Picture the scene – you’re lying on a bed underneath a gazebo decorated with white lace, set up in a lush green garden. In the distance, the sound of water, as it kisses and romances the rocks, echoes softly through the air. A hadeda, its big and imposing physique, slowly makes its way around the grass, picking up food. And to your right, soft sounds of jazz emerges from the pool deck and an old lady – a holidayer-cum-early starter – orders her first gin and tonic.
Peaceful. Pure bliss.
Underneath the gazebo, a pair of well-educated hands are taking a tour of your neck and shoulders, looking for knots and any corner where stress may be hiding. As the hands make their way up the neck on to your shoulders, you are quietly but pleasantly bidding farewell to stress, that silent killer that many of us ignore.
As you slowly unwind, a few hundred metres away, your children have forgotten about you. They are engrossed in various activities, from paddling around the beautiful lake or taking a boat ride. This is after running around the sandpit at the volleyball court, doing what children do best – playing. While you enjoy your massage, children could, if they wanted to, enjoy a round of putt-putt – that unique form of the famous game designed for the enjoyment of the entire family.
This great and inspiring picture unfolded for me and my family at the Drakensberg Sun Lifestyle Resort nestling below the Drakensberg mountains – famous for many things, among them the world famous Drakensberg Boys Choir and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
The resort is a unique venue, providing facilities for the entire family.
The thing is, there is so much below the Drakensberg mountains. So much that I kicked myself so hard – upon finding this wonderful place, its people and the surrounding attractions – not believing that it took me so long to discover this.
We have, for many years, driven past or flown over the Drakensberg. I have been to villages and other small towns around the valley but, phew, I have never been to this enjoyable, relaxed family getaway..
There is no doubt that the Drakensberg Sun Lifestyle Resort is a stunning family destination. It has all the facilities that children, from tiny tots to teenagers with an attitude, can enjoy.
And there is also something for the middle-aged stressed-out city slickers and the retirees, seeking to take long hikes among the most beautiful and natural environs.
What makes a venue, any venue, special is a combination of things. It’s the condition of the rooms, the level of the head chef and the service offered by the staff.
I never had the honour of meeting the manager of the Drakensberg Sun Lifestyle Resort.
I know, however, from the pleasant note left in my room, that his name is Daron. However, after experiencing what staff at the resort can do, I can say that I have not shaken the hand of Daron Moore, the manager, but that I have met him.
I feel that I know him after experiencing the professional, warm and excellent service of the service staff, those people who look at you and can tell that you need coffee. I marvelled as I watched how staff handled, with amazing ease, the needs of children whose parents raised their hands in exasperation.
Daron and his team put together a good programme designed for the enjoyment of people of all ages. One of them was “Fear Factor” Friday nights in the pub.
Here holidaymakers were asked to eat the inedible and drink the undrinkable.
As men and women battled through antelope droppings and some such, their eyes popped and at least one of them looked as if they would make use of the sick bucket. In the end, a young Durban lad who consumed all in under three minutes won a prize, a weekend for two at the Drakensberg Sun Lifestyle Resort. Fun was had by all.
For me, the most important occasion came on Saturday, when I broke away from the group to be witness to history.
I settled right in front of the big TV screen to watch Orlando Pirates being crowned the 2011 PSL champions. On this particular Saturday, the gentlemen at the bar could tell the precise moment I needed something to calm my nerves.
The staff made me feel so at home. And it was not only me, it was everyone around us. Everyone was so nice and, much as I want it to be, it had nothing to do with the fact that Orlando Pirates silenced their critics and won the league title.
There were several special features during our weekend break. Our Moroccan-themed dinner on the Saturday night was special. The decorations and the food, freshly prepared by the chef, clicked. The plan just came together that night. And so did the food and our pre-dinner surprise.
Before dinner, guests gathered in the reception lobby and were serenaded by the Drakensberg Boys Choir. What an experience. And yes, what a surprise!
If there is something that the Drakensberg Sun Lifestyle Resort cannot offer your family, you are sure to find it in one of the neighbouring service providers.
Horse riding, for instance, is offered at the nearby Hodson Horse Trails.
My children and I selected the canopy tour as our activity for the weekend.
We had never done it before and nothing could have prepared us for the adrenalin fix. What an adventure. Simply mind-blowing.
The canopy tours, run by the Drakensberg Canopy Tour – Louis and his team – are a special way to tour the forest and valley below the beautiful mountains.
You swing, from tree to tree, along a line of galvanised steel, strong enough to hold seven cars. That piece of information, given to us at the start of the canopy tour, was comforting because it told us that we would be secure, irrespective of our weight.
Our trained guides, James and Vincent, did not compromise on safety.
At every stop, the safety routine did not change. They spiced up the routine with educational information on the trees and the environment.
At every station, James would make sure that the harnesses were in place and then launch down the line.
Vincent would always be waiting on the other side, ready to grab and calm us down or guide us to do the Monkey Jive, the little army-like exercise that you have to do, reeling yourself in if your slide stops before its destination.
We screamed our lungs out. We smiled. We laughed as we went down the slides.
And we did the Madiba shuffle atop a tree, 60m high – called Madiba because of the way it breaks into a dance when strong winds force it to sway.
When the tree moves, the guides from the Drakensberg Canopy Tours smile and applaud.
They then announce to bemused city slickers that the tree has just done the Madiba shuffle.
And that has to be the highlight of any holiday or a weekend getaway.
If you hurry, you can catch a special offer at the Drakensberg Sun Lifestyle Resort, which is valid until June 15. For R1 200 per room per night, you get accommodation for two adults and two children sharing, and much more. Tel: 036 468 1000 or e-mail [email protected]. - Saturday Star