For us in the Southern Hemisphere, we’re now officially in Spring and looking forward to a wonderful summer of blue skies ahead of us.  For those in the Northern Hemisphere, hopefully you’re enjoying mild temperatures as you begin Autumn/Fall where you are.  We experienced a mixed winter of wonderful blue skies and mild weather, together with our usual heavy winter rains, happy in the knowledge that our new roof has been fully tested and kept us dry and warm.  A rather confused Southern Right Whale was seen from our balcony in May, really close in to the shore.  Maybe global warming has affected the migration patterns as we don’t usually see whales this late in the season.

St. Valentine’s Day earlier in the year saw a full house at Blue Waters.  The one single male guest staying with us was intent on pursuing all the extreme activities that Cape Town has to offer in a short 3 day period.  He tried his hand at Cage Diving with Great White Sharks, Bungee Jumping, Abseiling off Table Mountain and Paragliding off Lions’ Head.  By far his most daring stunt was to go to dinner with myself and 4 female friends at Marika’s Mediterranean Restaurant, 2 doors down from Blue Waters.  We asked Andrew to share various pictures from his adventures with us.  Together with additional pictures provided from our various partners, we’ve created a page on our website dedicated to the more adventurous of our guests.  On our website, select ‘Things to Do’, and then ‘Activities’.  Mid way down the page, you will see a link to photos of some of the Extreme Activities available to our guests while in Cape Town.

We have also split out the Guest Reviews (taken directly from our Guest Book) into monthly sections and continue to add current reviews to our website.  Thank you for all your great comments and feedback.  Keep them coming.  For those of you with wonderful memories of Cape Town and the pictures to match, please consider emailing them to us as we’d like to continue showing photos taken by our guests on our website and on the screensaver on the computer in the nook upstairs.  There are some great amateur photographers among our guests.  All posters displayed in the rooms and guest areas are by amateur photographers known to us, and we’ll continue this theme as we update our décor from time to time.  In addition, we’re happy to have poster copies made and mailed for those wanting memories of their visit.  The two pieces of art work prominently displayed downstairs are original works of art painted by local Cape Town artist, Nicky Longden.

The 2007 Argus Cycle Tour passed directly in front of Blue Waters on Sunday 11^th March 2007.  The cyclists made the most of the relatively flat stretch and whizzed by at high speeds. We sat outside cheering and watching.  Some guests staying with us participated in the race, while other guests provided encouragement to the riders. More than 35,000 cyclists from around the world tackle this scenic but grueling route round the Cape Peninsula. Thousands of spectators line the route adding to the festive atmosphere. This race is the first event outside Europe to be included in the International Cycling Union’s Golden Bike series. Cyclists arrive from all corners of the earth to join in. Traditionally staged on the second Sunday of March, the country’s biggest one-day sporting event is fast becoming a big international draw card.

Blue Waters guest Andrew abseiling down Table Mountain		Original art work by Nicky Longden
Argus Cycle Tour 2007 viewed from our driveway		Julius, Phaedra and Patrick at Savanna Lodge

For those who enjoy a good steak, the Cattle Baron Restaurant unfortunately suffered a fire and is currently closed for business.  It is expected to be renovated although no news yet of when it will reopen.  Tuscany Beach Restaurant continues to provide great food and service, with a team led by Dirk the manager.  Blues Restaurant has been refurbished and is an excellent place for that special dinner.  Summerville provides great fare at reasonable prices with seating both inside or out on the terrace.  Paranga remains a trendy eatery, and many world famous celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio have been seen at Ignite nightclub.  After dark, Camps Bay’s bars and restaurants become a strip of blazing neon that buzzes well into the night, particularly on Fridays and Saturdays. The pavement acts as a catwalk for the ‘beautiful people', tables spill out on to the street and balconies are packed to the rails with glamorous revelers.  All this is an easy 10 minute walk from Blue Waters. 

Further afield, we recently ate lunch at ‘Moyo’ restaurant at Spier Wine Estate, where they serve traditional South African fare.  After taking a look at the cats in the Cheetah Outreach area, we sat down to a plentiful buffet.  This included venison, Springbok sausage, Gemsbok steak and a wide variety of vegetables and desserts such as koesksusters, brownies and cake with an Amarula Cream sauce.  You’ll definitely need a reservation over the summer season to enjoy the food, the wine, and the performances of the singers and dancers who entertain you there.

Let us know if you’d like us to make any restaurant bookings for you during your stay, or provide recommendations of sights to see.

On the home improvements front, apart from the new roof, we now have electronic (and waterproof) door tags instead of keys for the front door, making it easier for our guests to access the Guest House.  Gone is the need to make sure you’ve double locked the door, as you only need to pull the door closed.  You hold up the tag to the reader to open the door from the outside or push a button to open it from the inside.  We’ve replaced the entire back wall of the property and put in a new gate for those heading down to the more private Bakoven beach.  The back gate works on the same access tag so you don’t have to ask me for the key when you want to stroll down for a cup of morning coffee or a sunset glass of wine on the rocks overlooking the ocean.  We’re in the process of re-doing the back garden again, as the lawn suffered during the wall removal and rebuilding.  We’re taking this opportunity to landscape the garden around the pool.  The entire outside of the house is to be repainted in ‘white with a hint of blue’ as soon as the Spring weather arrives.

The Knorhoek and Napier red wines upstairs were becoming too warm in summer, so we’ve installed a professional-grade temperature controlled wine fridge.  White wine bottles are available in the main fridge, and reds in the wine fridge.  As usual, all that is needed is to track your consumption details on the honesty bar list.

We’re also replacing the curtaining and hanging curtains that provide blackout in the bedrooms.  Although not a problem during the shorter winter days, some guests would like to sleep in during summer and not be woken by the sunlight streaming in.  We have replaced all the bathroom mirrors, and provided bath sheets instead of the smaller bath towels.  Navy blue facecloths are provided for our female guests to use when removing make up.  If you own an Apple iPod, bring it with you and you will be able to wake to music of your choice from your iPod collection.  All rooms are fitted with iHomes into which you can dock your iPod and use the USB charger port to charge other devices such as phones or PDAs.  The iHomes also contain an alarm feature.

To our regular business guests, please do come and see us when next in Cape Town.  We treasure your company, especially on the quiet winter evenings.  Corporate rates are available for our regular business guests so please enquire at time of reservation if you or your colleagues will be in Cape Town frequently.  

For those planning Southern Hemisphere summer breaks, please let us know if you’d like to include the private game parks or the wine region outside Cape Town in your plans, and we’ll be happy to assist you with arrangements.  A photo safari is a must if you haven’t had the opportunity to experience this yet.  We also work closely with a few local travel agents in South Africa, specializing in exclusive, tailor made holidays for the discerning traveller.  These travel agents are able to assist with local flights and other arrangements as needed for your stay in Africa.  

Savanna Lodge in the Sabi Sands is an experience of a lifetime.  Take a look at the new video links on their website at www.savannalodge.com for a sneak preview of what you could expect when spending time with gracious hosts Paddy and Jane.  I spent a few days at Savanna in July to have a rest and to take a well earned break from a busy year.  We’ve added some of our personal favourite wildlife pictures taken in and around Savanna to our website on the ’Local Links’ page. 

We continue to stock wines from Knorhoek, nestled in the arms of the Simonsberg in the middle of the Stellenbosch wine region, a short hour outside Cape Town.  Knorhoek is both a winery and provides accommodation.  If you’ve always wanted to experience the peace of living in amongst the vines, Carol and Ingrid are wonderful hosts and would be delighted to accommodate you at Knorhoek (www.knorhoek.co.za) for part of your stay.  Having the tasting room a few short paces from your bedroom has distinct advantages.

Leopard at night Savanna Lodge		Phillip our resident food critic at Moyo restaurant
Memories are made of sunsets at BlueWaters		Knorhoek vineyard in Stellenbosch

We look forward to seeing you again.  Please do also let us know if you have friends or family visiting and we’ll be sure to say a special hello to them on your behalf.  For the more adventurous, if you have any surprises of your own that you’d like us to spring on their arrival (champagne and strawberries please…), please send us an email and we’d be happy to oblige and email you the pictures to prove it…

Please remember that you can check availability and make reservation requests directly on the ‘Accommodation’ page of our website: www.bluewaters.co.za.  Please send an email to me at info@bluewaters.co.za if I can help with any questions you may have.

Take care, hope to see you soon!

Phaedra and the Blue Waters Staff