Saxon Hotel

[mary-j]

Hi,

have been getting a few prices forApril for Leopard's Hill and Azura in Mozambique, but one of the quotes included an overnight stay at the Saxon Hotel in Sandhurst, due to arriving too late for the flight to Leopard's Hill. When I went to check out the Saxon Hotel,I was so impressed that I am now considering staying there instead of going on to Azura.ShouldI change or stick with my original plan?



Has anyone stayed at the Saxon Hotel? If we did stay here, what would you suggest we could do outside of the hotel? Is it in a good location for getting out and about? We wouldn't want to hire a car so would not want it to be too far from attractions/places to see.

What is the weather likely to be like in April?



Any advice/info would be much appreciated.



Cheers,



Mary-j



p.s. I have not been much on the forum recently, but still have a look in everyday. Enjoy reading all the comments and posts. Hopefully now I will be on more often. xx

[mary-j]

.....sorry, that was meant to read Saxon Hotel in Sandton!!!!

[obrienkf]

mary-j



have no comment on your question, but wanted to 'welcome you back'. Mozambique -- what a great destination. I am jealous.



kind regards

[mary-j]

Thanks Obrienkf,

It is good to be back and hopefully i will be able to contribute more. I will see how things are.

Yes, Mozambique does look perfect and so peaceful, but am not sure about all the travelling involved with doing it along with Leopard's Hill. It is a long flight from Scotland(2 flights) and then would ahve a short flight from leopard's Hill, then a helicopter transfer to Azura, whichshould be fun!!! If i opt for the Saxon Hotel then it is a short taxi ride from Jo'Burg airport so obviously a lot less travelling involved. We are back off to Dubai next week so will have plenty beach time there. So I will have had my"beach fix" for a wee while longer!!!!LOL

Oh decisions, decisions!!

[kyshel]

I think jashermd has a review of his stay at the Saxon.

[mary-j]

I have just read Jashermd's review on The Saxon...WOW!!

I think you have definately pursuaded me now.

The only slight thing that is putting me off is the weather. I intend to just laze around and take in the peace and quiet and the beautiful grounds you have described. I am just hoping it is going to be warm enough to relax by the pool or sit on our balcony at the beginning of April.I had thought about maybe going a few weeks earlier if you thought the weather would be a little warmer and drier, but that would mean me celebrating my 50th birthday early as the reason for this holiday is to celebrate my birthday.

I am considering doing 3 nights at The saxon and either 4 or 5 nights at Leopard's Hill or would you recommend maybe doing an extra night at one of them. Also, which would you recommend doing first?



Thanks,

[jashermd]

Hi Mary-J,

Glad to hear that you're still thinking of going to Southern Africa! I've just returned from three and a half weeks in South Africa and Botswana which were amazing. I stayed at The Saxon on my last night before coming home. The spa is great -- definitely make some time for it! The food and wine were great as well -- I tried the tasting menu with matching wines and it was amazing. However, three or four days might be a bit much, at least for me, as it's not like a beach resort so there aren't as many activity options (though if you just want to chill out and relax it would be fine).

Which one would be best to do first depends if you prefer to start off with the more active part of your holiday and relax afterwards, or if you prefer to ease into the holiday with some downtime at the beginning. Personally I'd do the safari first, go to Mozambique for a few nights to relax, and then end with one or two nights at the Saxon before flying back to the UK. There are flights direct from Nelspruit (the nearest airport to the Sabi Sands) to Vilanculos for Benguerra Lodge, Azura, and the other places in the southern archipelago. At the end of the trip you'd fly from Vilanculos to Joburg. If you wanted to start with the beach you could do the trip described above in reverse. Either way you could end with a few days at The Saxon.

April is autumn in Southern Africa -- days will be warm and sunny while nights are cool and crisp. April is an ideal time to visit Cape Town and the Winelands, so you might want to consider adding some time there. Cape Town is a short flight from Joburg, and there are also flights to Nelspruit -- so you could fly from London to Cape Town, spend 4-5 days there and 1-2 days in the Winelands, fly to Nelspruit for the Sabi Sands, fly to Vilanculos for your beach time, and then back to Joburg. It would be a great trip!

Cheers,
Julian

[jashermd]

Actually, you were right the first time -- The Saxon is in Sandhurst, which is a neighbourhood in Sandton.

Cheers,
Julian

[mary-j]

Thank you Jasher for your reply. As usual it is a wealth of information and very much appreciated. We have been told by many people about going to Cape Town instead of Jo'Burg but as the Saxon Hotel looks so stunning and it is just really somewhere lovely with very little travel involved, it just sounds ideal.

You will remember from my previous posts, that we had originally opted for Azura along with Leopard Hills, but then we decided against it this visit as it would mean all the extra travelling involved. We are anly going to be going for around 10 nights including the travelling, so really want to try to cut the travelling down to a minimum.Azura does appeal to me lots, I must say!! We have just returned from Dubai so had my "beach fix" there so hopefully will kep me going for a little while longer.I was intending on booking South africa at the weekend, but the girl who was dealing with me, wasn't working over the weekend, so never got rould to booking it. Now, i wish i had as I have been looking at a couple of other resorts I have been really interested in for a long time. One is Las Alamandas and also have been looking again at Hawaii, especially Kauai or Maui, especially the new refurbished Ritz Carlton. I definately need to get this holiday booked before Ichange my mind again. If i had booked the safari and South africa at the weekend like I intended on doing,then I wouldn't be in this dilemma!!!



Just one more question.....on the flight over to Leopard Hills, what is the luggage restrictions on these flights?



Thanks,

Mary-j

[jashermd]

Hi Mary-j,

You can bring 20kg of luggage in a soft bag on the charters to the Sabi Sands. Some people do break this rule and bring large hard sided cases, but if you do this you're taking a risk -- I've seen people left on the runway when their bags were too big to fit the hold.

Do you have an LL package for Leopard Hills? If not I'd strongly encourage you to investigate other options -- there are other reserves which offer more exclusive game-viewing and more luxurious accommodation in the area.

Cheers,
Julian