Places Archives

How slow travel is helping us rethink the way we travel

The truth is travelling is rarely as relaxing as we hope it to be. From navigating airport chaos and lugging suitcases to finding affordable accommodation, it can be stressful. Professor of religion, psychology and culture, Jaco Hamman says, “Many of us seek...

December 20, 2023

Features Places

Take care to travel slowly

When I returned home after an overseas trip earlier this year, I was exhausted, sleep-deprived, and burnt out. I had been on holiday, so why did I feel desperate for another break? The truth is, travelling is rarely as relaxing...

December 6, 2022

Hotel Verde is Africa’s greenest hotel – here’s why

2022 Awards Places

Hotel Verde is Africa’s greenest hotel – here’s why

Conveniently situated a stone’s throw from the Cape Town international airport, Hotel Verde Cape Town Airport is widely regarded as Africa’s greenest hotel. Founder Mario Delicio’s intention from the get-go was to provide sustainable accommodation and to ensure that the...

December 6, 2022

This eco-laundromat and urban farm have become a caring inner city hub

Places Spaces

This eco-laundromat and urban farm have become a caring inner city hub

Tucked away in the Cape Town inner city, between a barren parking lot and a bustling Food Lover’s Market, lies the Streetscapes Urban Farm and the home of LaundReCycle, South Africa’s first off-grid, eco-friendly laundromat. At the entrance to the...

October 4, 2022

9 South African getaway spots with an eco-friendly ethos

Guides Places

9 South African getaway spots with an eco-friendly ethos

As 2022 hurtles towards an end and the weather warms up, we’re dreaming of escaping the hustle and bustle of daily city life. And what better way than to switch off and recharge with time away in nature at a...

October 4, 2022

Slow down on this Western Cape slackpacking trail

Places

Slow down on this Western Cape slackpacking trail

Just over Sir Lowry’s Pass, an hour’s drive from Cape Town, is a slice of hikers’ heaven: the renowned Blue Mountain Trail. Regarded as a punchier sister to the Green Mountain Trail — a four-day, 60km slackpacking hike founded in...

March 10, 2021

Le Jardin Villa is a luxury, sustainable getaway you’ll want to visit

Places

Le Jardin Villa is a luxury, sustainable getaway you’ll want to visit

There are few pleasures in life as a restorative escape. In this case, it was to a place where efforts are made to lower impact on the planet and increase positive social impact. Visiting Stellenbosch earlier this year I stumbled...

October 18, 2020

Five ways to make your holidays more sustainable

Places

Five ways to make your holidays more sustainable

COVID-19 has resulted in the most severe disruption to the global tourism industry in modern times. And although many countries have now reopened to visitors from overseas, the economic impact is likely to be felt for many years. Prior to...

October 8, 2020

14 Forest facts that will help you see the wood for the trees

Places

14 Forest facts that will help you see the wood for the trees

Trees play a vital role in keeping the planet and people well. They contribute to the air we breathe, provide shade and beauty, and are essential in keeping our biodiversity balanced. Very importantly, they store carbon, but a recent study...

October 3, 2020

Babylonstoren makes sweet smells of nature

Places

Babylonstoren makes sweet smells of nature

Babylonstoren is undoubtedly one of the most beautifully curated experiences in the Cape. My last trip to this historic Cape Dutch farm and food garden was as a guest of its hotel where my husband and I spent a night...

February 28, 2020

The wellbeing economy offers seeds of hope at Victoria Yards

Places

The wellbeing economy offers seeds of hope at Victoria Yards

In Joburg’s eastern suburbs, developers, residents and craftspeople are forging a new sense of neighbourliness and trying to do business in ways that do not exclude or marginalise people. There’s a cappuccino divide – the worlds of those who can...

August 12, 2019

Places

Top tips for sustainable travel

So: many of you are travelling home or to a holiday destination, local or international. You’re driving or flying kilometres across the country, across continents or oceans… using fossil fuel. By touchdown, your carbon footprint is heavy. That’s okay (there...

December 16, 2018

Places

Walking the Baviaans Camino will put a little soul in your heart

It’s a bitterly cold morning deep in a kloof beside a rocky riverbed in the Eastern Cape. We emerge from our tents exhaling steam. The tops of the indigenous trees have only just started to catch the light. We need to...

July 3, 2018

Places

Hotel review: Spier walks the talk

The Spier Hotel has everything and more you’d expect from a four-star hotel: 153 rooms, conference centres, restaurants, an artists’ studio and expansive gardens… The décor is stylish while not intimidating, and contemporary South African art is displayed throughout the...

May 21, 2018

Places

Grootbos Private Nature Reserve shows off the best of eco-luxury

Travel and sustainability aren’t generally compatible. So when you do travel, choose well. Choose a destination, close-by if possible, that is environmentally and sustainably responsible. Where? And how do you find a place you’ll like? There are a number of...

April 19, 2018

1 2

Places

join the community