- Keith Stewart

The South African public has not yet awoken to the realisation that the new R150 million hotel now being built at Pezula Golf Club in Knysna - and due for completion in November this year - will "without a shadow of doubt" be the most luxurious and upmarket in the whole of Africa - and will have what some have described as the best hotel view site anywhere in the world.

These over-the-top, no-holds-barred claims were made recently by Keith Stewart, the Chairman of the Pezula Club and the developer of the adjacent 612 ha Pezula Private Estate.

"From the moment we bought in here," said Stewart, "I began to pick up comments that the one facility lacking was a really first class hotel – and as about 90% of our stay over visitors are from overseas we realised that if we were to undertake such a project it had to be really superb. I believe that we are achieving just that."

The new hotel, designed by a syndicate of architects under the control of Rick Brown, will consist of a central services block with a restaurant, a large bar, a spa and health centre with indoor and outdoor pools and a conference centre. It will be surrounded by 20 luxury "cottages" which will each have four 90 m2 double bed suites - giving 80 suites in all.

The luxury suites will all be within easy walking distance of the central facilities. All will have superb views, some of the golf course, some the lagoon and some the ocean (and some all three).

The décor, said the developer, Keith Stewart, has been designed by a team made up of Yvonne Smuts and Keith Africa. The design, said Stewart, will have an "African Classic" flavour. This, he explained, is one in which the materials and themes are recognisably from Africa but the designers take care to avoid to the primitive rustic look popular with safari and bush lodges.

Southern Sun have secured the management contract and will work under the supervision of Stewart and his Director, Peter Rimbault. 90%of the hotel suites, as already reported in the press, were sold to investors within ten weeks of their launch.

Already, it is said, Southern Sun have taken bookings for every month in 2005 and it is anticipated that before long the coming December and January will be fully booked.

Stewart said that the hotel will be in a class of its own.

"One of the big attractions," he said, "is that the guests will have access to every one of the facilities available to Pezula Club members. Our aim from the start has been to make the Pezula Club more than just a golf resort. We are packaging it as the best resort in Africa. Membership of the club - and residence at the hotel - will, therefore, entitle people to use a tennis academy, a golf institute, a beach and swimming club, a sailing club, bowling greens, a gymnasium, squash courts, a spa and health centre, an equestrian centre (with stabling for 40 horses), hiking and cycle paths - and the exclusive members' room at the golf clubhouse."

Stewart said that this will be the first five star plus hotel on the Garden Route and he is determined to see that it has the best chef, some of the best wines and, of course, the most impressive décor.

"Make no mistake about it," he said, "we intend to make this one of the great hotels in the world today."

For further information please contact Hugh O’Shea on 044 384 1222.