Category Archives: Awards
2019 – A Year In Review
As we enter a new decade, South of Africa fondly looks back at its achievements of the past year. We compiled a list of our top 10 moments from 2019. 10) West Coast Photo Session Following the opening of the new Spa in 2018 at Abalone House, a new photo … See more >
Two South of Africa hotels win TripAdvisor Awards
Abalone House and Shangri-La awarded the TripAdvisor Certifcate of Excellence. See more >
Abalone Pool Villas receives first Lilizela Tourism Award
At the Western Cape Provincial leg of the Lilizela Tourism Awards, South of Africa’s 5-star property Abalone Pool Villas, walked away with the award for best 5-star Bed & Breakfast establishment in the province. The awards ceremony, which celebrates the province’s star performers, was held in Cape Town on September … See more >
Birdsong Cottages receives first Lilizela Tourism Award
At the Limpopo Provincial leg of the Lilizela Tourism Awards, South of Africa’s 3-star property Birdsong Cottages, walked away with the award for best self-catering exclusive establishment in the province. The awards ceremony, which celebrates the province’s star performers, was held at the Meropa Sun Casino in Polokwane on September … See more >
Vote for us in the Lilizela Tourism Awards
The Lilizela Tourism Awards is synonymous with Shangri-La and Abalone House, both having been nominated in a select categories throughout the years, with Shangri-La winning awards in both 2015 and 2016. For the 2018 awards, all of South of Africa’s hotels and cottages have been entered into a variety of categories, and past guests … See more >
Abalone Pool Villas awarded 5-star TGCSA grading
South of Africa is proud to announce that the Abalone Pool Villas in Paternoster have been awarded 5-star grading by the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa. This makes it the second property in the South of Africa portfolio to receive a 5-star grading, the other being the Abalone House … See more >
Abalone House & Shangri-La awarded TGCSA star-grading
The luxurious boutique hotel in Paternoster, Abalone House & Spa, and the delightful garden paradise outside Bela Bela and Modimolle, Shangri-La Country Hotel & Spa, have again been awarded their respective star-grading from the TGCSA (Tourism Grading Council of South Africa) this past month. Abalone House & Spa, a 5-star establishment … See more >
Abalone House wins Platinum at Diners Club Wine List Awards
The Abalone House & Spa in Paternoster once again received high honours for their Wine List at the 2017 Diners Club Wine List Awards. The boutique hotel’s Reuben’s Restaurant was awarded platinum at a gala event in Cape Town on Wednesday 26 July 2017. Restaurant Manager, Raymond, and Hotel Manager, … See more >
Our top 10 highlights of 2016
2016 has been a magnificent year for South of Africa. We’ve taken stock of the past 365 days (sorry, 366 days!) and here are our top 10 highlights from 2016: 1. Rebranding Funky Stay Our little hotel just 4kms outside of Modimolle was rebranded in May of this year. After … See more >
Shangri-La wins at provincial 2016 Lilizela Tourism Awards
Hot on the heels of the announcement of the 2016 Provincial Lilizela Tourism Awards comes the news of Shangri-La’s big win. Alongside its fellow nominated sibiling (the 5-star Abalone House & Spa received one nomination in the category Visitor Experience, Lap of Luxury) the 4-star Shangri-La Country Hotel & Spa received two nominations, … See more >
Abalone House receives 2016 Diners Club Wine List Award
Abalone House & Spa in Paternoster has just been announced as a Diners Club 2016 Wine List Award Winner. Abalone House has been invited to collect this prestigious award at the grand ceremony to be held at the One & Only at the V&A Waterfront on 29 July 2016. This … See more >
Healing Earth at Abalone House named Africa’s most luxurious Spa
In the wake of its recent success as Winner of the prestigious 2016 World Luxury Spa Award, the Healing Earth Spa at Abalone House is delighted to announce having been selected amongst a host of global competitors to be awarded the additional accolade of 2016 Continent Luxury Spa Award as … See more >
Trip Advisor awards for Abalone House and Shangri-La
The South of Africa properties Abalone House & Spa and Shangri-La Country Hotel & Spa were both awarded with the prestigious Trip Advisor Award of Excellence 2016. “This is a fantastic achievement,” says Managing Director, Stef Venter. “Guest feedback is of the utmost important to us, and we take note … See more >
Lilizela Tourism Awards 2016
South of Africa’s first 5-star and 4-star establishments, Abalone House & Spa in Paternoster, and Shangri-La Country Hotel & Spa in Modimolle, are entrants in the Lilizela Tourism Awards 2016 in the categories Service Excellence and Visitor Experience (each with select sub-categories). Guests are all invited to vote for these two … See more >
Elephant Springs receives FEDHASA award
Elephant Springs Hotel & Cabanas received a Certificate of Appreciation for their continued support of the mission, vision and values of FEDHASA. Pictured here is the team in good spirits showing off the framed award. Congratulations to GM Ken Strydom and his team.
Four SOA properties receive 2015 Booking.com Awards
We’re extremely proud of our 4 properties who received the prestigious Booking.com awards for great customer service. Congratulations are in order for Abalone House & Spa, Paternoster Cottages, Bid Huisie and Modimolle Funky Stay! Both Abalone House and Bid Huisie received these awards last year, which makes it their second consecutive … See more >
South of Africa celebrates 2015 Gatsby-style
Celebrating a record-breaking 2015, South of Africa’s senior management joined in the Year End Function celebrations at Shangri-La Country Hotel & Spa on 9 November 2015. The event, which was an entire day affair, started off with a meaningful walk in silence at Shangri-La’s Labyrinth, whilst the music “Theme from … See more >
Shangri-La wins 2 prestigious Lilizela Tourism Awards
Shangri-La Country Hotel & Spa received two prestigious provincial Lilizela Tourism Awards on 24 September at the Tzaneen Country Lodge. These Awards recognise and reward tourism players and businesses who work passionately and with pride to deliver a world class product and service and whose delivery grows South Africa’s global … See more >
Healing Earth Spa at Abalone House receive 2016 World Luxury Spa Nomination
Since opening its doors in October 2013, the Healing Earth Spa at Abalone House in Paternoster has become synonymous with the 5-star luxuries and pampering guests have come to expect from this West Coast boutique hotel. The Healing Earth Spa at Abalone House has been nominated for the 2016 World … See more >
Booking.Com Guest Review Awards
It is not only the entertainment industry that makes the news this awards season, but also the hospitality industry. 2015 kicked off with the Trip Advisor Travellers’ Choice Awards announcements, and now we are also thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2014 Booking.Com Guest Review Awards. South of Africa … See more >
Shangri-La wins second Trip Advisor Traveller’s Choice Award
The 4-star Shangri-La Country Hotel & Spa is extremely proud of its latest achievement: receiving their second Trip Advisor Traveller’s Choice Award for South Africa’s top 25 bargain hotels. Shangri-La has, in the past 3 years, already received two Certificate of Excellence Awards from Trip Advisor (for both 2013 and … See more >
South of Africa honours its employees
South of Africa recently held their Year End Function at a local resort in Bela Bela. Heads of Departments, General Manager as well as Head Office employees were all invited to a fun-filled day of team building, followed by an afternoon of leisure, and ending with a prestigious awards ceremony … See more >
Shangri-La receives 4-star grading
The delightful country hotel and spa, Shangri-La, has received its 4-star grading from the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa. “We’ve been working extremely hard,” says General Manager, Ken Strydom, “this past year. We set out at the beginning of the year to achieve the 4-star status, and through the … See more >
Shangri-La and Chaîne Des Rôtisseurs
Ken Strydom represented Shangri-La Country Hotel and Spa at the Leriba Hotel and Spa in Pretoria to receive the successful 2015 Chaîne Des Rôtisseurs membership submission. Shangri-La was inducted into the Chaîne by the Bailliage de Pretoria. With over 25,000 members, the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs is an International Association of Gastronomy … See more >
Shangri-La receives Gold Diners Club Wine List Award
Alfred Moima (pictured here) represented Shangri-La Country Hotel & Spa near Modimolle when the hotel received an award at the Diners Club Wine List awards 2014 in Johannesburg this week. The country hotel was honoured with the Gold Wine Award. Congratulations!!!
Abalone House receives Diamond Diners Club Wine List Award
General Manager Leigh Longden of Abalone House & Spa in Paternoster received an award at the Diners Club Wine List awards 2014 in Cape Town this week. The 5-star boutique hotel was honoured with the highest achievement – receiving the Diamond Wine Award!
Abalone House honoured at Lilizela Tourism Awards
The second Lilizela Tourism Awards took place in Cape Town on September 11th and the Western Cape ceremony was an affair not to miss. Abalone House & Spa, our first 5 star establishment, received a prestigious certificate as one of 25 finalists in the Western Cape with over 200 entries. The Lilizela … See more >
Trip Advisor 2014 Winners Abalone House & Shangri-La
“We’ve done it again!” exclaims General Managers Ken Strydom from Shangri-La Country Hotel in Modimolle, and Leigh Longden from Abalone House & Spa in Paternoster. The two hotels have both been awarded with yet another Trip Advisor Award of Excellence for 2014. The award (being the 2nd for Shangri-La and … See more >
Nominate Reuben’s at Abalone House for Eat Out’s Top 500 Restaurants
Eat Out, South Africa’s best restaurant guide, is calling on all food lovers to nominate their favourite restaurants to be considered for the 2015 edition of Eat Out magazine. Nominated restaurants will be rated by Eat Out’s editorial panel of food industry experts to determine the Eat Out 500, the … See more >
Shangri-La wins Trip Advisor Travelers’ Choice Award
It is easy to see why visitors to this earthly paradise choose Shangri-La as one of the top 25 hotels in South Africa. Renowned for offering visitors a view of past guests’ experiences, Trip Advisor announced its “Travelers’ Choice Awards” for 2014 this past week. Shangri-La, who received their first … See more >
Our 13 highlights of 2013
Today there are only 13 days left before 2013 is over. We reminisce about the year gone by by sharing our 13 highlights of 2013. 1) NEW SOA LOGO We launched the brand new logo of South of Africa, alongside its new slogan, at this year’s Indaba in Durban, May … See more >
Shangri-La bags Diners Club 2013 Winelist Award
Shangri-La Country Hotel was awarded a Diners Club 2013 Winelist Award. This prestigous honour makes it Shangri-La’s third consecutive award. Ken Strydom, General Manager, proudly responded that his team is ecstatic about this award. Strydom and the family of Shangri-La look forward to welcoming guests to taste the wines that … See more >