If you have visited Hog Hollow near Plettenberg Bay on the Garden Route in South Africa, you will know what I mean when I say that this guest house is completely unique and utterly charming. Hog Hollow is owned by the slightly eccentric Andy Fermor who has single handedly (but with a bit of help from his friends) made Hog Hollow a homely, pan African and luxurious getaway.

What strikes you about Hog Hollow is that the staff are well trained, well cared for and obviously enjoying their jobs. This is one of the few hotels in South Africa where the staff is the main reason that people keep going back. That and the stunning rooms of course.

All the suites at Hog Hollow are large and offer amazing views of the tropical forests and mountains. The newer rooms are set in the trees and offer complete privacy.

Kids are welcome at Hog Hollow and the duplex suites with a downstairs lounge that can be made up to sleep 2 children as well as an upstairs bedroom for the parents. Small children have seperate dining times giving parents time to relax in the evenings.

Just met with Singita Private Game Reserve marketing manager Lew Rood who told me that Singita is in the process of adding more rooms to Singita Boulders and Singita Ebony. Each lodge will get two more rooms in the form of a two-bedroom suite. This means that for the first time you can take your children under 10 years to Singita. It also means that you can now have a completely private singita experience with a private chef and ranger.

If you are traveling to Singita with children under 10 years, you need to take this suite on a private basis so that the children don’t disturb other guests. This means that you need to pay R4500 extra per night for the private ranger, chef and host. It also means that you can go on game drives whenever suits you.

If you are four adults traveling together you can either take the suite on a private basis and pay the extra R4500 per night for the chef and ranger, or you can take the rooms on a normal basis and take your meals and game drives with the other Singita guests. This gives you complete flexibility on your safari.