Newsletter Autumn 2015

As we bid goodbye to what has been a fantastic summer of 2014/2015 in Cape Town we reflect that a Cape Town holiday remains one of the most popular for tourists throughout the world, as well as for South Africans, because of its natural beauty and the many attractions that it offers. Cape Town International Airport reported a growth of nearly 5% in arrivals during 2014 with the overall year exceeding the boom in the number of arrivals received in 2010 when South Africa hosted the 2010 Soccer World Cup. The UK Telegraph Travel Awards, the world's biggest reader travel awards, voted Cape Town the best city in the world in 2014. During the year, many accolades from the International Tourism and Travel industry including the international respected Tripadvisor, voted our City tops.

Cape Town's top attractions showed this growth in numbers of visitors. The V&A Waterfront smashed previous visitor records, growing some 5% with just over 24 million visitors in 2014; Robben Island grew 9% and Table Mountain Cableway 15%. The greatest success story of the year belonged to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden which showed a 28% increase for the year, attributed mostly to the popularity of the Treetop Canopy Walkway or 'Boomslang' as it is known - clearly demonstrating the power of reinvention in managing attractions.

Cape Town is no longer seen as a seasonal place to visit. There is always something happening in our city and those wishing to visit will be able to get the benefits that a company what is known as the "secret season". This includes lower rates for accommodation , less crowded activities and special offers of all kinds. Cape Town is known for its wide selection of restaurants offering enticing food of all kinds- from the five star exclusive to the family affordable. Because of the numbers being less during the off peak times, many of these restaurants will be offering specials to compete for the business that is available. Even though our accommodation is fully equipped for self-catering you will be tempted to eat out every night. Attractions during the secret season include the annual whale migration and the spectacular display of wildflowers that will herald the spring.

Horizon cottages continues to strive to offer outstanding service with competitive and affordable rates. The satisfaction of visitors from overseas, as well as upcountry, is well documented in the feedback on many of the international booking websites including TripAdvisor as well as our own website. In order to be able to offer an improved Internet browsing service we now have an upgraded, mobile friendly, responsive website with a whole new fresh look; together with a new and modern logo. When browsing our website you may need to refresh your browser cache, which you can do by pressing the F5 key.

Another significant improvement which will further enhance our guests experience is a free Wi-Fi hotspot with amplifiers in the accommodations that will enable our guests to enjoy a fast and uncapped Internet connection anywhere on the property; whether in the accommodation or even lounging at the pool. The bathrooms of our cottages have recently received a complete renovation which has resulted in a modern and fresh appearance with all new plumbing and sanitary ware and our cottages and Cabanas offer inviting and relaxing Noordhoek accommodation.

Please note the Table Mountain cable way will be closed between 27 July and 9 August 2015 for maintenance; Our guests should be aware that South African senior citizens over the age of 60 years qualify for discounted rates on return tickets every Friday, upon producing a valid South African ID and will pay R95 return or R50 one way; a significant saving. Pensioners also get free entrance to Kirstenbosch gardens on a Tuesday.

We hope to see you soon at our family friendly Cape Town lodge.