They began life as Overvaal Resorts – government-owned and – run family holiday camps dotted across the country, aimed at providing affordable vacations for Mr and Mrs Average and their children.
Renamed and revamped in the early 1990s under the Aventura Resorts monicker, all eight resorts were finally sold in 2003 to the American-based Forever Resorts holiday company and a R50-million injection of capital overhauled all but a few of them.
Today the original eight Forever Resorts at Plettenberg Bay on the Garden Route; Tshipise and Bela-Bela (Warmbaths) in Limpopo; Gariep in the Free State; and Loskop Dam, Swadini, Blyde Canyon and Badplaas in Mpumalanga have been joined by some welcome additions to the Forever portfolio. A total of 13 resorts, hotels and guest houses are now under the Forever umbrella.
For example, Blue Mountain Lodge in Kiepersol, Mpumalanga, offers five-star luxury close to the Kruger National Park, with rates that start at R920 a person a night for dinner, bed and breakfast. At the other end of the scale, Phalaborwa Safari Park offers camping and caravanning sites for R135 a night for two people, as well as luxury self-catering tents for R1 140 a night for two.
A few of the newcomers to the Forever portfolio – exclusive lodges and camps – enable an entire family or group of friends to reserve a lodge or camp specifically for their use, usually on a self-catering basis, although there are fully catered options available.
Matombu Lodge is the luxury option in this bracket. Close to Forever Resorts Loskop Dam, in the Kranspoort Pass, Matombu is a huge family lodge perched on top of a koppie with panoramic views of the bushveld which surrounds it. The lodge may be out in the bush but it’s far from rustic, with luxury finishing touches including leather couches, all mod cons and tasteful African decor.
Four enormous bedrooms with queen-size beds and a children’s room with three double bunk beds sleep a total of 14 people. It costs R2 500 a night over weekends and R3 000 a night over long weekends or school holidays – between a group of 14 friends that’s only R214 each a night in peak season.
Also in the Loskop area, Isiyala Game Lodge is on 780h of bush. It has more than 100 species of game and is a bird-watcher’s heaven.
The lodge is fully catered and offers accommodation in cosy thatched bungalows with en-suite facilities. Game drives are available, as are horseriding and quad biking. The price of a double chalet starts at R400 a person a night, including breakfast.
Tulani Safari Lodge in northern Limpopo is on the Balule Nature Reserve, itself part of the Greater Kruger National Park. It offers affordable, fully-catered or self-catering accommodation for couples and families and is running a winter special until the end of September, offering midweek breaks (including during school holidays) for R280 a person a night sharing a double room on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis. This rate goes up to R300 a person a night sharing over weekends.
Tulani’s self-catering winter special rate is R250 a room (for two people sharing) a night midweek and R300 a room a night on weekends.
In spite of the undoubted appeal of Forever’s newcomers, there is still one resort, one of the original eight Overvaal stalwarts, that consistently draws South African holidaymakers in flocks (and it’s only an hour and a half’s drive from Johannesburg to boot) – Forever Resorts Warmbaths.
This resort is a real crowd pleaser in the true sense of the word, with something for everyone, be it children, nature lovers, sports enthusiasts, adventure addicts and spa aficionados.
Now called Bela-Bela, Warmbaths may not be the larniest place on earth, but it’s beating heart is the resort. Forty-five hotel rooms, 124 self-catering chalets and log cabins, shady camp and caravan sites, river rides, a wave pool, game drives and a hydro spa make this one of South Africa’s best-loved escapes.
And to top it all, a tranquil tented camp is now on offer in the heart of the resort’s Ramoswe Game Reserve, including five luxury tents, a communal ablution block, fully equipped kitchen, splash pool and lapa with bar and braai area. Guests park their vehicles at the main resort and are collected in a private game vehicle to be whisked off to this fab weekend bush retreat. Prices for Ramoswe start at just R2 000 a night for the entire camp, which sleeps 10 people.
For more information check out the website at www.foreversa.co.za.