You are welcome…..

I sleep around! On this trip alone we have stayed in 12 hotels and B&Bs - all of them 4* plus. Some modern, some traditional, all unique and most have been great! We have met some lovely people our experience has been warm and welcoming and I always give feedback when I leave. I love to give positive feedback and give it freely but I also like to give suggestions for improvements.  We are currently in a lovely place on the coast with panaromic views of the Indian Ocean. Our room is fairly spacious, beds comfortable, good quality bedding and towels, a modern en suite ….BUT ……the room is spacious but cluttered.

 There are five chairs in this room for two people FIVE! Two dining chairs, two wing backed easy chairs and a dressing table chair.  There are two bedside tables plus a coffee table, plus a small dining table , plus a dressing table plus two wicker side tables …… that is toooo many tables! I think they would benefit from a visit from an interior designer as no one needs this much furniture and the common area is the same - guests are tripping over furniture and ornaments.

Here are some things that just drive me mad about some of  places we have stayed.

1. Coat hangers that are attached to the rail that you have to wrestle with to hang your stuff up! I know people can take them but for Gods sake coat hangers are cheap!

2. Toiletries that are nailed to the bathroom wall - yes I know some people like to nick the soap but I am not one of them so stop treating us all like criminals.

3. Small cups that hold two sips of tea - please provide a mug or a decent size cup!

4. These days everyone is charging something, so fitted USB ports are a necessity not a nice to have.

5. Lighting is a hit and miss affair but I think hospitality should remember that guests are staying in unfamiliar rooms and to make them as bright, light and accessible as possible especially areas with steps and stairs. Reading lights are must!

6. I think it was in the local newspaper that a restaurant critic used to not only rate the food and service but also the loos! Well I totally support that - some loo paper in where we have stayed is almost see through! I want 5 star loo rolls!

7. Guest information should be friendly and welcoming - not written with Do’s and Don'ts like the riot act with penalties for smoking and stains in CAPITAL letters. It’s also good to have emergency numbers listed somewhere prominent for guests.

8. Those folding racks are great for unpacking and they fold up after use so aren’t taking up valuable space and guests do need somewhere to put their cases while unpacking and to store their empty suitcases (especially when there are five chairs and six tables in the room)

9. Cleanliness is non negotiable!

10. If you want your guests to return it’s a good idea to remember that we are here to relax and enjoy a break and not to act as if everything is a huge inconvenience to you. Hello if we are not here then neither are you!

We have stayed in some wonderful places so I’m not moaning at all but I think it’s a good idea that the hotel or b&b owner perhaps spends a night in the rooms that guests are paying for so they can feel the experience they are providing. In the same way that we should spend a night in the guest bedroom at home to make sure it’s comfy for our guests. What do you think?

A Tale of Two Cities

 

We have journeyed on to Port Elizabeth from Cape Town and Knysna and I have had numerous frustrations during the week we have been here.port Elizabeth is where I lived very happily for 35+ years. It doesn’t have THE mountain but it does have amazing beaches, good doctors and most importantly my remaining family here. However as Capetown has boomed in tourism  and business, it has capitalised on the success and is a thriving, growing exciting city with a real throbbing heartbeat. In contract at the other end of the scales Port Elizabeth has declined and is on life support! It has been badly managed by successive ANC governments (CT is governed by the DA) and each year I shake my head at the failure of undelivered promises and corruption that has robbed this once wonderful place of its success!

The frustrations are many and I have labelled these WTF moments for obvious reasons 😉

The roads - oh my word what happened! There are pot holes galore in-between the numerous speed humps and what happened to road markings! The speed humps are often invisible as they are not marked and the tarmac so bleached and the road lines so faded that they are the same colour. This together with street lamps that don’t work make for a hazardous driving experience! WTF!

The standard of driving - aggressive to say the least to the point of lawless! I shook my head in disbelief at the behaviour of motorists and felt so disappointed! You can blame the government for the state of the roads but you can’t blame anyone for the bad behaviour of motorists but the citizens of PE. WTF!

The service in shops was frustrating! When you get to a till and there is no barcode or prices on goods what are you supposed to do? This only happened to me in PE and not only once or twice. I walked out of more than one shop without what I wanted and shopped for because it wasn’t labelled when I got to the till. Clicks being the worst offender! It was I there as well that I was chastised for sampling a perfume spray on my hand - how are you supposed to buy anything if you can’t try it? WTF!  In most restaurants the food was mediocre and the service abysmal so we found ourselves going to the same places - Blue Vibes in Seaview because both the food and service was great,  Merak (new place in Walmer) was excellent and Mug and Bean in Walmer Park because you know what you are going to get.

We are now in Jeffrey’s Bay when the state of the roads is worse year upon year! The  beaches in both PE and JBay are world class, the weather is amazing and the people mostly wonderful humans so why oh why oh why is the Eastern Cape not capitalising on this to make a tourist destination that people will flock to and bring their money to spend and inject into the economy and create jobs. Yes you have cruise ships docking here - we saw a few but those visitors are off the boat and straight up the N2 to Addo because there is zero reason for them to head into PE.  I just shake my head in disbelief. WTF indeed…….

I know that I will heave a sigh of relief when I pass through the Tsitsikamma toll into the Western Cape and back to civilisation. I feel so sad writing this - I was proudly Port Elizabethan but no longer!

NB. Kitchen Window in JBay is one of the best restaurants I have been to. The standard is consistently high, the food fresh and well prepared and the service excellent! Go there…unsurprisingly you need to book!

Local is Lekker

I fell in love with this notebook at Anthonji Rupert Wine Estate - We have been in the Western Cape a week now and is it my imagination that I am surrounded by beautiful things? Is it the sunshine? Is it the magic of a vineyard or the mystery of the mountain? I don’t know but at every turn there are lovely creative objects to enjoy……

Ceramics …… whether you are a fan of wonky ware, proudly rustic pottery made on the Garden Route or Ardmore, the highly decorative uniquely African ceramics- there is a myriad of creative pottery to tempt you. I have both and would fill a container if I bought every piece that I have oohed and aahead over! 

Fabrics galore….. I always buy my tableware linen here. Partly because I know it will be useful but also because the quality is second to none.there is great choice too from delicate botanical prints of local fynbos to the colourful geometrical swirls of Thswe Thswe. I have added to my collection of napkins and bought some fabric too for me to get creative with,

Jewellery …. My Nom Nom charm necklace is much admired everywhere I go. Gold charms are attached with beads that you have personally chosen to mark significant aspects of your life or journey so no two necklaces are the same. I popped into the store in CT and they promptly offered to clean and restring a couple of my charms free of charge while I enjoyed coffee! I’d love more ..hint hint! It’s lucky that my birthday falls when I am here each year and I have so much choice ….this year it’s Mabe pearl earrings - a classic choice - but in the quest to find them I was so so tempted to the lovely pieces on display at the many jewellery stores. 

I have bought dresses! As if I did t have a suitcase or two of things I brought to wear. My favourite brands ‘Iconic’, Desray, Holiday and Earth Addict, all brands with colourful designs on natural fabrics in mouth watering colours - colours that I may be too shy to wear in WSussex but prints that are joyful! Perhaps I should accessorise with colours and prints that I’m a little hesitant to wear or maybe I should just sod it and go big and bold in Bognor!

I can’t take all of the things I see and spark joy in me home, but his little note book will remind me of my time in the vines.

I must remember to surround myself with beautiful objects that trigger my imagination and speak to my soul.

NB. Remember to value creativity in my environment to be honest I haven’t really embraced local textiles and ceramics in the UK.