TRAVEL - INTERVIEW
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Santa Maria Unit 1
TRAVEL - INTERVIEW
by Melisa Kaya
Santa Maria Beach House is located in the heart of the historic Blouberg on the beach, Cape Town. With four different units, warm interior design, historic building, and extraordinary Cape Town view, Santa Maria Beach House offers boutique accommodation for leisure and business travelers. Santa Maria Beach House is one of four properties that has been operating by SOUL Private Collection in the Cape Region and along the Garden Route. I talked to Ellenique Fick, Marketing Manager of the SOUL Private Collection, to get more information about both Santa Maria Beach House and Blouberg & Cape Town.
Santa Maria Beach House
Ellenique, could you tell us about Soul Private Collection? How many different Guesthouses do you operate? What are their common features?
SOUL Private Collection is an elite range of boutique hotels that all have their own unique qualities and personalities, but all share in the same SOUL. Hence our claim: Different Places, One SOUL.
One of our SOUL aims are to provide special one-on-one attention to our guests: we want to show them what it means to have SOUL, to experience SOUL and to rejuvenate their SOULS while staying with us. We want our guests to feel special and thus we go out of our way to get to know you and your needs. You will be welcomed warm-heartedly into our SOUL and we will make you a part of our family. All of our properties are a decent size with not too many suites, so that we can place extra focus on our guests and get to know them by heart.
Our objective is to spread our SOUL all over the world, but for now, we have 4 properties that are situated in the Cape Region and along the Garden Route.
SOUL Private Collection:
Oceans Wilderness – Wilderness, Garden Route
Retreat on Cliff – Knysna, Pezula Golf Estate, Garden Route
Santa Maria Beach House – Blouberg, Cape Town
Retreat on Hove – Llundadno, Cape Town
The common feature of all our boutique hotels, are definitely our SOUL service and that we live to craft memorable experiences for our guests.
Santa Maria Beach House
About Santa Maria Beach House, I would like to learn more about location first. Could you tell us about Blouberg and its history?
Santa Maria Beach House is actually a historic monument property. Therefore, we cannot change it too drastically, instead, we try to keep its original appearance while maintaining it neatly and finishing it off with enveloping it with our SOUL attributes.
Santa Maria Beach House is set at the heart of the historic Blouberg on the beach. It is the same location that witnessed the great Blouberg battle in 1806, when the British recaptured the Cape Peninsula to keep Napoleon at bay and protect the East Asia trading routes.
Incidentally, the name Blouberg derives from Afrikaans and refers to the blue tinge that can often be observed to cloak the Tabletop Mountain in a mystic veil. Hours are whiled away just leaning back and admiring the Cape Town landmark.
“Directly adjacent to the beach” is no euphemism. When the tide is high and the surf up, the waves run up against the Beach House's walls and an unwary sunbather on the beautiful timber deck may occasionally be refreshed with an unexpected splash.
However, most days you are free to stroll down the twenty kilometers long beach that stretches from Blouberg to Melkbosstrand. Surfers and kite surfers will delight in the local conditions. Only five minutes away you may hire all the necessary equipment.
Santa Maria Beach House
What are the advantages of being on Blouberg beach?
We are situated right on the beach. You literally take a few steps and you are there. We are placed perfectly, since we have a natural swimming pool (ocean) at our doorstep, a beautiful view of Table Mountian, along with a restaurant next to us where you can also get some live entertainment from, while sipping on a gin and tonic and watching the sun go down. Then we are also within walking distance away from a shopping centre and a variety of restaurants to choose from that are also right by the beach front.
Blouberg Beach is also any sports junkie’s dream since the whole beach is full of surfers, ranging from windsurfers to kitesurfers and seeing many people enjoying paragliding, paddle boarding etc. The sky is usually filled with beautiful colours as the kite surfers make their way through the air with their big air jumps.
Could you tell us about Santa Maria Beach House and the overall concept?
Here we have 4 individual self-catering beach homes (units). They are all situated by the beach, which means you wake up next to the ocean. All the units have a beach house-feel, which immediately puts you in a holiday mood :). All of our units offer amenities, cleaning services, a private outside patio area, a fully equipped kitchen, flat screen TV with DSTV package, free wifi and inside fireplace.
Santa Maria Beach House Unit 1
Unit 1: it has 3 rooms with 3 en-suite bathrooms and can sleep a max of 6 people. All amenities are offered. It has the most beautiful view of the beach and ocean, just as your lounge door opens up onto a spacious outside patio area where one can enjoy sundowners or a morning coffee.
Santa Maria Beach House Unit 2
Unit 2: it has 1 bedroom (2 single beds pushed together to make a queen-size bed) and En-suite bathroom with single shower and separate bath. Here you also have a lovely patio overlooking the ocean and Table Mountain.
Santa Maria Beach House Unit 3
Unit 3: it has 2 bedrooms and two bathrooms. The one bedroom is situated on the ground floor and the second bedroom is upstairs. It comes with a fireplace and you have your own private patio overlooking the ocean.
Santa Maria Beach House Unit 4
Unit 4: it has 2 bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms and a guest bathroom, a private patio/outside seating area and a fireplace.
We also cater to our guests' needs and desires, therefore we can at any time plan their itineraries for them and make reservations for them etc. We care highly about our guest relation services and therefore all of our managers at our properties are used to paying special attention to our guests’ wishes.
What type of different experiences could your guests live on Blouberg beach?
You will be hosted and treated with absolute friendliness and the greatest hospitality. Our employees live to offer great service to our guests and they are all well informed about the area and things to do. As mentioned there are a variety of activities to take part in, some of them right at your doorstep and then, of course, you have amazing accommodation to relax in.
Santa Maria Beach House Unit 4
Please tell us about your services and amenities. How could your guests spend time at Santa Maria Beach House?
We can arrange anything for you as we are very well connected and skilled. We organise private dinners on your patio/in your private unit, take part in romantic proposals, arrange spa treatments in the comfort of your own Santa Maria Beach House, put together picnics for you to enjoy on those sunny days, can arrange cocktail hour for you on your private patio while overlooking the beautiful ocean and with Table Mountain in your midst. If you are lucky enough to come to visit during our whale season between September – February, you can enjoy playful sights of whales breaching about and waving their tails in the air. We are in the perfect location to arrange whale watching tours, some might even say we are the mecca of the Marine Safari World, as we are also globally renowned for our Great White Shark Cage Diving experiences.
We also arrange a variety of tours and guides depending on your liking and language preference. Due to our international market, we cater to them with arranging guided tours in their native language so that they can be sure not to miss out on anything.
Santa Maria Beach House Unit 2
And when they out of Santa Maria Beach House and stepping into the Blouberg area of Cape Town, What can they do? Where can they eat?
First of all, you would find it hard to place your feet outside of Santa Maria Beach House but, when you do you can take a lovely walk down the long sandy beach, take a pit-stop at Onse Huisie to get some lunch or grab a coffee and piece of cheesecake at Blouberg Caffe. There are also a variety of restaurants to choose from at the beachfront by Eden on Bay, plus a local supermarket one can buy some groceries and goodies for you to take back to your beach home. You can choose to get a surf lesson, do paddle boarding or head out for some sightseeing in the mother city, only a few minutes away. From your beach home, you also have a long distance view of Robben Island, the location that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned and it can be visited by boat. We are also only a few minutes away from the second famous mountaintop, apart from Table Mountian – Lion’s Head. It is a great hike and offers an incredible panoramic view from the top. İt is especially a popular activity to do when it is a full moon.
We also arrange a lovely TASTE OF THE CAPE – cooking/sightseeing experience where we take you to feel, taste and breath in all Cape Town has to offer plus at the same time, get to master that perfect South African recipe to take back home.
Santa Maria Beach House Unit 1
Which services and features of Santa Maria Beach House make it different from other beach houses in Cape Town?
We are right on the beach, from closing your door and looking out, you are already there. We offer on-site assistance and provide you with whatever you need in terms of arranging tours/spa treatments etc.
What kind of additional services do you offer for business travelers?
We have free wifi on-site, free underground parking in an enclosed garage, satellite TV in each unit, cleaning services and management assistance.
Santa Maria Beach House Unit 1
How can travelers make their individual or business/group reservations? Do you have any advantage packs, reward packs or gift cards that you offer to your regular and long-term guests?
Guests can make their reservation at Santa Maria Beach House via email or phone call at reservations@santamariabeachhouse.co.za / info@soulprivatecollection.com (since we are a chain of boutique hotels – SOUL Private Collection) or contact us at +27 63 942 4943.
SOUL Private Collection:
Oceans Wilderness – Wilderness, Garden Route: reservations@oceanswilderness.co.za / info@soulprivatecollection.com
Retreat on Cliff – Knysna, Pezula Golf Estate, Garden Route: reservations@cliffretreat.co.za / info@soulprivatecollection.com
Santa Maria Beach House – Blouberg, Cape Town: reservations@santamariabeachhouse.co.za / info@soulprivatecollection.com
Retreat on Hove – Llundadno, Cape Town: reservations@hoveretreatt.co.za / info@soulprivatecollection.com
Do look out on our website, www.soulprivatecollection.com for special packages and offers.
Santa Maria Beach House Unit 1
Which is the top season for travelers who want to visit Cape Town? What is the reason?
Our summer months offer great opportunities to enjoy our beautiful coastal areas and beaches which also comes with numerous activities and excursions at your disposal, such as whale watching, great white shark cage diving, seal snorkeling, surfing, fat bike tours on the beach and the list goes on.
Whale Season is at its peak from September onwards throughout the summer months.
During the rest of the year, the city remains beautiful, vibrant and active – it is the New York of the country -the city that never sleeps. There are lovely coffee shops, restaurants, bars, markets, festivals, art galleries and shopping centers to visit. A ‘must do’ is definitely FIRST THURSDAYS -this is a street market festival held on every first Thursday of a new month and here all galleries, shops, and restaurants stay open until late evening for you to have the time to explore everything the city has to offer. İt is a great vibe.
What are the most famous attractions near you?
Table Mountain + Lion’s Head
Blouberg Beach
Seal Island
Robben Island – Nelson Mandela was imprisoned there.
Hout Bay
Camps Bay and Clifton Beach
If you have only one weekend in Cape Town as a first-time visitor, in this limited time, what are the best things to do?
Table Mountain, Robben Island, Lions Head - climb, Clifton Beach, Bo-Kaap (colourful houses and Cape Malay culture)
How do you describe Cape Town in one sentence?
It offers an infinite diversity ranging from different cultures, traditions, religions, languages, people, attractions, landscapes, geographical areas (coastal and mountain areas) and more - It honestly gives you a world of opportunities and perspectives to explore.
Thank you Ellenique for this enjoyable interview.
For more information, please visit the website of Santa Maria Beach House
