Hazyview: 4/5

You know you’re a travel journo when you itch for a getaway.

I’ve been on two trips this year, to Nigeria (not my best) and Turkey (holy paper hat, it’s amazing), but it’s been a few months since I returned from Istanbul and I have been chomping at the bit to get out there again.

Thanks to some fabulous people at Tsogo Sun, I spent a long weekend at their Sabi River Sun Resort with A-Friend – a real treat.

It took us about six hours to reach the hotel from Joburg. Google Maps reckons you can do it in under five hours, but I wasn’t in the mood for racing flat out. We stopped a few times for smoke and toilet breaks, because I don’t allow smoking in my car. We also stopped in Machadodorp for a PEP stop and to pick up bags of the world’s best biltong and dry wors at the Machado Slaghuis.

We got stuck behind a fair few trucks heading in the same direction, and as I’m not a huge risk-taker, I didn’t try to overtake on blind rises, much to the irritation of the idiots behind me.

All-in-all however, it was a pleasant trip. I haven’t driven that far in a long time, and the winding roads snaking up and down the escarpment kept me sufficiently focussed.

From Joburg’s chilly climate, we entered the lovely warmth of the Lowveld; the sunny days are so hot in winter that slops and t-shirts are necessary. The heat disappears quickly once the sun sets, and takes a while to warm up the earth the next day, but it was a lovely change from all the jerseys and boots being donned in Gauteng.

I really wanted to get out to Mpumalanga and visit the places of my childhood memories. We were in the area in about 1992 and did the whole tourist thing as a family. I seem to recall having a lot of fun in Pilgrim’s Rest and God’s Window, but I think my memories might have deceived me. Or perhaps it’s a case of rose-tinted glasses, because I was very disappointed.

Pilgrim’s Rest is virtually a ghost town. The single street has only a handful of shops of open and I think A-Friend and I were the only visitors. There are a couple of car guards who washed my car without permission and were upset that I refused to pay them for the service. We did have a good cappuccino at the sole coffee shop, and I made friends with the African Grey parrot.

God’s Window, on the other hand, was crawling with noisy tourists, spoiling the peace and quiet I was hoping for. So we didn’t stay long.

Graskop is clearly more popular than Pilgrim’s Rest. The main street has a number of small shops and two pancake houses. They also have tourist prices.

I’d have to say that my favourite part of the day was driving the twisty, narrow roads. There were very few cars and Google Maps seems to have mapped the area well, so we didn’t get lost or drive off a cliff.

A-Friend and I spent the second day of our holiday at the resort. Honestly, there’s really no reason to leave, unless you really want to see the countryside.

On the hotel grounds you’ll find walking trails, an 18-hole golf course, a bowls green, volleyball and tennis courts, a kiddies play area with swings and a jungle gym, and a sparkling pool. I trust that the facilities are top notch – I didn’t have the energy or motivation to test any of them. I did, however, make a point of lounging by the pool before my booking at the Eden Spa.

It was really decadent to spend a couple of hours stretched out on a lounger in the sun. I removed my takkies and exposed my very white feet to the rays, but pulled them under cover when things got too hot. So early in the morning (this was before 09h00 on a Saturday), the vibe was mellow – just the way I like it.

Eden Spa offers a wide range of treatments at very reasonable prices and it was no trouble to spend a few hours inside being rubbed and scrubbed. The premises is small, and perhaps a little close to the main hotel area to give you an isolated feeling, but the two treatment rooms mask the sounds of the outside world with tranquil music and white noise.

I booked a back massage, and a full-service mani-pedi. I was assigned a therapist who completed all of my treatments with skill. I was intrigued with the foot soak, which felt very much like sticking my feet into a basin of warm jelly bubbles. I had such fun squishing it between my toes and swirling my feet to cover every inch of skin I could reach. Apparently it’s a special treatment that works on the pressure points in the feet and draws out toxins. I have to say that my feet did feel really good afterwards.

I left with freshly painted toes and fingers and a little less tension in my shoulders, ready to laze the afternoon away, which I did without a second of guilt.

It’s rare that I can go away without it being work related, and although I did have to write a review for the magazine, I left my laptop at home and just enjoyed myself.