The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa, voted SA’s Leading Spa Resort for the second time in a row at this year’s World Travel Awards, is popular with international guests. But the five-star property also has special offers that give locals a chance to experience a taste of luxury life.
One of the most popular is the overnight dinner and a movie package. It begins when you make you way up to the Leopard Bar, which offers spectacular views of the ocean and, if you’re lucky, might let you see a dolphin or a whale. Its bush lodge décor and live music from a guy who I thought was a John Mayer CD also make it perfect for their afternoon “Tea by the Sea” or else just sundowners if you’re saving yourself for dinner instead.
Our meal, the creation of executive chef Christo Pretorius, offered many tempting choices. But the highlights were the baby calamari risotto (roast calamari broth, crispy tentacles, cauliflower, pearl barley, sultana puree) as starter; prawn stroganoff (hotelier Bea Tollman’s spin on the classic creamy dish, served with basmati rice) as main; and banana panna cotta (say that ten times fast) for dessert. Paired with wines from sommelier Gregory Mutambe, who even hosts craft beer evenings, it was the perfect meal to end a glorious day.
Except that’s not quite where the day (or the food) ended. Once we were done with our dining, it was time to relax with some popcorn and milkshakes in the private 16-seater cinema, which hosts corporate functions and screens up to five films a day.
While taking a tour of the hotel earlier in the day, I had a small panic when I noticed that the scheduled movie was the second instalment of Twilight. Fortunately, the hotel lets you choose your own film depending on existing reservations and requests from other guests, so we swapped it for Fool’s Gold, a cute rom-com from the days before Matthew McConaughey realised he was a real actor.
The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa also offers daytime specials for those who enjoy their fun in the sun. And although the hotel is a short drive from Camps Bay, why choose the road when you can choose the sky?
Besides chartered or private tours, NAC Helicopters offers several “fly and dine” specials with the Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa. One of these is the “Two Flights Lunch Package”, which includes bubbly on arrival, wine tasting, and a three-course meal.
This was my first time in a helicopter, which explains why my excitement made me the first to call “shotgun”. That meant I got to sit up front with the pilot, who said he sometimes does up to fifteen flights a day. And what a rush it was to float above the city, amazed at how everything looks so small from so high!
As much as I wanted to capture as many images as I could, much like the French couple with their GoPro and other photographic paraphernalia, it was the kind of experience you might as well watch through the window instead of through your camera lens. If staying at The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa taught me anything it’s that sometimes you should just sit back, relax, and enjoy the view!
I was a guest of the Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa, one of 17 Red Carnation Hotels properties in five countries around the world. To enquire about the range of current special offers, call +27 (0)21 437 9000, email reservations1@12apostles.co.za, or go to www.12apostleshotel.com.
