Per's Swellendam Diary
   
The Hideaway in Swellendam South Africa is a national monument
   
   
     
 

Per's Swellendam Diary

 
 

Notes, news and observations from Per - the real owner of The Hideaway Bed & Breakfast Accommodation in Swellendam on the Garden Route

Introduction
Ambience
The Suites
Breakfasts
Sundowners
Amenities
Awards
Yoga Retreat
Guest Comments
Photo Gallery
Per's Diary
   
 
Hi everyone, it is me again, Per, the head cat from The Hideaway in Swellendam, you know, that little guest house on the Garden Route.  This is me just in case you have forgotten what I look like. I have been having a fabulous time with my staff doing lots of stretches, you know, Up Cats and Down Cats and lots of things like that.  I must say it makes me feel very relaxed and lovely.  Of course I am much more supple than my staff, except maybe Saskia who is our teacher, she is really bendy and definitely a Cool Cat.
My staff call all this Yoga, which is very confusing because I thought yoga was something you ate.  Not me of course, I love my Dr Hill's chick chick pellets and hunting for moles in the garden, so I wouldn't actually eat Yoga or fruit salad or any of that lovely honey muesli stuff that you humy-bees like, but I do like the stretchy bit, its is really fun.  And then there is the new place at The Hideaway where people go for massages and facials and stuff.  Not sure about facials but I love it when my staff stroke my back, - so relaxing.
Oh well, got to go now, time for another cat nap.  You know what they say about us cats, sleep,
stretch, eat, repeat ....

 

Per and The Wallow




Hi there everyone, It's me again! You know, Per, the main peanut at The Hideaway, the little 5 star B&B on the Garden Route in South Africa!

That's me in the picture! Sorry, I look a bit dozy, but I have just woken up
from a great nap by the new wood burner stove my staff have installed for
me next to my favourite napping chair,

It's luvverly when it's chilly, I can snuggle up and snooze in the warm.

My staff have been acting quite strangely recently, I don't understand why they have been disappearing into The Wallow and getting into this bubbly frothy thing full of water!  Ugh! I can't stand getting my paws wet, so how they can lie there in the horrid wet stuff up to their chins I don't know.

They say "there is nowt so queer as folk", so maybe that's it! Horrid bubbly thing, I 'm not going near it I can tell you!

And another thing, they've put this funny wooden box thing in The Wallow next to the bubbly tub and called it a "Finnish Sauna". Silly name, of course it's finnished, it's standing there isn't it? It gets really hot and the staff go in and come out all Yucky!

They love it and come outside and roll
around in the cold.  I mean, how mad is
that, middle of winter and grown humey bees
rolling around on wet grass and giggling, then jumping in the hot bubbly tub.  I mean, I ask you. I think I shall have to have them "seen" by somebody.  But, maybe not now, I'm awfully snoozily after chatting to you for so long so it's back to my chair for a catnap...

See you all soon, I hope! I don't get out much so
maybe you could all come to see me? ........  That would be nice ......... zzzzz

 

The largest natural swimming pool in South Africa

The largest natural swimming pool in South Africa
Hello everybody, It's me again, you know the cat that runs the Top Destination Award-winning bed & breakfast on the Garden Route.  I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and that Santa Cat brought you all the catnip treats you were hoping for!  He certainly put some special things in my bowl!  

My staff have been very busy moving things around at The Hideaway because the new swimming pool is now open with the lovely guest lounge and they are up there every morning serving breakfast under those fabulous mountain views. Lots of guests are swimming and yoga classes have started up there too.  The new garden is looking lovely with the 450 roses in flower and the stream lined with agapanthus.  Of course, I'm not a swimmer, being a cat, but I can see the attraction when the weather is really hot. You see, I don't like ceiling fans, they scare me, so I have to find some shade, but  the guests jump into the clear cool water and come out looking very refreshed.  Well, you won't find me jumping in there, I can tell you! Phew! all this work has mad me very hot, so I'm just off to a shady spot for a catnap.  See you soon! ......

 

SANLAM Top Destination 2015 Award - The Hideaway wins!

Hello everyone, it's Per, the cat that runs The Hideaway in Swellendam, you know - that wonderful little B&B on the Garden Route.  I was so cross on Thursday 29 October because my staff just up and left without so much as a by your leave!  They just got in the car and drove away.  Luckily Tannie Anelma was here to give me hugs and make my supper, but what is a cat to do when their staff doesn't tell them that they are zooming off somewhere?  Well anyway, you wouldn't believe it, but the very next day about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, they came back!  Waltzed in as if nothing had happened!  larger than life! Plonked a strange statuette of a lady leaning over backwards on the table and hung a certifi-cat on the wall.  Now, my reading is not so good, because I'm a cat, but Anelma said that it was the Top Destination Award for 2015 for 5 star B&Bs from someone called SANLAM.  Not sure what that was about, but apparently, my staff had a phone call about a month ago informing them that they were finalists in the competition run by Discount Traveller and inviting them to a Gala Dinner at Ratanga Junction.  That's why they left me, you see.  Some of our lovely guests had voted for The Hideaway and they WON!  Well, when I knew that, I was prepared to forgive them for walking out on me like that.  Just wished they'd said! Anyway, can't stop, just heading for a cat-nap in my favourite spot .......


 

New gardens and an Ecopool

Hello everybody, it's me, Per, the little cat that runs The Hideaway in Swellendam on the Garden Route in the Western Cape of South Africa.  My staff have been so busy creating the new gardens at The Hideaway that I haven't been able to get near the computer for ages to write a blog!  I managed to slip into the office today when it was all quiet to tell you about the huge additional gardens that the staff are making.  They have built a huge new swimming pool called an Ecopool, whatever that is, I don't know, but it doesn't use any chemicals to make the water clean and has lots of plants around the edges.  Reeally beeeautiful!  I dipped a paw into the water the other day, and I'm not much of a one for water as you know, but it felt so soft on my fur.  Lovely!  There are lovely flowers too and an orchard, a stream and olive trees and a new pool pavilion with fabulous views of the mountains.  The staff say they are going to serve breakfast there in the summer.  Oh oh!  Got to go, the staff are coming back and I will have to give up the computer!  See you all soon, I'm  off for a purrfect catnap in the new garden.






 

The Hideaway Has Gone Green

Hi everybody!  It's Per, the crazy cat from The Hideaway in Swellendam, that little B&B that has some of the best accommodation in town and plenty of information on things to do in Swellendam.  Well!  I'm writing to tell you that The Hideaway, that lovely old Cape Dutch Nagmaalhuis with the classic colonial bullnosed stoep has gone GREEN!  What?  It is a National Monument, it can't go green!  Well! Actually it is green and white because these are the classic colours for a National Monument of this type, but that is not what I mean ....  It has gone green environmentally! 

Apart from the usual modcons of reversing airconditioners, silent fridges, WiFi throughout, iPhone docking stations, et al, all the lights are now LED - saving tons and tons of electricity .... and all the water is heated either by heat pumps or solar energy, saving even more tons of electricity and we now have a bottle bank and rainwater butts and eveything.  We use local suppliers for everything we can to cut down on food miles and make as much of our food as we can on the premises.  So there you are - come to stay with us in Swellendam and enjoy green stuff at The Hideaway!

Ooh!  I nearly forgot!  There are BEES buzzing in Swellendam from 9 - 11 August 2013 when the South African Bee Industry Conference comes to town, which is a great excuse to have a festival, so we are!  The Big Bee festival, find out about it at www.bigbee.co.za. You will find BEEuaty exhibitions, BEEr, BBEoerekos, Braais, BEEuffeljagsdam cruises, BEEoating, BEEhoney, BEEbands, Beemusic BEEconcerts, BEE7srugby, BEEblomme walks, BEEtrailrunning with Wildrunner, BEEgBoysToys, and definitely - BEE there! It sounds exhausting, I'm off for a catnap. See you soon.....

 

Something surprising happened at The Hideaway ....

Hi Everybody!  It's me, Per, the best cat at The Hideaway in Swellendam.  The things I have been up to in Swellendam on the Garden Route are just too a-maz-ing - I am so excited I can scarcely tell you.  There has been so much going on around Swellendam that I have been rushed off my feet; exhausted; not getting my usual 20 hours sleep on the sofa!  And it is all because MY STAFF have had so many nice things said about my little 5 star B&B in the Overberg that we have won a PRIZE (and I got my photo in the newspaper!  Well! Fancy that!).  I'm not sure what a prize is, being a cat ..... (I'm not sure what a newspaper is either really .....)

It all started when my staff drove off very early one morning and Oum Adin came in to sit with me.  Tannie Sharon came in later and stayed the night.  Well, I wasn't going to sleep in my room when my staff were away, was I?  It was all cold and lonely so I dived into Tannie's bed and hid under the covers (I'm not allowed to do that when my staff are around, but I don't think Tannie knew because I stayed there all night!! Lovely and warm!!)

Then my staff came home and there was lots of excitement because they brought this funny blue thing back which you can see at the top of the page.  I don't know what it is all about, being a cat, but everyone was very happy and I had to sit still in my staff's arms while the lady from the newspapers pointed this thing at me.  And then I found out that my staff had been to a party .... without me!  Is there no justice? .....Look at them enjoying themselves ..  Honestly!  You just can't get the staff these days ... 

Well, I'm off for a catnap.....  Keep in touch....


Archives


February 2011   March 2011   April 2011   June 2011   November 2011   January 2012   March 2012   May 2012   August 2012   September 2012   July 2013   September 2015   November 2015   December 2015   August 2016   October 2017  

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Subscribe to Posts [Atom]