Way back in the ’60’s I was brought to the Oyster Box
for lunch, where I met the woman that I thought would become my wife.
Sadly, that did not happen…
holiday romances never REALLY work out.
Like the Umhlanga skyline, much has changed in the intervening years.
I now find myself back at the Oyster Box, with my wife
whose parents spent their honeymoon here 54 years ago…
We were “welcomed” by the resident cat,
Skabenga…who has his own Facebook page!
He does enjoyed “chatting” to the guests,
but we were told, he has an aversion to small children.
The Oyster Box has undergone several incarnations over the years.
Built in 1863, it was originally called the Oyster Cottage.
The foyer of the hotel has the restored tiles from the original hotel.
Apples and macaroons to welcome us to our room…
The latter did not last very long!
Our “classic sea facing room”.
Some guests might view the bathroom as small,
we decided that it was “compact”.
My “office”…until I decided to move to the balcony.
And who can blame me,
when this is the view…
And, of course, the ever changing sight of the Indian Ocean
The design of this ramp caught my attention.
Not quite the “Golden ratio”,
but close
The passages seem to hark back to a past era,
when life was more genteeel
This feeling seems to infuse the public spaces of the hotel
One of the many bars and restaurants that will need investigation
during our sojourn here.
Dinner at the curry buffet.
A view of the hotel from the pool deck
The lighthouse still works,
although I should imaging that it is computer operated,
rather than having someone light the lamp manually every evening.
Date night?
Guests can enjoy an in-house movie.
The Red Carnation Hotel Collection certainly
believes in supporting art and artists.
The collections that I have seen at
The 12 Apostles Hotel and Spa in Cape Town and now at this property
are a testament to that commitment.
We return to our “Classic sea facing room”,
to discover a “classic” turn down.
And REALLY brightly coloured gowns!
If you are looking to find out more about the history of this Grand Hotel,
this article will fill you in on all the details:
http://www.oysterboxhotel.com/about/history

Listen to what General Manger,
Wayne Coetzer has to share about this iconic property
https://soundcloud.com/david-batzofin/wayne-coetzer-manager-of-the-oyster-box-hotel
Listen to what General Manger,
Wayne Coetzer has to share about this iconic property
https://soundcloud.com/david-batzofin/wayne-coetzer-manager-of-the-oyster-box-hotel
Images on this trip were shot on
a Canon SX60HS.
In my dealings with this company to date
I have only met with friendly and efficient staff
who have a passion for their customers.
Based on my experiences over the past few months
and in several cities, I highly recommend them
Europcar, the official car rental supplier
to “Travel & Things”
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