modern villa’s rooms – with names like Aqua and Lilac – are lushly simple. The kitchen has a glass wall that opens electronically for you to ask the chefs any questions, and across from it is a ‘pantry’ full of goodies for guests to raid at all hours and which has become infamously addictive.

What They Are Doing

Ellerman House owner Paul Harris, a well-known Johannesburg financier, was the main mover behind the creation of Penreach, which works with schools in rural communities in the north of the country. Established in 1994, Penreach now touches the lives of more than 2,000 teachers a year, working in over 900 schools, and directly benefiting more than 350,000 learners . At least ninety percent of the teachers are women.

A Painting by Irma Stern at Ellerman

Penreach has also gone beyond schools, to help fund beneficial projects such as the provision of psycho-social support to teachers, orphans and vulnerable children; the improvement of state-run feeding schemes; the establishment of vegetable gardens; the development of sport and sports facilities; environmental education, with a view to turning schools into profit centers through waste management; the provision of IT training; youth leadership development camps; and administration training. So successful has it been that Penreach is aiming to reach other parts of the country in the future.

The Contemporary Gallery

Harris, who is also a patron of the arts, has one of the finest ‘galleries’ in the country decorating the walls and rooms of Ellerman House – you can find not only every South African master here but possibly also their finest work. In 2009 he opened a magnificent specially built gallery on the property to foster contemporary artists (see News). The gallery now has enough artworks to rotate the exhibition four times annually, and the exhibition there of artists has led clients to buy their works.

Singita Lebombo

Is it possible for a travel destination to be luxurious, hot (as in magazine-worthy), and sustainable? If anyone proves it, Singita does.

This African-based company has properties that go a long way to show that their hearts and minds are in the right place – they care about where they are and what they are doing. Travel is their business, but a business that has to last and in a country that has to last. Singita Grumeti, in Tanzania, has virtually turned what used to be a virtual wasteland (after years of illegal hunting and poaching) into an Eden. Bordering on the Serengeti, the 350,000 acres now have as good as you’ll get animal-wise (and probably even better than) in the iconic park next-door.

Sabora Tented Camp, Grumeti

Working with the community surrounding Grumeti is as much a part of the day-to-day as it is in Pamushana,  in Zimbabwe. For years now the property, which lies adjacent to the stunning and barely visited Gonarezhou park, has served thousands of meals daily to local children. Singita’s community work dates back to 1998 already. Whether it is buying products locally, supporting a cooking academy for staff (watch the video), or contributing to local schools, the company is doing it.

At the ever-popular Lebombo and Sweni lodges in Kruger Park, South Africa, Singita has tried to emphasize low-impact design, creating stunning rooms made of glass, steel, and reeds, perched singly on a ridge. An ongoing program of monitoring the wildlife and land around Singita’s first lodges, Ebony and Boulders lodges, in Sabi Sand, South Africa, endeavors to keep the much-used park seemingly untouched.

Children at Pamushana

At each of these properties, the work with low-impact design, the community, and the wildlife goes on daily and never ends. And that Singita doesn’t forget.

Le Quartier Courtyard

Who They Are

Le Quartier Français is an exclusive boutique hotel situated in the stunning yet quaint town of Franschhoek, just 50 minutes from Cape Town, in a spectacular valley that is a must for any food or wine lover. Always on hand and keeping an eye on keeping the hotel’s sterling name is the larger-than-life owner, Susan Huxter.

A Feast of Colors

A Grande Room

Tucked away in secluded gardens, you wouldn’t think that LQF’s gorgeously decorated rooms and suites, with their mountain views, are still so central. It is so quiet that you could be in the countryside, yet you are close enough to stroll to the myriad shops and eateries springing up in this increasingly popular hideout. Huxter has also created a fantastic shop selling local things that will leave you with your arms loaded, as well as a private 30-seater moviehouse.

The Four Quarters by Night

Lesotho Highlands Trout, Squid Ink, and Avocado

Known for its gastronomic experience – at restaurants ICI and the Tasting Room – LQF starts your day with a breakfast that is incomparable … and from there on it only gets better. Whether it is bistro lunches or homemade truffles or sensational sold-out dinners, they all come from the kitchen of award-winning chef Margot Janse and her team. Make sure to ask LQF about their range of cooking and eating adventures.

What They Are Doing

Three years ago 68-year-old Mrs. Ndaba (LQF prefers to not give out her first name) began a nursery school in her little pink shack in the informal local settlement Langrug, and she soon had 67 toddlers – aged two to six – to support and teach, but with no funding. Hearing about this in 2009, LQF, with the aid of a dietitian, began a program to make muffins crammed full of all the daily nutritional requirements growing children need. These are delivered every Friday, and any interested guests and visitors can not only join in the delivery but help bake the muffins. (Watch a video of Mrs. Ndaba’s Fridays, below, with a funky soundtrack.)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B8UrS3g8g0

But that’s only where the story starts. On the very first day of the Friday program, one guest was so inspired that he offered to fund meals at the school for every Monday for a year. He became known as Mister Monday. Before long, every day of the week had been sponsored, even by people who had not stayed at LQF.

The Cottage Entrance

A significant portion of the produce used in the restaurants is sourced locally and come from very small producers who knock on the back door with their produce of the day, and LQF’s restaurants support Streetsmart, which adds money on to each diner’s bill to finance programs that help street children. The hotel also contributes to the Kusasa Project, which is aimed at improving the lives of underprivileged children. LQF also supplies food to the local soup kitchen, and it donates its old linens to the local hospice.

iCi, the Restaurant

LQF has a three-year in-house training program focused on local kids who have completed high school. Of the 15 who have completed the course, a number have worked at Wheatleigh and Blantyre, both luxury hotels in Lenox, Massachusetts, as well as at Singita.

ICI at Le Quartier Francais

Across the globe, eating a fabulous meal can make a difference. From the Bonham in Edinburgh to Le Quartier Francais in the South African winelands, from The Drake in Brighton and One Aldwych in London to the Steenberg and the Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town. Hundreds of restaurants, some linked to hotels but most of them not, are supporting organizations that contribute a small portion of the revenue from every meal to a charity.

In all the countries except South Africa, where Streetsmart runs throughout the year, the program is limited to the season before Christmas and is aimed at gathering funds for charities in the cities where the money has been collected or specifically earmarked charities. In the UK’s  Streetsmart program, diners have a note on their menus saying that a pound is being added to their bill, although it can be removed upon request. In South Africa,  the money is spent specifically on street children. In America, Streetsmart exists in San Francisco, where, at restaurants like Medjool and Slanted Door, diners are asked to donate $3 in an envelope provided with their check. There is also a Streetsmart in Australia, where 250 restaurants are now members of the program.

Says Gordon Ramsay, whose Maze restaurants are members in the UK , “Streetsmart has become part of Christmas for us. It’s everyone’s chance to do the right thing at the right time with only the slightest nudge.”

Since 1998 Britons have given 4.2 million pounds which has been sent to ‘reputable charities’ in the respective cities where Streetsmart restaurants are found. In Australia, $1.18 million has been made and distributed to dozens of projects since 2003.

The Gallery Different

Long known for its collection of art, much of it by local masters, the exemplary small hotel Ellerman House in Cape Town has recently opened a gallery to showcase young and upcoming South African artists.

“Our guests (the majority of whom are international) go down to the gallery and take in the art, see something that they like, and take the name home with them and spread the word,” the gallery says.

The Taylor Sculpture Above Bantry Bay

And spread the word they will, if the striking giant sculpture of a man’s head by Angus Taylor at the entrance is anything to go by.

The art pieces that have been carefully selected and collected for Ellerman Contemporary come from various art galleries throughout the country and cover various styles and disciplines, which gives any person visiting the gallery a fairly good understanding of the contemporary art scene in South Africa. The gallery, which was put together over a year, was in a location impossible to get heavy machinery to. All excavations had to be done by hand. Not only did this allow them to construct an entire gallery while guests were sipping cocktails only a few yards away, completely unawares, but it also gave them a green gallery.

Some of the artists that are featured include William Kentridge, Angus Taylor, Collin Richards, Anthony Scullion, John Walters, Kevin Brand and Phillimon Hlungwane.

As part of its Instead of Christmas Cards and Gifts Program, the award-winning Le Quartier Francais hotel in Franschhoek, South Africa, paid for the children at a nearby nursery school – run by a woman who does it for little or no charge – to have their first Christmas party and a visit from one of LQF’s chefs dressed as Santa. The kids got healthy food, clothes, and a toy to take home. The children already are supplied with food for several days a week, and LQF is working on doing it for all five days for the entire year. Good idea!

In the Lodge

Who They Are

The Zulu War of 1879 is famous throughout the English-speaking world for the great battles of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift. The spectacular Fugitives’ Drift, a Natural Heritage Site, overlooks both Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift, and includes the site where Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill lost their lives attempting to save the Queen’s Color of their regiment.

The reserve offers a choice of accommodations in either the Lodge or the Guest House, both owned by Nicky Rattray and born out of her and her former husband’s extensive experience in hospitality.  Evident in every corner of Fugitives’ Drift is their love of South Africa, its people, and its unique history.  Both properties have swimming pools set in their colorful, well-established gardens, home to numerous bird species. There are also two farmhouses, Umzinyathi and Kwageorge, offering more rustic accommodations.

A Lodge Bedroom

Battlefield at Isandlwana

Browsing Fugitives' History

What They Are Doing

David Rattray, who died tragically in January 2007, devoted much of his life to the study of the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, the reconciliation of the people of South Africa, and the promotion of the Zulu people around the world.

After his death, the generosity of friends and admirers helped raise significant funds that were then used to launch The David Rattray Foundation in his memory and to carry on with his good work. The foundation’s main purpose is to further the cause of reconciliation in South Africa by promoting discussion through historical and political lectures, and thereby raising funds, and by supporting local upliftment projects, especifically in the areas of education and health in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

The Mangeni Falls

After on-site visits by board members and consultation with community leaders, the foundation put electricity in one school, built a library at a second, and it is busy adding three classrooms to a third. The foundation plans to extend its work, which is done by volunteers, across northern KwaZulu Natal.

In Their Own Words

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZWosfZtxyA

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Tswalu Residents

Who They Are

Tswalu Kalahari, owned by the Oppenheimer family of Anglo American fame, is South Africa’s largest private game reserve. Located in the Northern Cape at the foot of the Korannaberg mountains, it covers over 100,000 hectares of Kalahari wilderness. There are only two lodges on the reserve – the Motse and Tarkuni.

Private Deck, The Motse

Each provides the ultimate in barefoot luxury. The Motse -  Tswana for ‘village’ – consists of 8 individual stone-walled, thatched legae (small houses or suites), while Tarkuni is a private villa set amid rolling hills, offering the ultimate in luxury and personalized service for families and small groups of up to ten guests.

What They Are Doing

Tswalu is driven by two ambitions: to create 1) an inspirational experience for its guests and 2) a conservation vision to restore the Kalahari. This vast area is a haven for many endangered and rare species. Conservation, socioeconomic development, tourism, and responsible environmental management are the four legs upon which Tswalu has been developed. To fund this vision, the Tswalu Foundation was started in 2008.

Conservation

Home to some 70 species of mammals and over 230 species of birds, Tswalu has embarked on a program to breed certain rare species for distribution to other game ranches and reserves and to establish viable wild populations as a contribution to ensuring their survival.

Kalahari Dinner

Eight adult desert black rhino were translocated from Etosha National Park in Namibia to Tswalu in 1995. They adapted to their new home and were monitored regularly by the Tswalu team. Tswalu today has approximately one third of the country’s population. There is an agreement with South African National Parks to exchange animals in order to ensure adequate gene flow through this fragmented population. Tswalu recently purchased four more rhino from Namibia, to supplement the genetic diversity of the population. Other animal breeding programs on the property include the sable and endangered roan antelopes.

At any given time there are some two dozen research projects being carried out at Tswalu, be it in the study of cheetah, raptors, mountain zebra, insects, or plantlife.

A Meal in the Boma

Community

Of the resident local community of about 400, at least one member of every family works for Tswalu.

A clinic on the property provides free primary health care for residents of Tswalu and neighboring farms. It also runs an extensive HIV/AIDS awareness program, as well as the WARMTH program (WAR against Malnutrition, Tuberculosis and Hunger).  A free preschool for children has been established in conjunction with a literacy program, aiming to address the high illiteracy levels in the area. As literacy rates increase, staff also benefit from new opportunities.

In 2008, Tswalu embarked on the development of a new centralized staff housing complex allowing staff easier access to the clinic, creche, and sports facilities.  The houses were designed on environmentally friendly principles, with particular attention paid to insulation, the planting of indigenous trees, reduction in energy consumption through solar power and water preservation. The second phase of 40 houses is due for completion in November 2009.

Other

Tswalu's Bottled Water

Since May this year Tswalu has been bottling its own mineral water on site, rather than driving its supply 1500 kilometers from Johannesburg. The Classic Crystal water system is a seven-stage filtration process that ensures the lightest, freshest-tasting water without stripping it of the necessary calcium and magnesium minerals. As a result, Tswalu always has ice-cold still and sparkling water on tap and has reduced its carbon emissions. The classy Tswalu glass bottles cut down on recycling and garner a lot of positive attention.

Solar power is already used extensively throughout Tswalu, whether it is for electric fencing, pumps, geysers, or lighting. In June Tswalu started using lightweight, portable solar stoves for cooking meals and even breads and desserts. The plan is to use them as much as possible for meals in the bush, boma dinners, and sleep-outs. Tswalu also hopes to soon have its staff using solar cookers throughout the reserve.

Singita Lebombo

Who They Are

Singita Kruger National Park is situated in an exclusive game-rich 33,000-acre concession in the world-renowned Kruger National Park. Boasting the highest concentration of wildlife in the entire park, including the Big Five, the area is also known for its majestic Mountain Pride of lions and unique Euphorbia trees.

Offering contemporary African chic, Lebombo Lodge, constructed almost entirely of wood and glass with light modernist interiors to create a sense of space and oneness with the African bush, has 15 suites with 180-degree views that stretch for miles over the plains towards the Lebombo Range.

Suite at Sweni

The more intimate Sweni Lodge, nestling in the shade of a forest on the Sweni River, boasts six exclusive suites on the water’s edge. Expressing a distinctly avant garde African style, the lush surroundings blend beautifully with Sweni’s charm. With a style that is distinctly African, Sweni unites earthenware pots and ethnic artworks with contemporary pieces, against a dark palette lifted with flashes of lime, avocado and kiwi.boasts six exclusive suites on the water’s edge.

What They Are Doing

Day Bed at Lebombo

Conservation

The Singita concession is located in the Kruger National Park, and its rocky outcrops provide a unique habitat for a remarkable number of animal species. The lodge was built around the promise to ‘Touch the Earth Lightly’. This ethos is manifested by the way the lodges were constructed, are operated and manned and how the guests are able to experience the wildlife and the natural habitat. The company’s impact on the land is regularly monitored internally and externally by the Kruger National Park and it strives for continuous improvement in this field. Singita Kruger National Park’s concession area is managed by the Park itself and Singita’s role is therefore to operate within its strict wildlife and environmental requirements and to play an important role in preserving this precious asset.

Community

Singita Kruger National Park has adopted an approach that is dedicated to stimulating the local economy on the outskirts of the park. Its key strategy is to support and facilitate the establishment of small businesses on the outskirts of the Reserve. In addition to the small business development support, Singita has established the Singita School of Cooking. Its aim is to encourage the development of culinary skills amongst local youth. Having completed their training, some are employed as Comis Chefs in a Singita kitchen whilst the balance are assisted in getting entry-level positions within other Kruger National Park lodges.

The Cooking School

The two lodges are also involved in supporting schools in the local communities in various ways; providing practical and educational support to preschools and assisting communities with access to fresh water. Support for the preschools ranges from assisting with maintenance challenges; to the planting of indigenous trees in the school grounds; to the much larger challenge of assisting with the improvement of the quality of education provided.

Singita Sabi Sand is situated in the private Sabi Sand game reserve. Guests can choose between three unfenced lodges. Ebony and Boulders, overlooking the Sand River, offer lavish comforts that have earned Singita the highest international accolades. Each lodge accommodates just 24 guests in twelve air-conditioned suites. Guests can enjoy the complete exclusivity of a private pool and game-viewing deck.

Boulders Lodge

Ebony Lodge is known for its old-world charm and quiet opulence in a romantic setting under ebony trees. The décor speaks of the art, culture, and tradition of Africa, with vibrant splashes of tribal color. Boulders Lodge is inspired by the geometry of the cliffs on which it rests. Innovative design and natural hues accentuate a luxurious sense of space that flows in through glass walls over outstretched private pool decks. Castleton Camp is an inviting hideaway overlooking a well-frequented waterhole. It comprises a stone-walled ‘farmhouse’ as well as six charming rooms, and offers a welcoming ambience of understated luxury.

Ebony Lodge on the Sand River

What Are They Doing

Conservation

The Sabi Sand is a privately owned game reserve, adjacent and integral to the Kruger National Park. Singita Sabi Sand forms a core part of this reserve. Together with other private owners within this reserve, the owners have acted as responsible custodians of this precious part of South Africa’s natural heritage.

The Singita environmental team’s main goal is to bring back the land to the state in which it was found some 85 years ago. The earliest aerial photographs, taken in 1935, were used as a guide in this process. The team’s prime responsibilities are anti-poaching; environmental care, including maintaining the integrity of the reserve’s plant life and wildlife; fire management; the prevention of erosion, water management; the building of roads; and ensuring minimal impact caused by the presence of the three lodges.

There are only three Singita lodges within the 44,000 acres traversed by Singita Sabi Sand, making for few beds (68 maximum) in a large area and a minimum of pressure on the land and wildlife.

Community

In 1998, Singita Sabi Sand launched its community development initiative, with the aim of implementing sustainable programs that would deliver tangible benefits to the local community. Funds contributed by Singita, its guests who are inspired to invest in development programs, as well as funds generated by the Community Tours, are put in the Singita Community Development Trust Fund and used to support multiple and various development programs. Examples include the upgrade of facilities and improvement of educational materials of 12 local preschools. Other projects include a joint initiative to raise funds for the Tshemba Hosi Disabled Children Centre. Another program is the sponsorship of local students wishing to attend the Singita Field Guide and Tracker Academy. The academy is focused on identifying and developing the potential within young and passionate environmentalists.

Boulders Lodge

In Their Own Words

“With a vision of securing and preserving an increasing number of pristine locations, Singita has a firm commitment to maintaining and sustainability of each property by continuing to build upon our three pillars of wildlife conservation, eco-friendly tourism and community support. Singita is the Shangaan word for a place of miracles, and it is intended that this applies to all who are in contact with it — whether guest, staff, local communities or the wildlife and natural habitat of the Singita reserves and their lodges.”