Archive for April, 2012

African Pride offers the amazing Irene Country Lodge Hotel | You To Life.

African Pride is Protea Hotels’ Superior-Deluxe range of hotels, lodges and country houses. Established in 2001, African Pride was established with the aim of meeting the demands of exclusive clientele and further extending the understanding and experience of five-star hotel accommodation in South Africa. As mentioned on their website, “African Pride embodies the proud spirit of Africa, combined with a passion for service and a commitment to excellence.” With a hotel portfolio of beautiful establishments, such as African Pride 15 On Orange, African Pride Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa or the African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel – the African Pride Hotel group certainly offers an extensive collection of luxurious getaways for you and your family to enjoy!

African Pride Irene Country Lodge is situated in the historic village of Irene. African Pride Irene Country lodge boasts a haven of peace and tranquility in the hub of South Africa’s economic hub. An array of facilities is available, including a full conference center, banquet facilities and wedding functions venue.

Dining at African Pride Irene Country Lodge is a definite highlight, with a number of restaurants on-site. The Meadow Green Restaurant boasts exquisite culinary creations carefully prepared by some of the country’s finest chefs with buffet lunches available on Sundays. A Spa Café and Juice Bar is a popular choice for guests visiting the Camdeboo Wellness Centre. Guests can also enjoy the shade of the beautiful oak trees, or relax and experience the serenity of the lake and birdlife.

For more information on African Pride Irene Country Lodge or the African Pride Hotel Group, visit their website on http://www.africanpridehotels.com/irene-country-lodge.html

SAX Arena is situated in Centurion, Pretoria and is a multipurpose function venue that can host up to 1000 people for a cocktail party or 400 people for a conference or dinner. This upmarket venue also has a Gautrain Bus stop right outside the venue and thus makes it a convenient way to travel to your next conference.

SAX stands for Sports Art eXchange, as the building also plays host to a variety of tertiary education with Open Windows (School of visual Arts), TIME (The institute of Music Excellence), etc… Making the SAX arena a great add-on to showcase all the different arts and sporting activities.

However in between these performances we host a number of various other functions and conferences on a monthly basis, click-through to our e-brochure to see sample events we have hosted.

See our current promotions on the flyer attached and book now!!!

Easter @ African Pride Irene Country Lodge:

I know I mentioned before that the highlight was going to be the skydiving Easter Bunny and so he was, his suit luckily opened and landed perfectly on the designated spot.

Our in-house entertainer also dressed up for the event and made the Easter egg hunt a roaring success.

The staff and management of African Pride Irene Country Lodge also added their touch to making this event, one to remember.

The spread that our amazing Chefs put together not only looked good, but tasted out of this world. From Sushi to Chocolate delights.

You surely missed out this weekend if you were not at Irene, but hopefully you will find the time to attend our next event. Watch this space…

Joburg.co.za – Destination Irene – Skydiving Easter bunny and Easter treats – The highlight on Easter Sunday will be the skydiving Easter Bunny and friends at African Pride Irene Country Lodge. Delicious eats at Meadow Green Restaurant Join them for a….

The highlight on Easter Sunday will be the skydiving Easter Bunny and friends at African Pride Irene Country Lodge.

Delicious eats at Meadow Green Restaurant
Join them for a lovely Easter Sunday lunch with family and friends on 8th of April 2012 at African Pride Irene Country Lodge in the Meadow Green Restaurant

WIN! All guests will stand a chance to win a night in the presidential suite, worth R6,500. So, get out the map, pack in your detective skills, and go hunting for Easter eggs this April!

‘Tis the season to join together for hot-cross buns, chocolate bunnies and finding where that crafty Easter Bunny has got to this year.

Special Easter Menu with Kiddies Buffet
Guests will be spoilt this holiday with a Special Easter Menu while kids will be delighted with an endless array of treats from the Easter Bunny himself as well as their very own Kiddies Buffet

Festivities will start from noon – while enjoying a welcome drink, their magical pianist and Sax player – Kirsten Watkins will fill the air with beautiful jazz notes and then the moment that will make this an Easter to remember for years… The skydiving Easter Bunny and friends will arrive!

Don’t miss out on this one-of-a-kind Easter, book now to avoid disappointment . Alternatively extend the experience by staying over for the weekend on one of African Pride Irene Country Lodge’s Amazing Overnight Packages available for both family and romantic getaways.

Spa Treatment
The Camdeboo Day Spa, which is situated in African Pride Irene Country Lodge, offers in celebration of Easter a Chocolate Decadence Promotion valid for the whole month of April, from Chocolate Pedicures and Manicures to a full body chocolate wrap with a cup of hot chocolate!

Sunday Lunch at Irene Dairy Farm
If all the excitement of the Easter Bunny skydiving is not for you and you just want enjoy a relaxing Sunday Lunch with friends and family, then the Irene Dairy Farm across the road, offers their Normal Sunday Lunch on Easter Sunday @ R149.95 per person and kids have their own buffet @ R 29.95.

A stroll around a darling old dairy farm.

A stroll around a darling old dairy farm

The Irene Dairy Farm, which was started in 1895, is one of those places that holds a special place in many Pretoria residents’ hearts. My sister, who lives in the village-like, leafy suburb of Irene still buys milk and cream there regularly, and it’s a time-honoured meeting place for families and friends who enjoy picnics on its well-manicured lawns, or a bite to eat in one of its restaurants.

In fact, I have special memories of our family celebrating my grandfather’s 100th birthday there a few years ago.

Children love feeding the calves, watching the cows being milked and playing on the old tractor. And then, of course, there’s the farm-fresh creamy ice cream that cannot be missed. I made the mistake of buying myself a cone before I was done taking photos. It’s quite a challenge shooting one-handed! But manage, I did.

If you grew up in Pretoria and visited the farm as a child, enjoy the trip down memory lane. If you’re visiting here from further afield … I hope you get some joy from my little visit to Irene Farm one afternoon after the thunderstorms had passed, and the sun had broken through the clouds.

MARCH 2012:

The Protea Hospitality Group is forging ahead with extensive expansion plans on the continent this year, with the first Protea Hotel in yet another African country soon to be built and 10 other properties in the pipeline for Nigeria, Uganda and Zambia.

The total value of this investment by Protea Hotels and its property owner partners is US$130 million (approximately. ZAR 1 billion) and represents the biggest expansion on the continent this year of any hotel group in the world.

This will bring to nine the number of African countries in which Protea Hotels is represented and the company is expected to make a separate announcement soon in this regard. Protea Hospitality Group CEO Arthur Gillis said the company was viewing the African market with much optimism this year, despite the uncertainty facing the global economy. “As political stability and business opportunities increase, they create a greater need for the hotels and we’re leading the charge,” said Gillis.

“There are a number of countries such as Nigeria, Zambia, Uganda and Angola that are flying in the face of the global economic trend as far as hospitality is concerned. Africa’s traditional trading partners have been changing rapidly in recent years, and this is spurring unprecedented growth in regions that have previously not seen the numbers.”

According to an African Outlook document co-authored by the African Development Bank, the OECD Development Centre, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the continent is becoming increasingly integrated in the global economy and in 2009 China became Africa’s main trading partner. “Hospitality groups would be foolish not to be wondering where their opportunities lie and researching which areas of the continent are drawing the largest percentage of commercial travel,” Gillis said.

The new hotels by country are as follows.

Nigeria:

· Protea Hotel Ibadan, Oyo State, 75 rooms, to open mid-2012;

· Protea Hotel Select Emotan – Benin City, Edo State, 100 rooms, opening in late-2012;

· Protea Hotel Select Ikeja, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, Lagos State, 120 rooms, under construction and set to open in early 2013;

· African Pride Avalon Hotel and Spa, GRA Ikeja, Lagos, Lagos State, 150 rooms, under construction and due to open in late-2013; and

· Protea Hotel Asaba, Asaba, Delta State, 125 rooms, construction to due to start April 2012.

Uganda:

· Protea Hotel Entebbe, 70 rooms, opening April 2012; and

· A further two hotels to open under the Protea Hotels banner in the third quarter 2012.

Zambia:

· Protea Hotel Ndola, 80 rooms, construction due to start in April 2012 and opening late 2013; and

· Protea Hotel Mulungushi (name yet to be confirmed), 104 rooms, construction just started.

These hotels will create more than 1 200 new direct jobs in the hospitality industry in those countries, and scores of indirect jobs in the supplier industries.

Gillis said hoteliers and developers in Africa were consistently turning to the Protea Hospitality

Group for partnerships because of the strong brand equity that each of their brands represents, the company’s excellent track record in management and logistics across the continent.

“It’s Africa’s year for development, and that means it’s also the Protea Hospitality Group’s year for development,” he said.

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African Pride Irene Country Lodge, stylish country living in the heart of the city.

Exuding  historical charm and exceptional modern luxury, African Pride Irene Country  Lodge is the epitome of elegant country living. Set on a beautiful lake  surrounded by a dairy farm and golf course.

The  13 year old lodge, a celebrated icon in Centurion’s Irene village, is a  multifunctional property suitable for both business and leisure. Perfect for a  romantic getaway with stunning lakeside views of the sunset; ideal for a family  leisure break with exciting activities for the children or simply as a serene  place to hold meetings and conferences, African Pride Irene Country Lodge  offers an unforgettable experience.

Camdeboo  Day Spa

The  lodge’s Camdeboo Day Spa & Restaurant with its enclosed delightful garden,  shaded by huge oak trees, has guests kicking back and unwinding far from ‘the  madding crowd.’ A haven of luxury and repose, the intimate spa offers skin and  body treatments guaranteed to help guests relax and refresh.

Restaurants at Irene Country Lodge

Food  lovers will have much to appreciate at Irene Country Lodge’s two restaurants,  The Meadow Green and Camdeboo. Executive Chef Ryan Houston  and his team  offer a selection of fine cuisine with buffet and a la carte options to delight  the palette. Vegetarians and meat lovers alike will enjoy the menu range.  Guests can also enjoy sundowners at the gazebo or Lakeside Lounge, watching the  sunset over the lake lending a tranquil touch to the already magical  surroundings.

Activities

There’s  never a dull moment as Irene village offers a variety of activities. Spending a  weekend at the lodge will afford you the opportunity of visiting the Irene  Dairy Farm, the Smuts   House Museum,  the Rietvlei Nature Reserve and playing golf at Irene and Centurion Golf  courses. The  Irene Market situated on the serene and leafy grounds of the Smuts House   Museum is also another  popular attraction. With more than 300 stalls, the market is a gathering of  artists and patrons; crafters and collectors; home industries and connoisseurs  from far and wide. It’s held every second and last Saturday of the month.