Not a goodbye, but a big thank you!

With so many national holidays coming up like the Easter weekend, the whole of South Africa (most of us) will be taking a break - sitting back, relaxing..

But Medindi Manor staff will be ready for a huge group booking coming in - we can't wait!

This is a wonderful time for us. Not only are we fully booked, but we accommodate lovely guests who are here to spend the Easter period in Cape Town - what a lovely place to be at this time of the year.

With all these celebrations happening around us, it gives us a time to reflect. It allows us to take a breather and to dwell a little on the past (week, month, year).

As such, I have done the same. Reflecting back on the past 6 months of my life, I have come to one conclusion - life is way too short.

You never know where life will take you - the path has curves, and bends and along the way holds many surprises. And this is (by chance, accident, luck or fate) how I ended up at Medindi Manor. What an experience! And with everything else - time was way too short.

I enjoyed every second, and will always carry Medindi Manor, the owners, the staff, and the guests in my heart. I only wish them the best of luck for the future.

See you soon, and take care.

Stella.

Something Old, Something New..

Something Old
Something New
Something Borrowed
Something Blue

Just as the seasons are changing, and life changes, so does the busy times at Medindi Manor.
We have had a good summer, and autumn is slowly creeping in.

Something OLD:
Apart from the seasons changing we also have to say goodbye to a wonderful colleague - Jeanine Binneman, who is leaving us to sail around the world.

We wish her the best of luck with her future.

Something NEW:
Magalie joined our Housekeeping team, and she is slowly but surely learning every day! Welcome Magalie!

Something BORROWED:
i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
                                                      i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

A beautiful poem as winter approaches - CC Cummings

Something BLUE:
Kyle planted more purple-blue flowers in the garden, they will be enjoying the last bit of strong sunlight in March and April.

The Month Of Love

Questa è una storia d'amore

For our English readers : This heading means - This is a story about love. 

Don't we all need a little? 

Couldn't the world do with people who loved thy neighbors? 

Well, February is the month in which love is celebrated. And why not make every day special, not just the 14th? 

Love is compassion and deeds of kindness. It is respect for others and patience. Love possesses good qualities, and from practicing love, your actions will follow and these qualities will flow outwards, to others. 

In India, Yogi's often refer to the three pillars of balance or equilibrium in one life. 

Of these three, Love is presented as the kindest and most humble quality to possess. 

You might not know this, as it is not always presented in the Traveler's catalogs or in the information section on different places to visit, but Cape Town is a beautiful city - a place where love can be felt. If this is the type of holiday you are looking for, than Cape Town is perfect. And where else could you stay than at Medindi Manor - where even those who are skeptical about love could start believing in it.   

Have you ever dreamt of living a different life? 

Perhaps, just like me, you have always dreamt of living a different life in some exotic location. 

Well, Tuscany is a dream place, with dream people, dream food and dream music - and even though I have only experienced it in my mind, it is more than a mere dream I have.

I hear a church bell in the distance. I smell wood-fired pizza. I see the busy piazza filled with people and birds - pecking at every crumb which falls from the small coffee tables. 

An old lady shoos away a bunch of naughty children, all giggling and running around, chasing each other from fountain to fountain. There is an unexplained peace as the sun shines down on the cracked walls of the old buildings. 

My Tuscany exists! Does yours? 

Deep in the leafy suburb of Rosebank in Cape Town, such an idealistic and peaceful place exists. It is a small boutique hotel, rich with history called Medindi Manor. This to me is very much like my own Tuscany. My own little Italian dream. 

It is peaceful and quiet. Oh, but do not get me wrong - at times during every day it is buzzing with life and guests who visit it from all over the world. 

But there is some kind of tranquillity that surrounds it. And I figured out what the magic, the secret behind this natural habitat, this ashram of white-washed stillness and peace, is. 

Happiness. 

Two months into the job here at Medindi Manor and I have found happiness. It's the staff and the type of guests who visit us which makes all the difference. 

And with time I am learning more about the rich history of Medindi Manor and the small pieces of happiness which the staff and owners all hold in the depths of their hearts.

Unique - every staff member here is unique and as a team I find that we create our own Utopia.

Mamalema is a family man, and connects with every child who stays with us. Jeanine is a real mother hen – busy, busy, busy. Betty from the Congo, is a fighter, she has been through so much in her native land and still stands strong. Ziyanda and Kedibone are our two sweethearts who never complain and do everything diligently. Blessings carries his name well, as he is a blessing to Medindi Manor and Kudzi is our earlybird who loves spending time cultivating plants and helping Kyle (a top gardener of note) plant and replant the most beautiful things. Lynda is the Queen Bee and has a heart of gold. 

This is our Utopia, MY Italy, and OUR family. 

We only want our family to grow bigger - so why not come and visit us soon? 

Stella.  

Biggest weed found!

Here at Medindi Manor we are passionate about our garden and we try our very best to keep it looking absolutely beautiful for all our guests. However, it seems that one particular weed has kept itself very well hidden for far too long and thanks to Kyle, that weed has been kicked out at long lost! Look how HUGE it is!

Kyle, owner of the beautiful old Victorian Boutique Hotel, visits Medindi Manor during summer time and enjoys spending a lot of time in the garden. Kyle certainly has the greenest fingers I have ever seen as everything he plants, grows! Kyle knows plants and knows what to plant where and with what. He has mastered the techniques, that's for sure.

My passion for gardening came when I was 12 working in my mom's garden and I enjoyed it so much I kept doing it ever since, says Kyle.

Medindi Manor on top of Table Moutain

It was a beautiful day in Cape Town today and a perfect day to go to the top of our Natural Wonder of the World!

Kedibone, Ziyanda, Blessings, Betty and myself (Jeanine), went on a trip to Table Mountain and it was a first for most of them! The excitement was in the air and the cameras were out, ready to take lots of pictures. Driving toward the mountain this morning was spectacular, the air was fresh and clear and the mountain was beautiful as always. Ziyanda, Betty and Blessings were taking pictures already barely out of the car. Thanks to online tickets we were good to go straight through and wait for the cable car's doors to open so we can jump in. The cable car ride was fun, Betty had to get use to it at first as it was very weird and scary for her, but we were all there to calm her down. One does not realise how quick the car actually goes up, until you see the little figures down there far below. Once we were out to see the views it was fantastic, we took lots of pictures and it was great to see everyone happy and enjoying the trip. It was quit a walk around the top and with such beautiful warm weather we got thirsty quickly. After spending a few hours at the Mountain, we head down to get something to eat...everyone was craving some chicken and thought KFC would be a delicious choice and for desert it was a yummy ice cream. The day came to an end but everyone is going home with lots of stories and pictures to show and tell their friends and families.

Comments..

Great style - Van Der Vlugt - The Netherlands
Home away from Home, We love you all - Melbourne University x 18pp
We loved every minute - Nicola Simcock - Australia
Nice Place - Bo Edlen - Sweden
Very good house - Arthur Chen - China
Great Place, I will come back! - Daniela Frank - Germany/Canada
Friendly staff, lovely house - Farung Surina - Thailand
Great place, comes highly recommended - Mutza - South Africa
What a wonderful stay - Nicola & Gail - South Africa
Fantastic service, keep it up - Wadzanai - Zimbabwe
Great place, great service, will be back - Anthony Noeritu
Great place, sal weer kom - JJ du Preez - South Africa
Thank you so much, lovely place - Bob & Glenda Baerg - Canada
Wonderful place, hope to come back again - Margit Klose
Beautiful & wonderful stay - Edathadan Babu - Nigeria
Would definitely come back, thank you ! - Dave Hall - UK
Everything was great - Ray and Wendy Ward - Port Elizabeth
It was wonderful, also for our children - Sophie Staab & Michael Schmid & Luise, Alma - Germany
Had a wonderful time, thank you! - Fred Quinn - USA
Great Place to stay - Angelo Izzo - USA
Lovely place here! - Joan & Hazel - Namibia
Outstanding! - Avalon Brandt - USA
Great service - Dave & Clare Richards - Ireland
Great service, lovely people - S Mbombo - Puket
Service is excellent, staff is friendly - M.L Mokubing - Freestate
Great Place, wonderful & friendly - Monty & Marion - Australia
Thank you to all the Medindi staff, I had a wonderful time - Michael Mamabolo - South Africa
Awesome, perfect place for jetlag, quiet! - Joan & Dennis - Texas USA