The Lodge Ledger
Excitement awaits us in the second half of 2010!
Peter Siebert, Hospitality Director
Posted: 23 July 2010
I would like to thank the entire Gondwana team for their tremendous efforts in the successful opening of Kwena Huts at the end of May. We are already receiving fantastic feedback from both guests and the tourism trade on their experience with us at the new lodge. We look forward to taking exceptional care of the guests that our trade partners send to us in the future. With the World Cup now behind us, we are so proud of South Africa and enjoyed hosting some of the fans on Gondwana. We enter the second half of the year with great enthusiasm, as we are confident that Kwena Huts is a product we can be proud of and that we will be able to sell as it offers something so unique to this area. Gondwana is at an important stage in her growth, and is about to reach the tipping point, ensuring that we become the preferred wildlife and nature destination in the Southern Cape. We can then start reaping the rewards of the hard work and commitment that has gone in to everything we have worked so hard to achieve.
Keeping you in the know…
In April we had a very successful Gourmet evening, hosted by Hartenberg Wine Estate. Alex, our Executive Chef, excelled with his Trio of Game Meat and his coup de grace… his Rooibos Panacotta creation, which was superb. The evening was such a success that we are planning other food and wine paring events in August and September. The former will be a “Chefs Table” hosted by top South Africa Chef Scott Ratray and the latter will be a Shiraz taste off featuring some of the South African best examples of this varietal.
Please email us to book a memorable night of fine cuisine and wines.
Gondwana´s sales and marketing team has been building relationships with the local golf resorts and has negotiated preferred golf rates with Pinnacle Point, Fancourt and Simola for both residents and guests. Please contact Nadia at reservations for more information.
Lehele Lodge hosted two cocktail evenings with Pam Golding Properties in March to promote both the residential aspect and tourism business, which has done much to raise our profile in the area. These evenings were well attended and a success with regards to word of mouth in the community.
On the Community front, Forget, our Head Ranger, hosted a group of local school children who planted King Proteas in Gondwana´s “Protea Forest”. They spent the day learning about the environment and enjoyed a hearty lunch at Lehele. Learning through fun – there´s no better way.
To celebrate World Environmental Week, we hosted 90 local school children over 3 days on the Reserve. The future guardians of our planet had a fun day learning about Alien plant
removal, Heritage sites and honing their tracking skills. We would like to thank the Eden District Municipality for helping us with all the arrangements. Thanks also go to the Pick
´n Pay and Game stores in the Langeberg Mall as well as to Quali Juice from George for sponsoring the food and refreshments.
View Our World Environment Day Article
The Gondwana Team
I would like to welcome all the new members to our team who we believe will all add great value to the Gondwana experience and the operation as a whole.
Congratulations to Cobus, who recently took up the position as Lodge Manager (from field guide) at the beginning of April and is already making a big difference. He came to Gondwana
with lodge management experience and aspired to move into this post in time when Kwena opened. We wish him every success in his new position.
Marelize joins us as Front of House Manager this month replacing Arne who has moved back into field guiding, her true passion. Trevor also joins the field guides and has been
receiving strong guest feedback in his first 3 months.
We have also taken on new waiters, housekeepers and an additional barman, which was necessary as we make the transition and open Kwena huts with Lehele Lodge still operating for
private residents and rental pool guests.
We look forward to welcoming you and sharing our Gondwana experience with you.
Posted: 9 October 2009
While on an evening run last night, I was able to fully appreciate the breathtaking beauty that surrounds us at Gondwana. To my left I caught sight of the Eland, grazing on the plains and on my right the magnificent Fynbos catching the last, of the setting sun’s rays. I was struck by how truly special this place is and how blessed I am to be a part of Her.
I would like to take this opportunity, to thank Mark and Wendy for their vision in the creation of this extraordinary place and for sharing it with all of us, Gondwana’s Guests, our beloved Private Owners and Staff alike.
As we embark on a new era at Gondwana, we invite you to share in the celebration of Their Dream Come True.
On the 15th August we opened our brand new Lehele lodge in fine style, and over the course of the next few months, I look forward to keeping you informed as to our progress with our new Lodge/hotel which we are so excited about.
To keep you abreast of what is happening at Gondwana, we have just successfully introduced a further 500 head of game onto the property, and have implemented a Junior Ranger Training program.
Our new lodge, our Walking Safaris, Cycling Trails and Horseback Safaris are just a few of the things that you can look forward to enjoying with us in the near the future.
We like to term our particular style of accommodation as ‘Contemporary Cape & Bush Chic’. Our Lehele lodge which will serve as our lounge, bar and dinner area, will have a small ala carte lunch and dinner menu and will be used to host fun events like Cape Wine and Cheese Tastings.
We have an International Chef in our kitchens, whose experience includes working with Gary Rhodes, a Michelin Star Chef. Our Chef serves dishes that are fresh and wholesome using only the finest and freshest ingredients from our own Organic Garden on the farm.
We look forward to introducing you all to our new, young and dynamic team whose focus is to make the Gondwana experience a unique and world class one.
As our private owners and beloved guests, it is our wish that when you visit us, you will feel completely at home in a relaxed and friendly and environment and that your every wish will be taken care of by our committed and professional Team at the Lodge.
We look forward to sharing a wonderful journey with you and wish you a fantastic year ahead with us.
