June 2020 - Ballito Umhlanga
Get It Ballito Umhlanga online magazine focusing on people, shopping & lifestyle in your community. Our June issue is out!
Get It Ballito Umhlanga online magazine focusing on people, shopping & lifestyle in your community. Our June issue is out!
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
A Perfect Stay ... armchair travel has never been this luxurious<br />
We’re sure you, like us, are just<br />
longing to travel. To escape for a<br />
few days from our (albeit lovely)<br />
homes, and enjoy some time out<br />
somewhere gorgeous – and taking<br />
full advantage of the joy of allowing<br />
someone else to spoil us. Not quite,<br />
but almost as good as the real thing,<br />
is settling down and dipping into<br />
this incredible glimpse of the Royal<br />
Portfolio. A collection of luxurious<br />
South African destinations created by<br />
Liz Biden and owned by her and her<br />
husband, Phil, the collection started<br />
with renting out a few rooms of the<br />
couple’s family home in the Kruger,<br />
a project started by Liz when she<br />
retired, and which resulted in the<br />
opening of Royal Malewane almost<br />
21 years ago. She then went on to<br />
renovate and open up more of their<br />
private properties – a beach house<br />
in Hermanus, then a wine farm in<br />
Franschhoek. The Silo Hotel in Cape<br />
Town’s V&A Waterfront completes<br />
the portfolio ... this one purchased<br />
because, as Phil pointed out, ‘holiday<br />
homes are one thing – but we didn’t<br />
want to give up our family home too’!<br />
A Perfect Stay is a peek into each<br />
hotel, at the glamorous lifestyles,<br />
the guests (Sir Elton John and David<br />
Furnish are regulars, and rave in the<br />
book’s foreword), the hospitality. ‘Our<br />
hotels are not just about the beautiful<br />
spaces. Our hotels are soulful,’ writes<br />
Liz. Soulful, relaxing, luxurious spots in<br />
iconic SA locations. Just perfect. R800<br />
from theroyalportfolio.com<br />
Beat lockdown calories<br />
... these Fitch & Leedes<br />
Sugar Free mixers are<br />
low in calories (less<br />
than one in a can of<br />
the Indian Tonic, while<br />
the Pink Tonic and<br />
Bitter Lemon have just<br />
five calories) but taste<br />
superb. Amazing for<br />
a guilt-free G&T, but<br />
they make refreshing<br />
Quarantini mocktails,<br />
too. You’ll find them at<br />
your local supermarket<br />
for around R48 for<br />
a six pack, but can<br />
buy online too, on<br />
fitchleedes.co.za<br />
Compiled by KYM ARGO<br />
<strong>June</strong> <strong>2020</strong> Get It • <strong>Ballito</strong> <strong>Umhlanga</strong> 09