Jamala Madikwe…we return

At Jamala Madikwe my camera was never far away.

This was the entrance that we remembered from 2013.
Although the colour of the buildings has been changed from a light Beige,
to Baby Elephant Grey…
Believe it or not, that it is an actual colour description.

I wondered if this was a “speech bubble”…
Koi and Goldfish can be found in the pond outside the front door.

Although Jamala do not serve lunch,
we were hungry when we arrived at midday and asked for a simple sandwich.
This was what Chef Bongi delivered…
Like everything else at Jamala, “going the extra mile”
for their guests is the norm.

After our last visit, we bought one of these blackboards.
Ours lives on our pantry door.
This one is in the dressing room of our Villa.

Looking over our bed towards the deck and the outside shower.
Both have a view of the water hole in front of the main lodge.

Each Villa has its own plunge pool.
I did not plunge, but I did dip my toe into the water.
Brrrrrrrrrrrrr. It WAS cold.
Luckily, I was warned.

One of the new additions to the property.
They now have a Boule court near the main building.
My wife and I were going to attempt a game,
(it can played in a similar manner to lawn bowls)
BUT we never got around to it…
Neither did any of the other guests.

From the water feature at the main entrance.
Looks like a small version of what sunk the Titanic

This is another new addition…
My wife was the “guinea pig” and tried out a couple of the treatments.

Jamala also now have a small gym.
I did bring my gym kit,
HOWEVER, if I was to tell the truth,
it never left my suitcase…

The devil is in the detail…
Something old, something neW

The main outdoor lounge area.
This is where guests can sit and watch the magic happen.
But more of that in another posting.

Something “sparkly” in the gift shop.
My wife has a Phd in shopping, but she was rather reserved on this trip

The “formal” dining area.

This is the main reception area.
The decor belies the fact that it is a bush lodge.

A sherry to take the chill off?

It might seem that these items are placed randomly…
That could not further from the truth.
Both Rodney(Steyn) and Nico(Verster)
have a great eye for detail.
And it shows…
And this is the Devil in the detail…
Lauren, one of the guests just happened to be sitting in the
“wrong” place at the right time.
Her horns actually belong to a buffalo skull near the Boma

The new WatchTower is, for me, the BEST new feature.
I enjoyed it so much that I spent more time here than in our Villa.
It overlooks the waterhole and offers a new angle for photographers.

Understated elegance is the decor style at the top of the tower.
This together with the view makes it a very special place.
I so want one of these at our home in Johannesburg.
Unfortunately it won’t happen,
as the view would be of our neighbours garden.
No wildlife in sight.
Image by Joe Dreyer
Rodney Steyn, owner and director of Jamala Madikwe
had this to say about his bushveld “jewel”
http://podcast77612.podomatic.com/entry/2015-05-12T02_55_32-07_00

To find out what this stunning Lodge has to offer,
visit their web-site:

This company was responsible for getting us to Jamala.
Highly recommended.

This owner driven service brought us home