Knysna’s Oyster Festival in July is the ideal time to get down to the Garden Route, visit old favourites and find out what’s new. Here are 15 dynamic reasons to visit Knysna…LISA VAN DER KNAAPThen and now… Once a sleepy fishing village that attracted a handful of holidaymakers, Knysna is now a bustling minimetropolis. Over the years it has seen a number of developments, most notably Thesen Island, a private estate encompassing 19 islands in the Knysna lagoon. Tourism, however, remains the predominant moneyspinner, which is why so many new restaurants and hotels have popped up and there’s so much…

There’s no need to leave town to unwind in five-star style. Our collection of neighbourhood luxury retreats are all within easy driving distance of four major centres PORT ELIZABETH: SHAMWARI TOWNHOUSE Generally overlooked in any round-up of must-see South African cities, Port Elizabeth is now home to one of the country’s most luxurious boutique hotels. The Shamwari Townhouse, which opened late last year, is a Mantis Group project. The group operates a string of properties both here and overseas, including London’s fashionable Draycott Hotel, the Alladale Wilderness Reserve in Scotland, and the Shamwari Game Reserve and Oceana Beach & Wildlife…

When you’re in need of some serious chilling out, escape to the lush Lowveld surrounding the towns of Hazyview and White RiverNAOMI LARKIN Mpumalanga may be best known as the bread basket of South Africa, but it’s also the home of some of the country’s most favoured tourist spots. Millions of local and international travellers visit the province every year, drawn by its diverse attractions and favourable weather. This is where you find God’s Window, the grand Blyde River Canyon and Bourke’s Luck Potholes; where you can view ancient cave paintings, snap the Big Five at play in the Kruger…

We are fortunate in South Africa to have both bush and beach in our backyard. So it seems surprising that one of the first lodges to combine the two has only been open for just over a year. LISA VAN DER KNAAP spent some time at Oceana Beach and Wildlife Reserve, poised to become one of the Eastern Cape’s top luxury destinationsLISA VAN DER KNAAPIt took American property developer Rip Miller just under half an hour to buy a 1 000 hectare piece of land on the Eastern Cape coastline and nearly half a year to tell his wife about…

Fancy two weeks in southern France with a fleeting visit to Spain? KIM MAXWELL stayed close to the Mediterranean for a personal exploration of time-steeped places and produceThe adventure began in an original feudal village in the south of France. Puissalicon is so small I couldn’t find it on a map, but it’s near Béziers in the Herault. I was travelling with my fiancé Craig, after friends had invited us to join them in a modest holiday home below a very steep cobbled incline. At the apex, a circular street surrounding a château had only a boulangerie, provision shop and…