Message from Owners 2008
It has been an eventful few months in the world at large, with cataclysmic events wreaking havoc in the financial markets from Wall Street to Tokyo, but as we enter the summer months in Southern Africa there is one thing that, thankfully, remains as dependable as ever - the genuine warmth of the welcome, and the attentiveness of the personal service, that you receive from everyone at The Tonquani Collection. Now more than ever we are inspired to find even more thoughtful and imaginative ways of giving you the pleasantest surprises and the most enjoyable experiences. Some of these fresh ideas are outlined on the Special Offers Page and we sincerely hope you find these offers tantalising and that we have the pleasure of seeing you soon.
Having just returned from the UK and Europe Vince & I were again reminded just how beautiful, friendly and affordable South Africa is. The wide open spaces, the genuine smile on the faces of South Africans, good food at very affordable prices and the variety and abundance makes South Africa a destination not to be missed. We are convinced that there is no other place like it on the planet and while crime might make the headlines too often for our liking we are aware that this is not exclusive to South Africa. Sadly crime is a worldwide problem. While in the UK a London businessman was killed for trying to resolve a zenophobic attack, a young girl was raped and murdered, knife murders and gang killings are rife. While in Italy we were warned not to travel to the South of Italy near Naples as the army and police had been sent in to sort out mass killings by the mob. Yes - it is a sad affair that crime is everywhere. South Africans just seem to publicise it more. Visitors should remember that in parts of their own country there are certain areas that are more dangerous than others and it is mostly in these forbidden areas that the majority of crimes take place in South Africa. The rest of the country is relatively crime free and fabulous. Naturally, caution must be exercised with regard to pickpockets, thieves around cash machines, etc, but again this is a worldwide problem and not exclusive to South Africa.
Need three more reasons to love South Africa? The three below were taken from recent International news reports.
S A Banks more sound than the Swiss
South Africa's score of 6.54 (out of 7) indicates that the country's banks are generally more healthy and have more sound balance sheets than the banks of countries such as Switzerland who ranked 16th, Germany (39th), the United States (40th) and the United Kingdom (44th).
England Squad have chosen their 2010 World Cup HQ
Its the town of Knysna on South Africa's Garden Route between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth and is acclaimed as one of the country's most luxurious destinations. Knysna will also make the perfect venue for the travelling camp of WAGs - if they are allowed to accompany the squad.
SA mayor scoops 'world best' award
The mayor of Cape Town, Helen Zille, has been awarded the 2008 World Mayor prize by City Mayors, an international urban affairs think tank, a statement said on Monday. Her only equals in South Africa are Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, the statement said.
Vince & I understand the importance of feeling welcome and relaxed and it is our priority to ensure that every guest experiences this at the Tonquani Collection. We strive for guest satisfaction on all levels, whether it is providing a quick hot meal to the guest too tired to go out, or doing a load of laundry at a reasonable cost (our pet hate is carrying around dirty clothing and having to try rinse it out in the bath and dry it on the towel rail because the laundry charges of all countries abroad are criminally high. In fact it is cheaper for us to buy clothing in South Africa and then discard it as we travel than to use the laundry services of hotels abroad!)
Our inspiration comes from Mahatma Ghandi... "A guest is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us, we are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work, he is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business, he is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him, he is doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do so"..
Wherever possible, we provide our staff with the best opportunities to develop their skills, and take their abilities to new heights in the service of our customers. This means your experience should be even better than it was the last time you visited - because so many of our guests are return clients.
While we get it right 95% of the time there is that small margin for error. If you experience anything not to your liking or if you have any gripes, complaints or positive suggestions, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us on our private email or telephone me on 0832388020.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Vince & Sheldeen Robson-Parsons |
