Luxury Travel Review  

By Elena del Valle

The bedroom of our suite at Cybele

Our suite had a private terrace with a pool

During a three week game viewing trip to Botswana and South Africa earlier this year we included a two-day break at Cybele Forest Lodge and Spa, a secluded property near the Kruger National Park.  While there we relaxed in the landscaped forest environs, enjoyed couples spa treatments and yummy meals.

We liked the quiet elegance of this Relais and Chateaux property with friendly and service oriented staff and will recommend it to friends searching a spa oriented getaway property between Johannesburg and the Kruger National Park. Click here to read a dedicated article about the Cybele Forest Lodge and Spa.

By Elena del Valle

My Canon 10 x 30 IS binoculars

After years of borrowing binoculars while on safari I decided I wanted a pair of good quality binoculars to get the most out of my game viewing trips. I had tried a pair of high end binoculars at one of the luxury properties we stayed in during a trip in late 2007 and realized how much I was missing by not having my own high quality binoculars.

The challenge was that the price of the binoculars I had tried was $2,000 and up. Considering the travel time and cost of a safari trip and the effort to reach the destination I wanted as good a pair as possible and was willing to look closely at the options. At the same time, with the luggage weight restrictions and increasing pilfering problems at airports it would not be safe to pack my new binos with the checked in luggage. Our carry-on luggage allowance was severely strained already with computers, camera gear, food, emergency clothing and adding binoculars would be difficult.

My binoculars came with a carrying case, lens covers and a shoulder strap

When I first heard about the new Canon binoculars with image stabilizer, Canon 10 x 30 IS, I was skeptical. Could these new battery operated binoculars with image stabilizing technology really improve the quality of my game viewing experience without costing or weighing a ton?

After a three week safari trip to Botswana and South Africa I can answer that question confidently, yes. The image stabilizing feature came in handy many times, especially when I was viewing birds and animals in action or far away. The binoculars were light and small enough to carry with easily on game drives and in our carry-on luggage.

Using the binoculars was simple. I adjusted the lenses to my viewing preferences and whenever I wanted added clearness I pressed the image stabilizer button located in the top middle of the binoculars.  The only inconvenience was that in order for the feature to work I had to keep pressing the button. A soon as I released it the stabilizing function stopped.

An advantage was that although we brought rechargeable batteries I was able to rely on a single battery set for the entire Southern Africa trip and for another one week trip to Panama shortly after our return from Africa. Overall, the Canon 10 x 30 IS performed well, was easy to carry and well priced.

By Gary Cox

Pathfinder Luggage’s Checkpoint-Friendly Laptop Bag

Post 9/11 air travel has become increasingly cumbersome, especially when it comes to crossing through security checkpoints to reach departure gates. In the United States, federal security staff force passengers with little ceremony to remove shoes, jackets, belts and more. If that wasn’t enough the screening areas seem to have spawned airport thieves who troll the airports in search of easy prey, travelers who are distracted or unfamiliar with the security process.

Security personnel can and often do ask anyone with laptop computers, video equipment, battery operated items and even cameras to take them out of the carry-on case or shoulder bag and place them in bins to pass through the x-ray machines. In addition to being highly annoying and time consuming this process means there is always time when passenger valuables are exposed and unprotected while they are crossing the security walk through area.

Enter the new Pathfinder Luggage’s Checkpoint-Friendly Laptop Bag. I recently traveled with it through West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Dallas, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Las Vegas airports. It worked like a charm!

Only one security checkpoint staff person at the Las Vegas airport was unfamiliar with the concept and asked me to take the laptop out of the case. Although I pointed out the case was Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) approved she wasn’t convinced. Fortunately one of her coworkers arrived at that moment and confirmed what I said was true, allowing me to keep my laptop securely inside the case.

The convenience of keeping my laptop secure inside the case would make it worthwhile. Fortunately in addition to being TSA approved there are several features I like about Pathfinder Luggage’s Checkpoint-Friendly Laptop Bag. It stays steady when I place it on a table or the floor without toppling over unlike my previous computer case.

The case, made of 1680 Denier Ballistic Nylon in black with Top Grain Leather Trim, hold laptops of up to 15.4” (MacBook Pro need not apply) and sells for $99. It weighs 4 pounds and measures 13″ x 8″ x 17″. It has multiple compartments where I can place business cards, pens, small electronics and file folders. It has become my new favorite carry on bag when I travel with my laptop computer.

The bag lies flat, allowing screeners to see the laptop securely in its pocket

Our server shaved white truffles over our gnocchi dish

Our cheese course at Ledoyen

Ledoyen, a short distance from the famed Champs Elysees, offered delicious gourmet food in a desirable venue. Its location within a historical building and dining room surrounded by large windows enhanced the ambiance. Tables were set discretely apart within the sunlit second floor dining room, close enough to feel cozy yet far enough that we didn’t hear neighboring conversations.

There were beautiful hibiscus flowers at our table

One beautifully presented dish after another arrived as part of our tasting menu. We were especially impressed with two of them: melt-in-your-mouth gnocchis served with freshly shaved white truffles from Alba. The sweetbreads were also particularly delicious. Click here to read our latest dedicated article on Ledoyen, one of the top foodie addresses in Paris.

 I Speak of Africa  book cover

Leopard and wildlife lovers and fans of Londolozi Game Reserve near South Africa’s Kruger National Park may enjoy I Speak of Africa (Londolozi Publishers), a hardcover book of the game reserve and its lodges as well as and its rich wildlife, including some of the leopards that have made the property famous. Filled with color photos on almost every page, the 216-page hardcover book written by Shan Varty and Molly Buchanan tells the story of Sparta as the original farm on the Sand River was called.

Eventually Sparta became a game viewing estate with luxury guest accommodation and was renamed Londolozi, meaning “the protector of all living things” in Zulu. In the book, Varty, a member of the founding family, and Buchanan, a public relations consultant specializing in wild life conservation, share the story of the evolution of land, and four generations of the family that owns it, from farm to hunting property to a world class safari destination.

The second edition of the book, published in 2007, includes a forward by former South African President Nelson Mandela. It is divided into eleven chapters: A Long Time Ago, The Pioneering Years, Wild Days, Hard Times, The Quest for Solutions, Close Encounters, Life at Londolozi, Widening Horizons, The Development of the Model, On the Wings of the Bateleur, and The End Is the Beginning. The majority of the photos, according to the credit list, were taken by Lex Hes. There are also photos by Peter Johnson (Corbis), Richard du Toit, Guy Stubbs, James Marshall, and Mike Myers as well as library photos.

Varty is director and publisher of I Speak of Africa, and a partner in Londolozi. Prior to writing the book, she lived with her family in the African Bush for a dozen years. During that time, she dedicated herself to the development of Londolozi as a top tier safari property with an emphasis on conservation. She was a founder director of Conservation Corporation.

Buchanan met Dave and Shan Varty in 1990 at the inception of Conservation Corporation. Following the meeting she began providing publicity support for their company. She has traveled extensively in sub-Saharan Africa and specialized her public relations business in the area of wilderness conservation. Buchanan, in partnership with Peter Johnson, also launched a publishing company.

Elena and Gary visited Londolozi Tree Camp for the first time this year. To learn about this newly rebuilt safari lodge, be on the look out for the upcoming dedicated feature in our Kruger National Park pages.

Click here to buy I Speak of Africa - The Story of Londolozi Game Reserve