Author Archives: Theresa Anne

Rovos Rail’s train journeys span the length and the breadth of southern Africa; it sometimes incorporates trips as far a field as Dar es Salaam, but the first prize incorporates and encapsulates old world colonial charm with a trip both to and from Victoria Falls.

The grand old Victoria Falls Hotel is 107 years old. Sip cocktails on the Stanley Terrace; enjoy a nibble of nostalgia and take pleasure in the mango trees and the lily ponds in the central courtyard of this impressive old lady.

The safari-clad and plinth-helmeted concierge takes you back to the era of British Colonialism. You are forgiven for falling under the sweetest spell when you take a trip to The Victoria Falls and Zimbabwe. The young Princess Elizabeth stayed at this wonderful old hotel with her young family on her fabled African visit in 1947.

The hotel affords spectacular views and vistas of the countryside that ripples and crisscrosses for miles with the breath of the falls that float into the sky like blooms of steam in the distance.

Fine fare is prepared, of which a large portion is organically grown and served from the fine kitchens of The Victoria Falls Hotel.

The best part of all about this fine old hotel is that it leads directly onto the railway line and has its own entrance to the station. On arrival at the station, the local Ndebele put on a show that is quite enchanting with their synchronized voices and the beat of African drums.

For a holiday experience with a difference, book a deluxe suite on Rovos Rail that offers a room with a view and double bed. The train trip promises to be unforgettable, nostalgic and enchanting, equipped with butlers in attendance. It is a great pity that the golden age of elegant train travel is something of the past. Rovos Rail will offer you a wistful and remarkable trip.

Welcome to The Land of the Midnight Sun, When The Night Turns Into Day

At the beginning of winter a team of snow builders, architects, artists and also designers from all over the world get together in the town of Jukkarsjärvi, north of the Arctic Circle.
Under the guidance of the Ice Hotel Art and Design Group, the Ice Hotel is created anew each year.
This building is started up early in November each year. The most important tools used to build The Ice Hotel are snow guns, which is sprayed onto enormous steel forms, then left to freeze. After a couple of days, the forms are removed leaving free-standing corridors of snow. Dividing walls are then built in order to create the rooms. Ice blocks which are harvested from the Torne River in spring are then transported into the hotel where the various artists create the hotel.
Many of the artists that build the hotel are experienced ice artists, but many of the artists on the team have never before experienced temperatures below sub-zero temperatures.

Every year a unique Ice Hotel is re-created from scratch.
When spring arrives and the sun starts to thaw the walls of ice and snow, the hotel is finally closed and is returned to the Torne River.