We hope everyone had a brilliant Christmas and Day of Goodwill (Boxing day to our Canadian and British friends), we enjoyed the day off to spend with the family before returning to our Gansbaai Guesthouse.
For all intents a purposes, we are fully booked from now to around January 4th. January 4th is usually the day many businesses reopen around the country, so one would expect a drop off in activity around then. Not so in this case, the night of January 6th is fully booked too!
Our guests have been clamouring for shark cage diving spots too, and its this period of the year that a single operator can be booked up for 3 or 4 days at a time. Fortunately, Shark Diving Unlimited and Great White Shark Tours (through Sharkbookings) really helped us out in the busy season.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Merry Christmas!
Its the 24th and Christmas is just an evening away. We at the Roundhouse Guesthouse want to wish all past, current and future clients as well as our friends and family a very merry Christmas!
The Roundhouse is currently near capacity, and we are pleased to host guests over such a momentous occasion on the calendar year.
There is a fire raging in the Overberg at the moment, and no fewer than than three emergency vehicles have sped past us to go put it out. We hope all involved get spend the evening with their families rather than fighting the forces of mother nature.
UPDATE: The fire is now under control, thanks to the Overberg emergency services for their efforts and hopefully no one was hurt.
The Roundhouse is currently near capacity, and we are pleased to host guests over such a momentous occasion on the calendar year.
There is a fire raging in the Overberg at the moment, and no fewer than than three emergency vehicles have sped past us to go put it out. We hope all involved get spend the evening with their families rather than fighting the forces of mother nature.
UPDATE: The fire is now under control, thanks to the Overberg emergency services for their efforts and hopefully no one was hurt.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
A Very Busy Guesthouse, and the Christmas Season
Wow, its been almost two weeks since the last update here. That should really give you an indication of how busy we have been. The Roundhouse has been pretty much fully booked the entire Christmas season. When it isn't full, a surprising amount of people inquire at the Adventure centre looking for accommodation and end up at the Roundhouse. If anything, its been an interesting season so far.
Its bizarre, we are so used to the broken English of mainland Europeans, the high English of the United Kingdom, and the twangy English of the USA that hearing English from other parts of South Africa is now strange. Its actually rather amsing.
The jacuzzi was temporarily broken now over the weekend after the element burnt out completely. It was fixed by Monday after a new element and thermometer were installed by Dave, so our prized jacuzzi is now up and running at full capacity again.
The shark cage diving industry has been thoroughly appreciating the warm weather recently. The boats have been fully booked virtually every day for the past two weeks, with little to no sign of the influx of tourists slowing down, not that we are complaining or anything.
Its bizarre, we are so used to the broken English of mainland Europeans, the high English of the United Kingdom, and the twangy English of the USA that hearing English from other parts of South Africa is now strange. Its actually rather amsing.
The jacuzzi was temporarily broken now over the weekend after the element burnt out completely. It was fixed by Monday after a new element and thermometer were installed by Dave, so our prized jacuzzi is now up and running at full capacity again.
The shark cage diving industry has been thoroughly appreciating the warm weather recently. The boats have been fully booked virtually every day for the past two weeks, with little to no sign of the influx of tourists slowing down, not that we are complaining or anything.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Gansbaai, the new Gauteng
Its a remarkable phenomenon in South Africa. Each year, the residents of Gauteng (most populated region in the country) stream down to the coast for their annual holidays. Each small coastal town transforms for a quaint village into a bustling metropolis virtually overnight, and Gansbaai is no different.
Today, the stream of cars began and the level of activity has risen sharply. I spoke to an employee of SAFE Security Systems today when he came to fix a remote, and he also commented on the massive influx of people, most of which are brandishing a GP numberplate.
The Roundhouse Guesthouse is situated in De Kelders, far enough away to avoid the crushing traffic, but close enough so that everything you may need is close by. A bakery and a pub/restaurant is literally within walking distance, reducing the need to fight for parking even more. Lets not forget we can organise Shark Cage diving and Whale Watching for our guests too, reducing the need to go into town even more.
It appears staying at our guesthouse really is the smart choice for the city-dweller looking for holiday without queues and traffic.
Today, the stream of cars began and the level of activity has risen sharply. I spoke to an employee of SAFE Security Systems today when he came to fix a remote, and he also commented on the massive influx of people, most of which are brandishing a GP numberplate.
The Roundhouse Guesthouse is situated in De Kelders, far enough away to avoid the crushing traffic, but close enough so that everything you may need is close by. A bakery and a pub/restaurant is literally within walking distance, reducing the need to fight for parking even more. Lets not forget we can organise Shark Cage diving and Whale Watching for our guests too, reducing the need to go into town even more.
It appears staying at our guesthouse really is the smart choice for the city-dweller looking for holiday without queues and traffic.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Anticipating the Tourist Rush
We have finally hit the official beginning of Summer now with the first full week of December past us. Its usually around now that the massive flux of tourists turns the sleepy town of Gansbaai into a massive beehive of activity. It isn't unusual for locals to almost completely avoid traveling into town unless they need the essentials.
There are new faces around town, which indicates the coming flood of visitors, but town is still delightfully quiet and quaint. De Kelders, and the Roundhouse Guesthouse is enjoying the same levels of peace at the moment. The overcast weather outside with the hint of coming rain certainly adds to the feeling of a sleepy town. Its rather ironic that a day with a remarkable atmosphere is situated days away from the busiest period of the year.
The Roundhouse will become busy to the point of capacity in about two weeks, if current bookings are anything to go by. So if you want to spend a night here, may I recommend you get hold of us sooner rather than lately. The whales are still frolicking in the bay mere minutes away from us, and the weather promises to yield many beautiful summers days to enjoy the natural splendor of the area.
There are new faces around town, which indicates the coming flood of visitors, but town is still delightfully quiet and quaint. De Kelders, and the Roundhouse Guesthouse is enjoying the same levels of peace at the moment. The overcast weather outside with the hint of coming rain certainly adds to the feeling of a sleepy town. Its rather ironic that a day with a remarkable atmosphere is situated days away from the busiest period of the year.
The Roundhouse will become busy to the point of capacity in about two weeks, if current bookings are anything to go by. So if you want to spend a night here, may I recommend you get hold of us sooner rather than lately. The whales are still frolicking in the bay mere minutes away from us, and the weather promises to yield many beautiful summers days to enjoy the natural splendor of the area.
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