This has to be the best travel month, not only because it is cost-effective but because tourist attractions are less crowded – and most enjoyable around this time.
I learnt about this as we travelled to the five-star beach-front Boardwalk Hotel, Casino, and Entertainment Centre in Gqeberha in Eastern Cape, a five-star luxury hotel known as “the red building with a red roof”, along the eastern coast of the Indian Ocean.
The hotel’s publicity brochure says: “It captures the grace and detail of Victorian architecture whilst incorporating every modern convenience.
“The result is a refreshing blend of refinement and urban vogue set against the azure backdrop of the Indian Ocean. Boasting 140 sea-facing rooms with an average room size of 39m, the hotel’s unique variety of accommodation options satisfy every requirement and offer modern conveniences such as plasma screen TVs, luxurious beds, mini bars and bijou balconies.”
The hotel is regarded by locals as the most exciting leisure attraction in the Eastern Cape, offering 24-hour entertainment and superior conference space.
As we arrived last week, I noticed that most hotels have dropped the drinks welcome gesture as you check-in, probably because of escalating costs,or maybe the inconvenience of guests having to be in the lobby for too long.
My first highlight as I sauntered through the entrance before receiving the key to my room was the most welcoming hospitality I have ever experienced as nothing beats being made to feel welcome. Warm greetings, with smiles all round are always appreciated.
Every room boasts five-star luxury accommodation overlooking the sea.
I was fortunate to be on the fourth floor to experience the beautiful beach, and thought “what a beautiful and breath-taking world”.
The special moment came as I finally got into my room, with a vintage-meets-modern theme, spiced with amazing use of natural and calming colours.
Might it be that the room designers matched the sombreness in the room with the feeling the beach gives?
Wow! They still leave you a Bible to read, should you so wish, with a hair dryer to boot.
The spacious bathroom with both bathtub and big enough shower space beckoning, it was time to get going and enjoy the sea breeze.
There is authentic feel of serenity that comes with the waves.
Disappointing, though, was that even when there’s no crowd, the KFC on sight still took slightly more than an hour to prepare four dunked wings.
As it got late, I explored the surroundings, which felt safe to walk even at night.
By 11pm most entertainment spaces were closed. This was shortly before I headed back to the hotel to enjoy the beautiful swimming pool on the first floor.
Nearly midnight, but the water was unbelievably warm – I did not want to wake up fellow travellers, so made a beeline to my comfortable bed.
Some of the tourist attractions include a visit to the Bayworld comprising the main museum, oceanarium to marvel at the diversity of museum displays, from prehistoric dinosaurs to the 15m skeleton of the last southern right whale harpooned in Algoa Bay, to viewing the diverse collection of marine life and experiencing the daily sea and penguin presentations.
Also of interest is the reptile park, which houses lizards, tortoises, snakes and crocodiles.
- Kgobotlo’s stay at the Boardwalk Hotel was sponsored by Mzansi Magic, M-Net and MultiChoice.
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