Valentines' fun in Durban

 Having some fun at the Guesthouse at our Valentines' weekend welcome pary are Roberto and Gerhard with guesthouse co-owner Llewellyn (middle),  in the second photo co-owner Dave (left) with Andre, Craig and David; in the third photo Berlin guests Chris and Jorg have just returned from diving in Sodwana  and in the bottom photo well known Durban personality Warren with his partner Gary get into the Valentines' spirit.

And for those who weren't able to share Valentines with a loved one, we have a singles weekend in Durban too, so get your booking enquiries coming.

Warren (of The Lounge fame) with Llewellyn and Gary

What's HOT this weekend and more

Hey guys, here's the line-up of hot events and special weekends at the Guesthouse:

March

Fri 18th - Mon 21st Mar - Human Rights’ Day long weekend. Come party in Durban. Minimum 2-night stay.

April

Fri 1st Apr - Pre-cruise Cocktails for Rainbow Cruise Guests and Durban friends

Wed 30 Mar - Sat 2 Apr - pre-Rainbow Cruise Special: Pay for 2, get 3rd night FREE

Fri 8th Apr - Sun 10 Apr - Ladies Weekend
with Saturday afternoon chilled 4pm - 10pm Rooftop Sundowners for guests and local ladies in conjunction with Bent Promotions!
 Sun 24th Apr - Pre-cruise Cocktails for Rainbow Cruise Guests and Durban friends

Fri 22nd - Mon 25th Apr - pre-Rainbow Cruise Special: Pay for 2, get 3rd night FREE

http://www.alternativetravel.co.za/

Thurs 21st - Thurs 28th Apr - Easter long-weekend and Freedom Day public holiday. Best Durban weather, party hard, lie in the sun. Minimum 2 night bookings open.

May

Fri 29th Apr - Tues 3rd May - May Day long-weekend - more time to party up a storm in Durban or just enjoy a fabulous rest. Durban is the best place to be in May. Minimum 2 night bookings open.

Fri 6th May - Wed 11th May - INDABA Conference Weekend. Double room rate applies for single or double occupancy

Tues 10th May - Cocktail party for Conference Delegates and Durban friends

Sun 29th May - 86th Comrades Marathon up-run. Join our Comrades guests for their pre-run Welcome.

June

Fri 17th June - Sun 19 - Singles weekend. Come alone, bring your mates or take a plunge sharing a room with a mystery stranger...

July

Fri 1st and Sat 2nd July - A RIGHT ROYAL AFFAIR is the theme of this years’s Vodacom July Handicap horseracing just down from the Guesthouse. So dress up like a Queen and join us at the Races... and don’t forget the naked guys 13th Race.. 200 hot dudes make a dash to the finish... everyone stays for this race!!!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-official-Vodacom-Durban-July/212919011349

Fri 15th - Sun 17 July - Leather and Kinx weekend with Sat braai and Leather and Kinx party for guests and locals. Come and do your stuff and have some wild fun.

Durban View Gay GuesthousevRoom rates are:

u25s Bunk room - R295pp

City rooms - R450pp sharing or R550 single (if available)

Premium room - R600pp sharing or R750 single (if available)

So there’s every reason to come visit, stay gay, party gay or simply relax with us in Durban soon.

Dave and Llewellyn

http://www.durbanview.co.za/

durbanview@gmail.com

Dave 083-7033329

Llewellyn 082-377 2322

Valentines' Special at the Guesthouse

Because you're so special and we want to make this Valentines' Weekend a superb lovers' getaway to Durban, we've lined up a special deal for you.

Valentines' Day fall on a Monday so you can pay for the weekend and we'll throw in the 3rd night free - either come Friday leaving Monday, or come Saturday leaving Tuesday.

The price is R450 pp sharing or if you're willing to bunk it up R275 pp sharing and this includes breakfast each morning and a Welcome Pamper Pack and complimentary bottle of Sparkling Wine.

Bookings strictly limited so let us know by email on durbanview@gmail.com if you're coming - surprise and spoil him - he's worth it!

Andre Lammers In Durban



Mr Gay South Africa ™ Cape Town finalist Andre Lammers is in Durban taking up his prize sponsored by us of a weekend at the Guesthouse.

Gorgeous Andre is seen here with his friend Lindi and Guesthouse co-owner Dave en route to Mocambique where they are going for a week getaway to Ponta do Ouro. Andre will be launching his fashion design range in May so watch this space and we will post some pics.



Durban View  Guesthouse sponsored Andre's stay in Durban



More Fun

Enjoying a meal at SunCoast Casino complex and then a drink at Durban's gay bar and club The Lounge are Dave and Llewellyn (guesthouse co-owners) with guest Filip and Lounge friends we met on the night.

Fun in Durban

Filip, Llewellyn, Jörg and Ulrich

Guest Filip (Tenerife) joins guesthouse co-owner Llewellyn and Jörg (Hamburg) and Ulrich (Berlin) for drinks in the guesthouse Pub before dinner out.

In the second photo Filip enjoys a steak at the Cubana Restaurant in Florida Rd, served by Dylan.

In the 3rd photo, the guests were introduced to The Lounge gay bar in Durban for a shirts-off evening and a game of pool. You will notice that both guests spent a little time in the Durban sun without adequate sun protection... so nice to have glorious sunshine, warm sea and beaches and hot guys here! 

Tenerife Welcome

Guesthouse co-owners Dave (left) and Llewellyn (right) welcome Belgian boy Filip to the Guesthouse. Filip has been working in Tenerife and is on holliday in South Africa.

Guesthouse on video

Here's a quick video of the Guesthouse from the Pool, through to the Pub, Dining area and Lounge.

Nude in Durban

We paid a visit with guests to Durban Nudist Beach at Umhlanga.. was pretty busy with some yummy guys as well as heterosexual couples, all blending into the seascape. Ocean was warm and lovely too. (Wayne (Moscow, Andy UK and Llewellyn, guesthouse co-owner in the top photo)

The weekend started with drinks in the guesthouse pub - Llewellyn, Andy, Ton (Belgium), Wayne and Rene' (Netherlands) - always a good start.

On Sunday we did a pub crawl drinking cocktails at BeanBagBohemia, Cubana (yummy nachos), and supper at Spiga. Awesome stuff!!

From 2010 to 2011

Guests from 2010 who stayed through New Years Eve with us are Charl (left) and Handre (centre) with guesthouse co-owner Llewellyn.

Thanks for joining us guys and to Charl was great to have you with us in Durban for the first time. Will be awesome to see you guys again here soon.

Egg Souffle'

This was a first attempt at an egg and cheese souffle' for breakfast at the guesthouse ... mighty fine, although I think I can improve on the recipe by adding some sausage.. or boerewors...mmm

Garden Studio

The Garden Studio

Studio en-suite Shower

 The Garden Studio is a large spacious double room, with lounge area (with sleeper couch that can accommodate an additional two guests), a kitchenette with stove and breakfast bar, microwave and fridge, and an en-suite shower.

As the Studio has a patio and small garden, many of our smokers or those wanting to stay a few days prefer this room. It also has a separate entrace or can be accessed via the guesthouse pool area, so is more private and detached from the main guesthouse.

There is no additional charge for the Studio and our standard rates apply, save that a 3rd or 4th guest can also be accommodated at a reduced charge of R320 per person.



Studio Kitchen





New Year blast

Dave, Andrew, Mias, Louis, Charl, Michael and Llewellyn

Ready to welcome in the New Year at the Guesthouse are guests, mainly from Johannesburg, whilst in the second photo Llewellyn and I went onto the roof after a late-night smokey braai under the umbrella and the teaming rain to watch the fireworks and flares light up the New Year sky.

2010 - a great year for Durban

This is the end of a great year and we're finishing on a hot note. This is the year South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup Football event and our Guesthouse was spinning with hot fans from all over the world.

We travelled the world as well with a trip to Dublin, skiing in Bulgaria, and Amsterdam in February, as well as a road trip to Cape Town after the World Cup in July. August saw us on a gay-only Baltic Cruise from Copenhagen to Estonia, St Petersberg, Helsinki, Stockholm and Amsterdam gay Pride. And in October we did a short work-related trip and conference on a cruise from Hong Kong to China and Vietnam. We also visited Cape Town again - one of our favourite world cities.

After the rescession of 2009, business confidence in South Africa improved, particularly with the World Cup taking place and my office business grew once again. In March this year I took on a partner and we go into 2011 with renewed vigor and confidence for an even better year.

2010 was the year our hot Charl van den Berg, Mr Gay South Africa, also lifted the Mr Gay World title - well done Charl, we are so proud of you. My Gay Cape Town, Gay Johannesburg and Gay South Africa blogs also took off and I introduced a Google Map of each city linked on these blogs.

So here's to all of you on this last day of 2010. We in  South Africa, with a time zone difference of between 6 and 9 hours compared to New York and San Francisco, will get to 2011 first- around midday in the States.. so party hard and will chat to you again next year. Thanks for following - reaching our all-time record readership of our Hotbodz blog this month - will bring you more of the hottest bodz next year.  Dave



Last days of 2010

As 2010 comes to an end we celebrate with Cape Town guests Garth and David in the photo with guesthouse co-owner Llewellyn (right).

Eating out in Durban

We don't eat out often enough, but when we do, our favourite pub and restaurant where the guys are hotter and the food good and resonably priced is Billy the Bums. We even have a loyalty card going there.

We joined guests Phillip (left) and Renier (right) for a drink and dinner at Billys, forgetting that Tuesday was ladies night, so there were a whole load of hot chicks there... Mondays are best when it's Burger and Beer special... mmm

Nightcap at Harveys

Friend and waiter at Harveys, Graham, with Llewellyn (centre) and myself (Dave)

Fine dining and elegant decor at Harveys

We don't often have our main course there as it's fine dining and top of the range, but last night we popped in after dinner at Billy The Bums, for a nightcap at Harveys.

A glass of sherry and a delicious Chocolate Mousse cake to share.. just the trick before home.

Christmas Fun in Durban

Enjoying the Christmas spirit at the full Guesthouse and later at The Lounge gay club in Durban are Llewellyn (top left), myself (Dave), Peter and Francois from Johannesburg and in the second photo we join Warren the Manager of The Lounge.

Christmas Breakfast

It's Christmas morn and we managed to russle up a small feast for guests on this our 7th Christmas together and 6th running the Guesthouse.

Happy Christmas guys and glad you could share this special day with us.

Christmas Guesthouse fun

It's been a party every night for locals and Guests at the Guesthouse in the run-up to Christmas. A lot of this has to do with party animal and hooligan Marc who has been working on a ship in the Gulf of Mexico - 5 weeks on duty and 5 home - which means a  horny and thirsty "seaman" - in the middle seen here with Llewellyn (left) and Garret.

In the top photo Duane, Celeste and Pieter ( a  dentist... where was he when we needed him - see story below) from Britz are finding out what Durbanites do for fun. Enjoy guys!!

Dr Marc to the rescue

What a day Friday turned out to be. I had chipped my tooth and was booked in at the dentist. Guest Marc co-incidentally had the same problem so I hauled him off to the dentist with me going a bit earlier to see if he could be squeezed in.

My dentist died that morning, much to our shock and berwilderment. Marc is a paramedic though and serving as a ship's doctor on an oil exploration ship in the Gulf of Mexico is used to improvising and fixing any emergency. So out he came with some dentist-filler and stopped up the chipped wall of my tooth as well as his own. Although a working day, that was the end of all prospect of work and Marc, his friend Dimitri and I mixed all known cocktails and spent the rest of the day downing them. Thanks Marc!!

Durban's first Pink Parade

Durban's first Pink Parade took place this morning down Florida Rd. The event formed part of the Pink Mynah Festival which took place in Pietermaritzburg and Durban this week.

Durban View Guesthouse was represented in the Parade and next year we want to go even better with our own float and involving the guests in floatbuilding the night before.

Kevin Ellis was the star of the parade with a glitzy and feathered pink (of course) glam outfit  and a thumping band swept us down the street. The gathering was small but this was a great start to what hopefully will be a growing annual event.

Make sure you are kept in touch with events like this by joining our Gay Durban Facebook group. You  can also see more pics of the Parade loaded there. Check out the YouTube video clip here.

Hot weekend

Having fun in Durban are guests from Cape Town Byron and Travis (left in photos) joined by locals Shaun and Stuart (middle). Guesthouse owners Llewellyn and myself Dave are on the right.

We revved up the pub music a bit with an excellent selection the Cape boys brought with them and enjoyed some fun and laughter around the pub and pool. Great meeting you guys!

Happy times

The guesthouse was the scene of an engagement last night.. not ours, but friends of my daughter's and we took the opportunity for a happy snap of ourselves in the Guesthouse Pub as we waited for Steve to pop the question to Andy on the rooftop.

Pink Mynah Festival 11-18 Dec 2010

Our brothers in Pietermaritzburg have been working hard to extend their Pink Mynah Festival to Durban and this year sees the crowning of the Mr and Ms Gay KZN at the Bat Centre on the 18th.

The Festival takes place over the period 11th - 18th December and includes workshops, drama performances, movie screenings culminating in the parade down Florida Road and pageant in Durban.

Here is the full programme:

PINK MYNAH FESTIVAL PROGRAM

Saturday, 11 December- kick-start festival

Soccer Day PMB 11am

Pink Party @ Kismet Hotel, PMB @ 8pm

Pink Mynah festivities at the Lounge Stamford Hill Rd &Angelos West Street, Durban

Monday, 13 December

10h00 Hate crime workshop – Darkchildz office, DBN

19h00 Book Fair –The Butchery PMB(Exclusive Books)

Tuesday, 14 December

10h00 Heterosexism workshop – Imbali PMB

18h00 Drama performance by Thespian drama group & Injongo Performing Arts & Entertainment – BAT Centre, DBN

Wednesday, 15 December

10h00 Homosexuality and the Bible (Q&A session) – Deo Gloria Family Church48 Gordon Road, Morningside (off Florida Road)

19h00 Film show screening – Nino’s Restaurant Golden Horse Casino, PMB &BAT Centre, DBN

Thursday, 16 December

10h00 Drama performance by Thespian drama group &Injongo Performing Arts & Entertainment –Winston Churchill Theatre PMB

Friday, 17 December

Preparation for parade and pageant

Saturday, 18 December

10h00 – 14h00 Street parade starts at Mitchell Park in Florida Rd to Bean Bag

19h00 – Mr & Ms Gay KZN pageant – Sipho Gumede Hall, BAT Centre, DBN

PROGRAMME TIMES & VENUE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

STAY GAY IN DURBAN

 There is still space at the inn if you would like to stay over in Durban.. remember the 16th is a public holiday here so most people will be making a long weekend of it.