It's the Durban July

The Games People Play is the official theme of this year's Durban July Handicap - South Africa's Premiere Horse Racing event of the year.. and it's all happening just down the road from the guesthouse.

We'll be in the VDP Marquee with guests enjoying the beautiful sunshine of Durban, the fashion extravaganza and the steeds...

Here's the booking link and info for the Marquee:

The VDP GROUP consisting of Clapham Grand, Manhattan, Tiger Tiger, Joe Cools and Clapham Grand-London have secured what they believe to be the Biggest and Best Marquee for the Durban July. The site will have 4 large bars with gorgeous bar ladies, a VIP section, a massive dance floor, an outside deck, 2 big screens, 6 plasma screens, a top of the line sound and lighting rig and in house betting facilities.

Of course the best of the July races is the 13th race.. the unofficial naked guys race which takes place under the full floodlights of the evening as the last horse race finishes. Check out the YouTube video clips of previous races and be sure to take your place in the naked dash or on the sidelines watching the fun, the spills and the hot bodz!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB8VLc1WqU4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKXxjhylkUc

Meeting the world

We love meeting the world and the world comes to us. In the photos are guests from Singapore, Johannesburg and Atlanta region... we heard tales of Aligators, St.Helena Island and Singapore... always interesting and varied personal accounts from differing parts of the globe.

In the photos are (top) Andries, Llewellyn and Johnathan, and (bottom) David, Peter and Llewellyn (guesthouse co-owner).

Durban mid-winter

Can you believe it is mid-winter in Durban and this is still the weather we enjoy?.. it's an all-year city which is why we love it. Our temperature ranges between 18c in winter to 35c in summer. And today is another glorious day.

SunCaost Casino takes my credits

As former Deputy Mayor of Durban and member of the Durban Publicity Association and Durban for the Olympics Committee, I am usually one to publicise the good about our city.

However the local SunCoast Casino and Entertainment Complex comes in for stern criticism for deleting the credit balance on my casino card and then after a protest offering to re-instate half of the balance.

This is unacceptable.

I am not a gambler at heart but as a member of Gold Circle Racing I like to entertain clients and guests in their private suites at the Horse Racing complex just down the road from our Guesthouse.

In turn the Horse Racing club and the Casino have a joint agreement to promote their respective facilities which grants free betting vouchers to their members each alternate month.

I usually enjoy the facilities at the Casino complex which includes restaurants, beach access, movies and entertainment, and I took up their betting offer prior to the expiry of the voucher period. I traded the voucher in and the credits due were loaded on to my Club Festival Card. Similarly you can load cash on to your card as well as winnings and then carry this card around or even leave the casino and return when you wish to resume your gambling.

WIPED OUT!

Imagine my surprise when I returned this week and found that my credit balance had been wiped out by the casino!! R0; zero on the card. I see credits on my card as my cash and taking them away in my view amounts to theft of this money by the casino.

The casino's response is absolute nonsense - the printed terms and conditions on the voucher indicated that the voucher was valid for the limited period only, and I maintain that I surrendered my voucher within the validity period and that once the credits were loaded on my card, ownership of those credits and the funds they represent passed to me and may not be unilaterally cancelled by them.

I challenged the casino on this and their view is that because I didn’t spend the credits by the date that the voucher expired, they were entitled to zero the remaining credits on my card.

PUBLIC BEWARE!

I don’t believe members of the public are aware that the casino has control over the money loaded on to their Club Festival cards and that the casino can tamper with their balances and by the click of a button alter those balances and I feel a public awareness campaign needs to bring this to the public’s attention. I am dissatisfied with the way in which my challenge was brushed off by them and I was offered 50% of the credit value.

* SunCoast Casino have since apologised and are re-crediting my account with the exact amount of their debit. *

View from Durban View roof-deck

Llewellyn captured the moment from our rooftop sundeck as the moon rises in it's full glory over the city of Durban.

Trying out the various settings on his new camera from our Durban View Guesthouse rooftop has produced a stunning glimpse of the view we enjoy each day.

Dave and Llew back from Sydney

After a whirlwind trip to Sydney and Auckland, we arrived back home in Durban yesterday. In the photos are the Sydney Opera House, the city centre and the Sydney Harbour Bridge seen from the Milson's Point side of the bridge. We climbed the bridge, walked across it, went on the Ferry underneath it and crossed it by bus and by train.

Sydney harbour by night on the Ferry back from Manly village.


Llewellyn with the city, bridge and opera house in the background.

Durban harbour seen from our window seat in the SA Airways plane.

The best way to enjoy a long flight is to have a drink or several on the plane. Dave and Llewellyn say cheers, and it's good to be back.

Sunrise

We woke up this morning to a beautiful sunrise... seen here from our bedroom window, looking past our guest City View room to the east and the Indian Ocean. We thought we must capture this 6am setting, trying hard to imagine that it is already 4pm the same day in Auckland and that we will be flying out tomorrow for 2 glorious weeks in Sydney and Auckland... will be posting some holiday snaps here.

The Decks winner

Donovan is the winner of our Underwear and Swimwear Show prize of a 2-night stay at The Decks Gay Guesthouse in Cape Town. The competition was held at the recent Show at Durban View Gay Guesthouse and the contestants were expected to show us what they were wearing!!

Donovan was a bit shy to show the camera his winning underwear when receiving the prize, but here is a picture we took on the night of his sexy bum.

The other side

Photographer Rob Ross who stayed at the Guesthouse this week is not often on the other side of the camera, but here he is at breakfast when he stopped by in Durban this week; and pictured above is one of the awesome photos you can see on his website. Click on the links to see more.

New Gay Club opens

It's not often that a new Gay Club and Bar opens in Durban, so Melanie needs to be congratulated on taking the step of opening Club Barazz.

It's right near uShaka, which at this moment is not the best part of the world, but the photos look pretty decent and is a welcome addition to the Gay and Lesbian scene in Durban.

The Club is situated at 309 Point Road (now Mohatma Ghandi Road) and they have both a website and a Facebook group. Click on the links for more information.

Underwear Show success

Last night's Underwear and Swimwear Show was a hit with some awesome hot bodz and designer SA and international underwear and swimwear at our Guesthouse. In the photos are from top 1. Guesthouse co-owner Llewellyn, model Jarrod, with guests JP and David. 2. Models Jarrod and Timothy (3rd Beach swimwear) with Hypnotic Events and Model Management boss Wesley (center) 3.and 4. Model Marco tries out some of the hot leather gear from Kinx.

Here are links to our Gay Durban Facebook group where you can find all the photos I took, and to the album where the pics by professional photographer Tyrone Crossman can be viewed.

It's Show time this Sunday 10 May

It's Show time this Sunday 10 May - check out the hot pics of our rehersal tonight of the boyz getting ready for their debut on the ramp.

In the photos are from top... Marco, who plays rugby for the Sharks' Academy, a pub photo of Guesthouse co-owner and event organiser Llewellyn with models Ashley, Timothy and Jarrod and on the right Wesley of Hypnotic Events and Model Management who are helping co-ordinate the Show. Third photo are the boyz Timothy, Jaco, Marco and Jarrod; in the 4th pic Llewellyn shows off the ramp and lights which will span the swimming pool, and lastly Jarrod and Timothy choose some sexy underwear for the Show.

See you Sunday!!!

Boyz work late to get the Underwear and Swimwear Show ready for Sunday

The boyz have been hard at work late at night getting the Guesthouse ready in time for our Indaba guests and for the Underwear and Swimwear Show around the pool this Sunday 10th May.And you're all invited.

Entry is free so come and get your slice of the action. Houses and brands represented include:

For Men Only, Intimo, 3rd Beach, Plumbum, Bonewear, Kinx, Calvin Klein, Bikkembergs, Dolce and Gabbana, Diesel, and Andrew Christian.

And wait till you see the hot models of Hypnotic Events and Model Management.

It's the event not to be missed!!

Underwear and Swimwear Show Sun 10 May

Hey guys, don't forget to click on the link to our Facebook event here at the Guesthouse - it's our Underwear and Swimwear Show and Party on Sun 10th May. The idea is to give our Durban guys, starved of outlets for sexy underwear and swimwear the chance to get their hands on their own right here and set up a link to ensure future supplies. It's a free show, but places are limited with prizes to those who are prepared to wear and bare their own sexy underwear. So come early to get your front row at the ramp and watch our sexy guys..

Pietermaritzburg Fund Raiser

The Gay and Lesbian Network are organising the Pink Mynah Festival in December this year with plans to include venues and events in Durban as part of the Festival programme.

You are all invited to come to a funraiser party in aid of the Festival on the 27th June in Pietermaritzburg. Perhaps we can organise a group to come up and give you some support guys. Click on the Facebook link here for more event info.

Welcome

Llewellyn (right) Guesthouse co-owner welcomes Martin to Durban in our Pub. It is always interesting to see what divergent careers our guests have - Martin is in corporate training and we have two film-makers in the house at the moment, all independent of each other.

Boyz in Durban

Meet Pretoria boyz Wesley, Reggie and Tarquin, down in Durban for the Easter weekend. They are taking a break from their studies at the Tshwane University of Technology where they are studying Musical Theatre and came to stay with us at the Guesthouse.

Lllewellyn (guesthouse co-owner) joins the boyz around the pool.

Sunny skies and beach

With such awesome weather on the east coast during April, the beach is about the best place to be. Here is Llewellyn at our campsite at Scottburgh, about an hour's drive south of Durban, where we spent the last few days with the kids just chilling, walking on the beach, flying kites and enjoying our national past-time - a good old South African braai, or barbeque as foreigners might know it.

Easter Bunny competition - Sat 11 April

You need to get on down to The Lounge, Durban's only gay club Sat 11 April for the Easter Bunny Competition. Or you can enter- click on the Facebook link for details.

States visitors enjoy the sunshine

Guests Tristan (Berkley), Jane (Wisconsin) and Matt (Boston) are studying for a semester at UCT in Cape Town. They stopped by to stay at the Guesthouse this week whilst travelling to the St Lucia Wetands Park, Swaziland and Maputo on a tour of the east coast of Southern Africa in their autumn study vacation.