Cape Town - When you’re naked and vulnerable there’s really not much you can hide from… a massage therapist. What did you think I was going to say? Come on, this is a family newspaper.
Besides the literal aspect, an experienced therapist can lay his or her hands on you, and deduce your life story. A bit like a fortune teller.
When I checked in at the Arabella Hotel & Spa and reported for my 4pm massage I knew I probably had a few knots in my shoulders, the result of a very stressful year. After the standard discussion about pressure, Caro got to work on me, from the legs up.
Before she even got to the top part of my body, she declared an enormous amount of tension was present and ordered me to relax.
This suddenly becomes even more difficult when you’re trying so hard to do it. And how on earth do you deliberately relax your ears?
In my head I was chilled, but apparently my body was telling a different story. By the time Caro arrived at my shoulders, she was huffing and puffing, and getting a real workout. There was no way she was letting me out of that room until my muscles had turned to jelly.
Afterwards, I went back to my room, put on the slippers and fluffy robe, opened a bottle of red wine and sat on the balcony overlooking the Bot River lagoon and golf course. I could have undone all Caro’s good work but damn, I felt good. And very relaxed.
When I told a friend I had stayed at the Arabella she asked me where it was. I couldn’t answer; all I could say was that it’s near Hermanus, Kleinmond, Fisher Haven and Onrus. It is on an estate in the heart of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, an area rich with flora and fauna.
Here you will realise how noisy nature is by night. I later drifted off to sleep to a frog chorus.
Arabella is a resort hotel, which means you can spend a long time there without ever having to leave the grounds. Besides the magnificent presidential suites of which many of us can only dream, and “grand deluxe” rooms, there are several suites which are suitable for families as they have sleeper couches for the little ones. All have private balconies or terraces.
Children are considered important guests and there is plenty for them to do, including a dedicated play area with daily activities, a library with books, games and movies, and a putt-putt course.
With the fourth ranked golf course in South Africa for the adults, there is a clubhouse, golf shop and resident pro who gives lessons. My poor hand-eye co-ordination put me on the putt-putt circuit.
The pool area is nothing short of magnificent, a large turquoise expanse complete with waterfall. There is the spa, of course, as well as a hair salon, gift shop, lounge, several bars, and two restaurants.
In the evenings there is the a la carte side where I dined exceptionally well on a delicious green salad followed by crispy-skinned salmon in an Asian broth, and in the morning you have the breakfast buffet overlooking the pool.
The idea of spending pure, unadulterated leisure time is very appealing, but for the more active there are gyms, tennis courts, and numerous other outside pursuits.
These can be as gentle as kayaking or bird watching, or as strenuous as quad biking or horse riding. Since quad biking is one of the few things that have given me a true adrenalin rush, and I grew up riding, it was a no brainer. - Cape Times
l For more information go to www.africanpridehotels.com/hotels/Pages/arabella-hotel-spa.aspx or call 028 284 0000.