What a year!!

Ahoy there sailors!

The Year 2014 has come and gone in the wink of an eye, and what an exciting year it's been for Hermanus and The Windsor Hotel & Self Catering Apartments!

Happy Festive Season and a Prosperous New Year from The Windsor Team!

This is what happened in Hermanus:

• The launch of The Cape Whale Coast Hope Spot at the Old Harbour in Hermanus: http://www.sst.org.za/hope-spots/cape-whale-coast-hope-spot 
• Hermanus experienced an excellent Whale Season with lots of active Whales coming very close to The Windsor Bay entertaining our guests from all over the world!  

Launch of The Cape Whale Coast Hope spot with Mayoress Nicolette Botha-Guthrie and Dr Sylvia Earle  

Southern Right Whale up close in The Windsor Bay Hermanus

This is what we did at The Windsor:

• We now have a Self Catering option available - 8 Sea Facing Self Catering Apartments next door to The Windsor Hotel at 45 Marine Drive
• All our rooms and apartments now have DSTV (13 Channels)
• We have started the process of a soft refurbishment on the ground floor by replacing the blankets with white duvets 
• We have changed most of the lights in the Hotel with LED's and are in the process of changing the bathroom lights to LED's. 
• Kids Program: This year we have added more activities and goodies to our kids program E.G. Zero Gravity has given each one of our kids an hour complimentary voucher, we have a baby sitter doing activities with the younger children and each one received a bucket on arrival with tools to play in the sand on the beach and much more! 
• The Courtyard Lounge has been restored which has been excellent for winter with a roaring fire place. 

The Windsor Hotel Courtyard Lounge

• We have worked on the grass across the road as well as our garden. 
• Fourth consecutive year with no rate increase. 

The Windsor Hotel & Self Catering Apartments 

Coming up in 2015:

• The DHL WP and DHL Stormers Teams are returning to The Windsor Hotel for the fourth consecutive year for their team building.
• We have worked very hard on finding a solution to upgrade our WiFi to offer guests the best connection in Hermanus, we have found one that will be launched in 2015. 
• A newly developed website will be launched in 2015.
• The Windsor Hotel will be hosting lots of activities during Hermanus FynArts including Ceramics for the third consecutive year. 
• Soft refurbishment will continue in 2015, we will do one floor at a time. 

The Windsor Team wishes you a prosperous new year and look forward to welcoming you back soon! 

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for daily updates. We'd love for you to share your experiences and photos in Hermanus with us on Facebook and Twitter!

Wish you all plain sailing until we meet again next week, same time, same place. 

The Windsor Team

A True Hidden Treasure – Platbos Forest Reserve

Ahoy there sailors! 

Platbos Forest

Upon waking up at The Windsor Hotel on a typical Hermanus winters morning you might think to yourself what should I do today? With so much that Hermanus has to offer you still might be challenged to do something a little different. Our suggestion is that you treat yourself to something that can only be described as really getting in touch with nature and finding inner peace. In order to do that climb in your car and drive 30 minutes towards Gansbaai, turn left at the Grootbos sign just before De Kelders and drive onto the dirt road, go down the little pass and come to a truly ‘unique South African Forest Jewel’ that is the enchanting forest of Platbos.

Upon entering the Platbos Forest you will immediately know that you have come across something that touches you deep in your soul. Abandon your car at the car park and lose yourself in this ancient indigenous forest. Hug a tree that’s hundreds of years old and feel the vibration of Africa penetrate your deep inner self.

What makes Platbos so unique is not only that it’s thousands of years old or that it’s Africa’s Southernmost Indigenous Forest. No, what makes Platbos truly unique is that it’s a botanical mystery. In a time where the planet is gradually warming up, all relic forests are retreating into moist mountain ravines, but not Platbos. Platbos stands on a North-facing gentle undulating alkaline soiled terrain with no river course feeding the forest and given the relatively low rainfall in the region it is absolutely amazing that this forest even exists.

Platbos Forest Location

One might attribute it’s existence to the cool coastal mists which blanket the forest in the early hours of the summer months. The abundance of mosses, epiphytes, trees, unique flowers and plants that are available to see are truly a sight to behold.

Platbos is one of the few indigenous forests left in the Western Cape given that only 0.05% of the land is covered in indigenous forests, this is truly a rare experience.

A great time to visit Platbos is in the month of May when the guardians of the Platbos Forest put on a couple of exciting festivals such as the Re-Forest Fest which is a great opportunity to mix music + Trees = Love and you get a chance to help them re-forest the area with indigenous trees. Please check out Platbos Forest Reserve website as well as their Facebook Page to help support them and be part of a healing process. 

GreenPop Facebook Page.

Platbos Re-Forest GreenPop

Platbos has a range of accommodation options and forest trails, they even have a nursery where you can buy indigenous plants from them. All your support goes back into protecting and growing the Platbos Forest. While you’re at Platbos you’ll make great friends with the guardians, Francois and Melissa Krige truly lovely people who will show you things that we just would not see with our city eyes.

Treat yourself to a Platbos soul generating, thought provoking and magical experience.

Wish you all pain sailing until we meet again next week, same place, same time.

Re-forestation of Platbos

WTM AFRICA 2014

Ahoy there sailors!

Wow, what can one say about the overall experience of WTM Africa. Straight off the bat there are going to be many comments as to whether there was any “new business” or “real business” done at WTM 2014. We will only know that in the next few months. What was overwhelmingly clear was that Cape Town sets itself up so nicely to host an international tourism trade shows such as WTM.

General View of WTM Africa 2014 

What fun it was being able to catch a city bus from the V&A Waterfront to the Cape Town International Convention Center and then onto Long Street afterwards to enjoy some of the beauty and cosmopolitan feelings of Cape Town as a vibrant and exciting African city center.

WTM itself was a great social occasion for a lot of those in the biz of hospitality and tourism and it was really energizing to pick up on the excitement expressed about the show by these ‘in the know folks’.  It was also evident that there was a lot of ‘scouting’ going around by hospitality businesses and establishments to see whether they should in fact exhibit at next year’s WTM Africa show and one would have to say that we think there would be a positive response to it and we believe that WTM Africa hosted in Cape Town will grow from strength to strength.

One of the most exhilarating things about WTM for us at The Windsor Hotel was the use of social media and the encouragement of bloggers which we personally do a lot of satisfaction off as The Windsor Blog was recognized as one of the prize winning blogs of the show. 

Bloggers Prize Winners at WTM Africa 2014 including our very own Madelein Marais 

For us it was more what we learned from our interactions with all the people at WTM and most importantly some of the exhibitors that had it not been for WTM we would never see on our shores. So WTM Africa gets a big thumbs up from us and we thoroughly look forward to next years event!

VIVA WTM VIVA!

For more photos go to WTM Photo Gallery.

Wish you all plain sailing until we meet again next week same place same time!

Africa's own little Penguin: African/ Jackass Penguin

Ahoy there sailors!

40 km’s to the East of Hermanus and just off the coast of Gansbaai is Dyer Island, one of the Island homes/ colonies of the African Penguins (Also known as the Jackass Penguin).

Underwater African Penguin by Scott Hanko

 40 km’s West of Hermanus in the sleepy hollow of Betty’s Bay lies Stony Point, one of only three main land colonies of the African Penguin (Spheniscus Demersus).

African Penguins at Stony Point

What a truly unique bird. Not only is it Africa’s only species of penguin, it is also the only one that lives in non-freezing environment.

What makes the African Penguin also unique is that it has pink glands above their eyes. These little pink glands help them cope with the heat, the hotter it is, the more the blood rush to these glands making it quicker and causing the blood to cool.

Their little markings of black that they have on their white chest are as unique as human fingerprints.

Another interesting fact about the penguins is they have more feathers than any other bird. Our little African Penguins grow to about 40 cm tall and can way up to 4 kg. They reach sexual maturity between two to four years old and a breeding pair will breed for life for a period of about 10 years. they return to their same nests and mom and dad will share the responsibility of incubation.

African Penguins mate for life 

They can reach speeds of 20 km/h under water and they can dive to 100 m deep. These penguins can swim to about 110 km distance from the nest to hunt before returning home to feed the young.

The African Penguin feeds on Anchovies, pilchards, sardines, herrings, mackerel as well as Shellfish and Squid.

Their biggest predators are Sharks and Cape Fur Seals and their eggs and chicks are eaten by Cape Gulls, Scared Ibises, Mongoose, snakes and even leopards.

What makes the trip to Hermanus unique is that you can see the rare sight of Island as well as land colonies in one day. This is unique.

Unfortunately our little African Penguins are extremely endangered. The biggest threat to the African Penguin is that it has no where to nest. As it lives in a non freezing environment it cannot burrow into snow. The African Penguin used to burrow into Guano (bird poop) however as all Guano was scraped off the rocks in the last century as it was used for fertilizer, the African Penguin could only burrow into soft ground and that is a scarcity in the Western Cape Coast as they are mainly made out of hard sandstone rock.

Thanks to the wonderful efforts  made by the Overstrand Municipality at Stony Point and the Dyer Island Conservation Trust at Dyer Island, projects have been launched to build these penguins little shelters for breeding couples. If you wish to help and sponsor a home or get more details you can go to the following sites: www.dict.org.za; www.overstrand.gov.za. It is worthwhile noting that by choosing to go on the whale watching boat from DyerIsland Cruises, a portion of your fee goes to the preservation of the African Penguin at Dyer Island.

Also check out Two Oceans Aquarium who actively draw awareness to the plight of the African Penguins and their annual Penguin Waddle from Gansbaai to Stony Point and eventually Boulders is a highlight in the Windsor calendar.

No trip to Hermanus or the Cape Whale Coast is complete without seeing our little feathery friends.

Wish you all plain sailing until we meet again next week, same place, same time.

Penguin houses built by Dyer Island Conservation Trust

Easter in the Overberg!

Ahoy there sailors!

Easter in the Overberg means it’s time for the famous Passion Play to take place at the Old Harbour in Hermanus. This has to be one of the most unique settings for a passion play. People come annually from as far afield as Johannesburg and Pretoria just to come and watch this truly unique event.

What makes it unique you may ask yourself, is the surrounding. Nowhere else in the world will you find yourself in an old harbour dating back a hundred years or so watching the story of Jesus Christ unfold on and around the cliffs of the Hermanus. The event takes place on Good Friday every year and as the moon rises over Walker Bay so the Passion Play begins.

With the sea as your backdrop the story unfolds. What better place to get the full meaning of this massive biblical story?

One of the best things about the Passion Play at the Old Harbour is you get to take along your picnic basket, blankets, camper chairs and the whole family gets to spend some quality time together.

The Passion Play was originally started by Tannie Lisma Kotze in 1995 with little support as nobody thought she could get the town to cooperate and make this a success, and yet now, 19 years later, the event continues to thrive with Fanus le roux as the Producer and Reichard Singleton as the main actor as well as one of the children’s favourites Geelbek, the donkey who’s been a star since the event started in 1995.

For more information and photos visit http://www.passiespel.co.za/ and http://hermanusonline.co.za/index.php/blog-post/hermanus-passion-play-good-friday-18-april-2014.

Here at The Windsor this is core to our belief of a family spending quality time together. With this in mind we’ve developed a very traditional children’s programme at the hotel so that the kids can have a lot of good old fashion fun at the hotel while mom and pop can sit back and relax.

Included in the children’s programme is an Easter egg hunt, musical chairs, pin the bunny tail, colour in competition and many more activities!

Wish you all pain sailing until we meet again next week, same place, same time. 

HAIRY BUT NOT SCARY

Ahoy there sailors! 

It’s April in the Overberg and the grape harvest in now almost all in. It’s time for all the wine estates to enjoy a little bit of a celebration after bringing in the harvest. Nobody does this better or in a more unique manner than the crazy gang along the Botriver Wine Route. Their harvest celebration is named 'Barrels and Beards Harvest Celebration' and this is going to be their third year of presenting what is truly a unique experience.

Tradition in this wine making area is that during the harvesting period none of the wine makers or people of the wine estate are allowed to shave until the harvest comes in and at the Barrels and Beards Festival the best beard is chosen of the wine makers. This has become a highly contested competition and last year we even saw props being used and special themes chosen to go with these beards. We expect this year will brief to be a hair raising event and we anticipate the winner will win by a whisker!

The event includes complimentary barrel tastings of the 2014 wines, there’s lots to eat and a host of music and entertainment including the famous barrel race. If you are hoping to get tickets to this occasion which cost R 270 per person we have bad news as the event is sold out for this year. The good news is there’s going to be another one next year!

For more information contact Nicolene 082 852 6547 or visit their website. 

This event is limited to only 200 people per year and takes place on the Anysbos Farm. This is truly a must do event for any wine lover, especially those with a sense of humor and adventure!

Wish you all plain sailing until we meet again next week, same place, same time.

KELP CAN HELP

Ahoy there sailors! 

Ecklonia Maxima, is a species of Kelp that is found in the Southern Oceans and is most prevalent along the Southern Atlantic Coast of Africa. This form of Kelp is crucial to the life of Abalone (Perlemoen) and due to its strong rubbery sell structure which enables it to thrive in the violent wave actions of the South Atlantic Coastline the plant has high levels of organic gels within its tissues.

In addition to these gels the  plant also has large numbers of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and Amino acids. One of the unforeseen benefits is the amount of iodine Ecklonia Maxima has. The benefit of this Iodine is it helps balance our thyroids an organ that gives us a sense of well-being and can have an impact on your weight and energy.

Eklonia Maxima has sometimes been referred to as the miracle plant’, it contains Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, Vitamin C, Folic acid, it has minerals such as Boron, Cobalt, Copper, Fluoride, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum and Zinc. Truly it packs a healthy punch!

Now before you all start running out on the coast picking our Kelp, please be aware you need a permit to do this, contact Whale Coast Conservation for further details on this. 

Kelp has a direct influence on the growth of not just Abalone but other marine life along our coast. There is a far easier way than harvesting your own Kelp to get all of the benefits and that is via capsule. There are a few varieties of these available of the shelves of health stores around the world, but please be on the look out for impostors pretending to be the real deal. If ever you find yourself in Hermanus and you want the best advice pop into Willow Health Shop at Astoria Village. 

One of the biggest exponents to the use of Kelp is of course our famous Whale Crier who blows his Kelp horn regularly during Whale Season (June-December). You can see this because he has such healthy lips! Have a look next time!

Wish you all plain sailing until we meet again same place, same time! 

“WATER WATER EVERYWHERE AND NOT A DROP TO DRINK”

These famous words from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner could well be words of warning in regards the way that the modern world treats its water supply.

Ahoy there sailors!

With only 3% of the world’s water being fresh water and of that only 1% being readily available to us for consumption does not bode well. Whale Coast Conservation who tirelessly dedicates themselves to the preservation to our beautiful and unique environment is hosting a few events in Hermanus over the next few weeks in the hope of raising awareness to this situation.

“Walk for Water and Sanitation” is a fun event planned to take people on a short beautiful walk from the Old to New Harbour along the Cliff Path of Hermanus to raise an awareness of water, sanitation and how it effects our environment. The event is happening 21^st March from 10am to 12pm from the Old Harbour. Please make donations, as little as R10 or more will go a long way.

The Whale Coast Conservation has taken some inspiration from far afield as the Philippines who have launched a campaign known as “Water is Power” and have recognized that water and energy are inseparable and with this in mind have added their weight to the Earth Hour initiative and together with fisherman’s Village and Lemm’s Corner have organized a “Market by Moonlight” on the 29^th March 2014 hosting buskers, local singer, dancers and a display of the best entries from a school art competition. Read more at Whale Coast Conservation Blog.

A great thanks to the folks from Whale Coast Conservation for their commitment and dedication to restoring and retaining our pristine and unique environment that keeps tourists coming to our shores year after year. Thanks to their efforts they also make the Whale Coast such a beautiful place to live, please folks lend your support to these wonderful initiatives.

Wish you all plain sailing until we meet again next week, same place, same time!

Waddle week in the Whale Coast!

Penguin Waddles 2014 at The Windsor Hotel Hermanus

At the Windsor we love welcoming old friends (also known as guests) back again year after year and some of our best friends are those that help us keep our environment and our wildlife safe and the best exponents of these are our friends from Penguin Promises (http://www.penguinpromises.com/) and the Two Oceans Aquarium (http://www.aquarium.co.za/).

Hayley McLellan marches an enthusiastic group of Penguin Waddlers (also known as conservationists) on a grueling 125km trek from Gansbaai to Boulders in seven days.

Along the way they visit Stanford, Hermanus, Kleinmond, Betty’s Bay Strand and Muizenberg stopping off at schools and talking to as many kids as they can educating them about the plight of the critically endangered African Penguins.

In the famous words of Transvision Vamp “I don’t want your money honey, I want your love” and that’s all they ask. They just want you to make a promise to do something to help our environment and to raise an awareness about our penguins. So please if you see our waddlers be kind and give them a hoot and in so doing try think of a simple way you can make a difference to helping our penguins.

There are very few places in the world where you can see colonies of penguins on main land and on island in the same day. Yet again, another great reason to visit Hermanus and the Cape Whale Coast.

Penguin Waddle Route 2014

Penguin Waddlers arrival in Hermanus

Penguin Waddlers 2013 at The Windsor Hotel Hermanus

It’s GO ! time in the Overberg!

The Good Hope FM Adventure Race is back for the second year and it’s all systems go come the 15^th March 2014.

Teams from all over the Western Cape will descend on the Overstrand next weekend for this unique adventure race that spreads itself our across several towns of the area.

With activities like “THE BLOB” and ZIP lining as well as a host of other surprises that SA Forest Adventures has install for all the participants makes this the most exciting and largest multi adventure races in South Africa!

From the beaches to the mountains, from the rivers to the forest and everything in between comes into play in this action packed event fun for everyone and showcases so many of the area’s unexplored treasures.

This is a short video clip of 2013’s adventure race: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S22tTYEtKW8.

The event is planned and organized by SA Forest Adventures who have yet again put into place all the safety precautions that are necessary for an event such as this and have the approval and support of the local emergency services and traffic control authorities.

Good Hope FM brings the vibe and the music as the headline sponsor they make sure they put the FUNK into the event.

It’s time to MOVE & GROOVE !!!!!!!!!

For more details join their Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/events/618066061581650/) and have a look at their website (http://saforestadventures.co.za/index.php/adventure-race/) .

 It’s a great day out for contestants and spectators alike. Be sure to be in the area to get a taste of this fun filled occasion!

The BLOB

Rafting

Sand Boarding

“Women and children first”

"Women and children first", this has become commonly known as the “Birkenhead Drill”. A phrase made famous in Rudyard Kipling and has come to describe courage in the face of a hopeless situation.

On the 26^th February 1852 at 02:00 in the morning the 1918 tonne ship struck rocks just off Danger Point and the wheels were set in motion for what would become the legend of the Birkenhead and the courage of the soldiers on board.

Captain Salmond gave the order for the ship to back off the rocks and in so doing ripped the bulkheads open and the ship began to sink.

The order to deploy the life boats was given and of the five only three could be deployed, one of which immediately sank. The instructions for “women and children first” was called for the first time in maritime history. These words hold fast to this day.

The soldiers of the 74^th regiment of foot and the Queens royal regiment who were on their way to fight in their 8^th cause of war were called to the decks and were ordered into rank and file. Colonel Seton of the 74^th foot dispatched men to deploy the life boats and chain the pumps, the others were to remain in rank and file. 

Within the next 10 minutes the ship had been torn in two and the aft section sank within seconds. The men were crowded now on the stern of the boat as she sank. Captain Salmond called for all the men to jump overboard and make for the boats; however Colonel Seton recognized that the men would swamp the boats causing them to sink with the women and children and ordered the men to stand fast. This they did. Seton ordered the horses to be set free in the hope that they would swim for shore and the soldiers remained calm as the ship sank beneath their feet.

Within 20 minutes of striking the rock the Birkenhead sunk. Some men made it to the shore approximately 3.2km’s while others drowned or died of exposure. As day broke the schooner lioness discovered one of the cutters and after saving the occupants of the second boat as well made their way to the scene of the disaster. Arriving the afternoon she rescued 40 more people that were still clinging to the rigging and the final tally was of the approximately 643 people on board. Only 193 survived including all the women and children. A number of surviving sailors were later court martialed as a result of the accident, but nobody was found guilty for the disaster as none of the senior officers survived.

Every year on the 26^th of February a small ceremony takes place at Danger Point Light House in which this tragic and heroic event is remembered. And a wreath is laid down in remembrance for those who lost their lives. So when next you visit Gansbaai for a shark cage dive pop past the light house and view the little memorial that still stands. 

February in the Overberg!

Beautiful, hot, sunshine filled days without a breath of wind. This is the perfect time to chill, put your feet up and relax on the beach. Occasionally taking a dip into the warmer waters that grace our shores around this time every year. Aaaaaah, the Overberg is calm and peaceful… NOT!!

February in the Overberg means it’s harvest time and that means it’s time for wine! Harvesting started in January for certain crops and will continue all the way through to early April, however it’s February and that means harvesting is at its peak. Pinotage, Chardanney, Sauv Blanc, Chiraz, Pinot Noir and other cultivars are being harvested as we speak.

On the wine farms of Elgin, Elem, Stanford, Botrivier and of course Hemel-en-Aarde there is endless activity and mad scrambling going on as grapes are being picked from the vineyards and moved to the cellars for their long journey to becoming liquid gold.

The farm manager barks out orders to the pickers explaining to them exactly when and how he wants his grapes to be picked and handled, the sorters are frantically casting their well trained eyes over all the grapes as they make their way up the conveyor belts to be crushed. Swooping like eagles they illuminate grapes that are not deemed worthy to be part of this year’s harvest. The wine maker hustles amongst all this that is going on nervous, frantic and stressed as he (or she) assesses the crop and devises the plan for the ultimate taste they wish to create.

Expressions like “good balance”, “Lingering finish,” fragrant bouquet”, “hints of”, and “French oak maturation” are flying through the wine estate marketers head at this time as well. Oh! What a time to be visiting the wine estates of the Overberg. The smell of new wine barrels, freshly crushed grapes and churned up earth inspires the possibility of what lies ahead when all of this comes together in yet another beautiful bottle of wine created in the Overberg.

So, if you are planning on spending time on the beach in the Overberg, this year, why not grab a bottle of last year’s vintage and think about all those that are running like mad on our wine estates right now. 

Relax and enjoy. Welcome to the Overberg!

Peter, Farm Manager of 7 Springs Vineyard

Sorting of grapes at 7 Springs Vineyard

Riana, Vaughan and Hetta from 7 Springs Vineyard discussing marketing ideas