Hi Everyone!
A whole month has flown by and we are already cruising on into October at high speed. We are pumping at both lodges, and have our fabulous agents and operators to thank for that. Wow, we even had our first ever Spanish guests.
Love is in the air, and since our wedding at Bukela last month, we have just had so many honeymooners. They have been pampered and have left thoroughly romanced! Our Trip Advisor listing continues to receive fantastic feedback from our guests. Thank you to all for taking the trouble to go online and put out your recommendations of our lodges. We really appreciate it.
So, on to this month’s news. First, I'd like to show off how big our cheetah cubs have become. It is confirmed that we have a male and a female, which is great. They are absolutely beautiful and thriving on the reserve. Our guests have watched them help Mum bring down small animals with Mum in the front line, which is a great milestone in their development. As for the bigger ones - they wait for Mum to do the work and are called in for the feast!
And speaking of cats, I had to show you some of the pictures recently taken of our big male lion. Check out the gallery for this month's newsletter. He is in such good condition, and that bushy mane of his is absolutely fabulous. He is trying desperately to mate with the female at the moment, so who knows - maybe in a couple of months I might be showing pictures of a 'new arrival'.
Hlosi has had some interesting visitors this month - human & animal. On the human arrivals, we had a very different guest arrival a couple of weeks ago, when two helicopters arrived on the front lawn at Hlosi, with 16 guests for lunch. It was a very special occasion for the men, as they were enjoying a corporate luncheon together, which we believe they do every month at a different venue. It was so exciting to see the choppers land, and what stunning aircraft they were. Obviously they were both quite big, to carry that many passengers. They flew in at 12.30 to enjoy cold beverages and a tour of the lodge, and then we sat them down on the verandah overlooking the open plains to enjoy a three-course lunch. Since then, we have had seven of them fly back for a breakfast, so we’re enjoying hosting our airborne guests very much.
We have also just had a big corporate group stay with us for two nights. They filled both of our lodges, and we used another lodge on the reserve for extra accommodation. The meals were all prepared at Hlosi, the biggest of the Lodges, which was able to facilitate the number of people in the group. All meals were taken together as a group, and it was a wonderful event. The first night we did a bush Braai, which everyone enjoyed and the second night we had dinner at the Lodge, where we arranged for the amazing Patterson Dancers to put on a show for our guests. As always these amazing artists knocked the socks off everyone! They are one of those teams that send goosebumps all over when you watch them perform. In all, what a fantastic opportunity for our corporate guests all to be together in a relaxed environment with great wildlife, views, food - and PLENTY to drink! The night time humor was abuzz and there was certainly some stirling effort made in the bar!
On the animal visitor front, we have had some very hot days this past month, and the pool at Hlosi seems to be a treat for all. Check out the gallery for some great shots of our wild pool parties. And up at Bukela the water hole has been just as good. Our guests have just been loving sightings like these, whilst having high tea or breakfast out on the deck - what more can one ask for whilst enjoying a bite to eat?
Some great news is that one of our staff members, Nomonde Matyila, has completed her training to become a Therapist. She has been very busy at both lodges with treatments - and what an absolute natural she is! I have to say the full body massage that she does is absolutely amazing. The strength and warmth in her hands is fantastic. It really is a treat! Nomonde arranges treatment times with guests on arrival, and delivers treatments in the comfort of guests’ own rooms. She is the ultimate professional and such an asset to us! We no longer need to worry about our 'townie' therapists not wanting to stay out on the reserve, as we have our very own bush therapist that loves being out in the bush and absolutely loves being a therapist. Well done Nomonde!
Until next time, our eyes and ears are open for every bit of interesting things to share with you!
Take care!
Kerry