Sharon and John Tiberio

by Leigh-Ann Combrink

Hi Leigh-Ann,

I meant to write to you sooner but somehow time has slipped through my fingers! I can hardly believe that we have been back home 3 months already. My heart is still in South Africa. First, I want to thank you for the time you took to put together what was the vacation of a lifetime. Our expectations were high, and they were surpassed. Thanks to you, I am still reliving all those wonderful experiences with everyone I speak to. Our 5 day layover in Paris worked out well; we arrived in Africa all rested up. Illyria House was spectacular. The surroundings were beautiful, and the entire staff was accomodating and cordial. On both stays with them, they had an in-house piano recital, which was a nice touch. Our butler Emmanuel was exceptional. The accomodations and staff at Royal Malewane were wonderful. We loved our elephant back safari at Camp Jabulani. At RM, Riann went out of his way to make sure everything was perfect for us; he's quite charming and went above and beyond in anticipating our needs. He gave us a good sampling of some of the SA wines which don't make it to the States, which we so appreciated, as food and wine are a hobby of ours. He extended an invitation to visit with him when we were in Franschhoek, which we took him up on, and had a very enjoyable evening. Our guide, also named Riann, was a gem. We didn't think anything couldn't be better than RM, then we arrived at Boulders. I was speechless. It is so beautiful and serene.The food was elegant and delicious. They, also, made a special effort to acknowledge our anniversary and made us feel like royalty. The game viewing was extraordinary, and they catered to our every need. I hated to leave. The Blue Train trip was special, nothing to want for there either. Beautiful cars, great food, great wine, lovely scenery. The only hiccup was that at 7:30, during dinner, the train stopped. There was a train ahead which broke an axle, so there was a 7 hour delay before resuming travel. It was certainly not a bad place to be held up, and on the up side we were able to view countryside that we otherwise would have passed while we were asleep. The down side was that it was almost 8pm by the time we arrived at Ellerman House, so we lost a day in Cape Town (which is why we never got by to your office.) We absolutely loved everything about E.H. and enjoyed every moment there. We stopped at the Green Point Market before going to Table Mountain Sunday am and ended up spending hours there. We came home with gifts for friends and family. Chapman's Peak, the Cape Peninsula, the penguins, and horseback riding on Noordhoek beach were total bliss. We never got to explore the city of Cape Town at all so a second visit is a must. (After the Blue Train, the rest of our trip was backed up by half a day. Believe me, driving to Bushman's Kloof in the dark was an adventure!) Our guide Jaco at BK was enthusiastic, hospitable and a wealth of information. However, the accomodations, food and service (aside from him) were mediocre at best. In Franschhoek, we had some excellent dining experiences and enjoyed our visits to the wineries, although we found Le Quartier Francais not to be of the same calibre as Illyria House, Ellerman House or the lodges, which was disappointing. We had a good time, nonetheless, and enjoyed the hospitality of the neighborhood restaurants and wineries. All our experiences with Ilios Travel and Nelair were very positive. And last but not least, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to DeWildt. The tour was fantastic and educational and I was in heaven to be in the midst of cheetahs, especially having the opportunity to pet Lord Byron. Overall, I must say that the people of South Africa are some of the nicest, kindest, and most polite people I have ever met. The scenery, the landscapes, the animals were some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. I am totally in love with South Africa. Thank you, again, Leigh-Ann for tending to all the details for us and for getting us there, especially after almost having the trip fall through due to the American Express incident. I am already trying to figure out when we can come back.

I hope I didn't bend your ear. I thought you would be interested to know how it all turned out. We will definitely be back in touch with you to book our next trip, and will make sure to meet you over the glass of wine we promised!

Best regards,

Sharon (and John) Tiberio

2007/03/09 | permalink |

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Sharon and John Tiberio

by Leigh-Ann Combrink

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