Gay Loyalty South Africa

Our loyal and frequent guests will know that we have been running a successful loyalty programme for several years. From the 1st June we will be extending this programme to other select participating guesthouses in South Africa. The programme is being updated and extended to enable you to spend your points at other guesthouses or to spend your points accumulated at those guesthouses here with us. It is an entirely free programme and each guesthouse will be participating without any exchange of money - a way to say thank you to the discerning guests who prefer to stay gay while you are away from home and keep those guests within the gay circle of guesthouses in South Africa.

For every guest booked per night, you will receive 100 points. 1000 points accumulated gives you a FREE single room with your next booking of 2 or more nights. 1500 points for a FREE double room similarly.

We have created a new website for the loyalty programme - Gay Loyalty South Africa - and this will be updated as more guesthouses are added. The participation logo will also appear on the website of those guesthouses who have joined the programme.

SO LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YA ALL AGAIN!!

Internationals tour South Africa

We love the international flavour of the Guesthouse. In the photo are Ton and Robbert  (from Utrecht, Natherlands) and travelling for the first time in South Africa... following a tried and tested itinerary - land in Johannesburg, travel to the Kruger National Park, drive down through Swaziland to the east Coast visiting the Game Reserve Mkuze and St Lucia Wetland Park (Hippo and Cocodiles) and then to Durban. From Durban fly to Port Elizabeth and then drive along the Garden Route to Cape Town visiting the Tsitsikama Forest, Storms River, Knysna, possibly Oudshoorn and then Stellenbosch. Another route, and perhaps better would be to drive from the Kruger Park down through our Drakensberg Mountains to reach Durban rather than the coastal road and through Swaziland.

Joining us at the guesthouse also in the photo with Llewellyn (guesthouse co-owner, middle) are Ian and Nick from Melbourne, who have been working on contract in Johannesburg for the past nine months and are taking some time out to see our country.

Welcome guys and enjoy!! Great to have you with us.

Welcome to Shisa

Welcome to Joe from the fun Guesthouse north of Cape Town - Shisa, where the locals go to play.

It's always a bit intimidating to have other guesthouse owner's come stay with us, like for the annual Indaba Tourism Conference in May each year, but then it's also a good opportunity to network and get to know the other gay operators in South Africa. We will be sure to visit you guys soon. We love trips to Cape Town, especially since my son is now studying there, so it's a chance to visit him, drink wine in Stellenbosch and play.

Euro guests

Llewellyn (guesthouse co-owner, centre) welcomes our guests Stas from Zakopane in Poland and Michael from Germany who have been together for 6 years and are presently living and working in London.

Stas and Michael are doing a driving tour of South Africa, having visited the Kruger National Park, St.Lucia, and Durban and are en route through the Garden Route to Cape Town.

Back in Durban after Amsterdam Pride

We sailed into Amsterdam on Saturday in time for the 2010 Gay Pride Canal Parade which attracted 400 000 spectators despite the slight rain. It started with a warm welcome at the dockside and ocean terminal as we stepped off the "Eurodam" after a whirlwind cruise of the Baltic with 1500 gay guys, then an interview screened on Dutch TV that night, the spectacular canal parage through the main canals of Amsterdam and awesome parties in the streets of the city.

Even the street barmen were hot and willing to wave the flag for us.

The rights of gay Africa were represented for the first time in the canal parade.

More than 40 floats took part in the parade in intermittant rain.

Street artists claimed their share of the action too.

The hot "kissing boys" did not need to decorate their float too much - just add skin!

Even the Police were represented at Gay Pride... with a helmet..

And Dave admires the boobs... lol

Dave and Llewellyn take every opportunity to show the South Africans were there.

Flags and balloons greeted the "Eurodam" at the dockside in Amsterdam on the morning of arrival for Gay Pride 2010 and we showed them our Pride.

American Guests Ryo, Bobby, Brian and Sammy have been living in Sydney and (except for Brian who heads back to Oz), are en route to the Gay Games in Cologne and we might even see them at Pride in Amsterdam where we are headed for a short break in August. Enjoy the football in Cologne guys as well as your week in Cape Town.

Is always great to have hot guys at the Guesthouse and glad you had such fun in Durban. 

Guests climb Kilimanjaro

Our World Cup guests from San Francisco, Cory (left) and Dawn (middle) join Llewellyn in the Guesthouse bar after their detour en route to South Africa to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak. It seems we have all the adventure guests making their way here and have been hearing the most amazing stories. Well done girls, what an achievement.

New King Shaka Airport opens

Wow, what an exciting weekend for Durban!! We made international aviation history as the only airport to have completed re-located to a brand new airport 35kms north of the city. Both airports were up and running simultaneously, with staff at both ends having to oversee the big switchover. 

We were there on Friday 30th April to see the last plane land at the Durban International Airport - open since 1955 and closed for the last time at 10pm.

Then this morning, Sat 1 May heralded the opening of the brand new 3x larger King Shaka International airport designed to cater for the huge A380 Airbus and the droves of international tourists who are discovering the gem of Durban on the sunny east coast of South Africa.

In the photos from top, how the morning paper covered the planeload of dignitaries who were first to land at the new airport. then the pics of the awesome new airport I took today, and in the smaller pics Dave (that's me) hamming it up at the deserted check-in counters and baggage belt at the closing airport after the last flight had departed on Friday night.

Guesthouse hot pics

I am sure I promised you some hot pics of model Tyrone Nell from his recent photo shoot for Spartacus International at the Guesthouse. Well here they are am I am proud to say I got to take them myself. Thanks Tyrone for making yourself available and for adding plenty of excitement to the Guesthouse last Saturday.

The photos also show off a bit of the Guesthouse with scenes shot around the pool, the rooftop jacuzzi, the outside shower and the patio deck off the Pool room and Rainbow room. These were recent building additions we made to the Guesthouse. Dave

House photos

The photo shoot with Tyrone Nell in the house this weekend gave us the opportunity to take some photos of the Guesthouse and some of the decor changes and improvements we have been busy with. In the photo above we have pimped up the pub a little for the FIFA 2010 World Cup football taking place in Durban and other centres in South Africa in June... Dave (left), Llewellyn (right).

The lounge/sitting room of the Guesthouse with one of the new South African indigenous Nguni cow hides on the floor.

The new breakfast tables with Nguni cow beaded wire-work.

Dave (guesthouse co-owner) tidies up the bar.

Llewellyn checks out the new guest computer downstairs. This suplements our free wireless internet in the house, particularly for those who don't travel with a laptop. We have created handy links on the desktop and have also created a google map which shows the gay bars, beaches and hot-spots in Durban.

Easter in Durban

Guests from around the world and South Africa, enjoying the company at the Guesthouse the past few days.

In the photos are (top) Brian from London, Duraid from Lebanon and Phillip, a regular guest from Johannesburg.

Protesting that he hasn't yet had his morning shower in the second photo is Eduard from Barcelona who has been wizzing around South Africa on a holiday trip. In the third photo around the Guesthouse Pub are Duraid from Lebanon, Jose from Mexico, Phillip from Jhb, Guesthouse co-owner Llewellyn and Eduard from Barcelona.

In the last photo are Roger and Leif from the Netherlands on their second visit to Durban and our Guesthouse. Welcome back guys.. hope you all had an awesome time with us.

4 Things to Do in Durban

We are often asked for recommendations as to what to see or do in and around Durban. Of course the best way to get around is in your own vehicle and we would recommend that you hire a car as South Africa has big wide open spaces and not the public transport network that will get you to the places you want to go. Options are:

1. DURBAN STADIUM CABLE CAR OR SWING

The latest muti-billion rand project completed in Durban is the 2010 Fifa World Cup Football Stadium - the most impressive in South Africa.

A unique feature of the Moses Mabhida Stadium is the high arch - one can catch the funicular cable car to the top of the arch, walk up the stairs to the top or take a breath-taking swing from one of the crossbeams across the whole stadium, or simply stroll along the beachfront promenade to the Stadium and back.

2. HARBOUR CRUISE: Brunch, Champagne Sunsets, Dinner Cruise

Join the Allen Gardiner Harbour cruise around the calm waters of Durban Harbour during which freshly-prepared fine foods are served and a fully stocked bar is open - one of the better ways to see Durban from the other side. Check out the full details on their website at: Allen Gardiner Harbour Cruise Restaurant.

3. uSHAKA MARINE WORLD

A must see in Durban is the uSHAKA shopping and aquarium complex on the beachfront at the harbour entrance - the beginning of our Waterfront development under construction at the moment. The uShaka Marine World features a full size shipwreck on the land with the Aquarium and shark tank built inside and under the huge ship. A good place to eat is the Cargo Hold restaurant in the ship which features a double story window with the sharks swimming around checking what gourmet seafoods you are eating.

Durban shaping up - QM2 arrives

Durban is shaping up in time for the World Cup in June. The Queen Mary 2 arrived in the harbour this morning for a quick visit and I shot around taking some photos.

The grass around the World Cup Stadium - the Moses Mabhida Stadium - is growing nicely as the surrounding landscaping is greening Durban, one of South Africa's greenest cities.

The posters on the street lamp-poles proclaim Durban as South Africa's warmest city for the World Cup, and that is true. Being a coastal city with the warm Indian Ocean, Durban's winter temperature is in the 15c - 22c range whilst football fans in Johannesburg and Cape Town arelikely to be in cold 10c weather during the World Cup.

We still have some Guesthouse space, particularly around the Brazil vs Portugal game, so bookings can still be made online or by email to durbanstadiumview@gmail.com.

In from the Polish cold

Welcome to our Guests Gerhard and Jacques (pink left!) who have been cruising on the Sinfonia's Rainbow cruise this weekend, as well as Guests from Poland Roman and Valdi, seen here with Guesthouse co-owner Llewellyn (right).

In the smaller photo Valdi who is presently working and living in Dublin, Ireland, comes from the city of Bielsko-Biala in Poland and they are soaking up the glorius sunshine in Durban before heading back to the cold. Guesthouse co-owner Dave is also in the photo with Valdi.

Durban boyz at CT Pride 2010

We managed to snatch a weekend away for Cape Town's 2010 Pride and took part in the march from the gay village to the city centre and back on Saturday.

Here I am in the top photo (centre) with two local boyz in the parade, in the second photo the hot boyz from Bronx (see Youtube video clip) carried the rainbow flag and in the bottom photo Llewellyn (Guesthouse co-owner) shows the view from The Decks where we stayed in Sea Point.

The speeches at Pride decried the recent trend elsewhere in Africa to tighten anti-gay laws with action against gay and lesbians.

Cruising in Durban

Our Guesthouse is a great starting-off or stop-off venue if you're booked on one of the cruises which leave Durban harbour for the Mocambique coast.

Here's Johan, Christof, Emile, Llewellyn (Guesthouse co-owner) and Riaan who had a party second-to-none the night before the cruise... we actually felt sorry for them getting on to the boat after a night of revellry with us!!

I am sure neighbours could also hear the pounding of the piano from the talented guests who were raising the roof after a few (!@) drinks. Amazing voices!

I hope the cruise was awesome too guys; come visit soon. Dave