Hello again,
I am sure you are thinking, it hasn’t been that long since we heard from Ryan from Umthunzi Hotel.
Well, I wanted to first let you know that we are all safe after that torrential weather, rain and flooding on the KZN South Coast. There was 117mm of rain in one day which, when calculated, works out to 1 million tons of rain! Awesome for our dams. Thankfully we have survived, thanks to our owner & builder Tony Foce for this amazingly built Umthunzi hotel. There are a few other less fortunate over this period, and we hope all that were affected are safe now too.
The next reason for my mail was that, according to our digital team who do all those amazing things for us, you actually like hearing from me. So I thought, “Why not get some more news to you about Umthunzi hotel, what’s happened and what is coming up, as well as with the team and myself”.
So, some family news. Since I last put pen to paper, Braedyn has started school 3 days a week. Since he was born in February the schooling system dictates that he falls into the 1 – 2-year-old class where he found his feet in the 3rd term, loving his teacher Auntie Nay. They saw his abilities, and on the last day of the 3rd term, he spent it in the 2 – 3-year-olds class where he fitted right in. So already overachieving. Although most dads want to take credit, this must go to Kez, my wife and his mom, as she spent many days talking to him and stimulating his intellect, and it has paid off!
Ruan, Cornel and Anri’s little one is also growing so fast, and I can see that in a few years’ time they both will be little helpers at Umthunzi hotel. Robyn and Jacqueline in our front office have already shown their ability at being great babysitters and entertainers apart from the talent they have in their jobs. Our resident cat, Thunzi, likes to be in the front office with them, where he thinks he is in charge.
As for the Hotel news, since last you heard from me, we have paused our Sunday lunch for now and will reopen it in the New Year. We are looking at a different approach to try to accommodate for all those different taste buds and wallet sizes – watch this space!
We hosted a double Whisky Tasting Event in September with Tommy Larkin and Glenbrynth on the Friday and Saturday of the long weekend, and then we were involved with the Andrew Mentis Golf Day fundraiser on Sunday at Port Shepstone Country Club. It was a difficult day on the golf course, but when we arrived at the 13th tee box, we were greeted by a friendly Umthunzi team with cold East Coast Breweries Lager on tap and freshly braaied venison wors and rump steak, to tie in with the Heritage Day theme. Saffron Chefs arranged the annual Potjie Challenge, and it was a lot of fun. The banter starting the week prior when the other competitors heard that Umthunzi hotel were entering a team. And that we did! So well in fact that we won the Challenge. Well done to our team of Joe, Hayley & Thabisile for the hard work and great service that assisted in the golfers voting for you as the winners.
My thanks to all our regular Conference groups, particularly Remax, Glen Smit Property Administration, Shelly Beach Rotary, Southern Natal Nomads & Sanlam who are such wonderful Umthunzi supporters. Remember we have fantastic facilities and options for your team to do business here, give us a call anytime or get your custom quote here.
Many happy Weddings with happy bridal couples have started their married lives at Umthunzi this year. I want to thank you for choosing us and wish you long and joyful years together. Gotta brag a bit and let you know that we have been voted “Best Coastal Wedding Venue” (in South Africa) by Top Vendor awards. Nice to be able to bring this award back to the South Coast.
Looking Ahead
The Year End Functions are booking fast here! So make sure you don’t miss out. Get in there while there is space – drop us a mail on reservations2@umthunzi.co.za and we will send you the menu choices or you can view them here.
On the 24th November, we have a Mexican Themed evening around the pool, not one to miss. There will be prizes for the best dressed with a frozen margarita on arrival as well as what can only be classified as REAL tequila also on offer. This, with the themed food provided, comes at the cost of only R230 per person. It will be another of those Umthunzi Events you do not want to miss out on, trust me.
Our Christmas Day Menu is out and looking delicious. Space is limited. So if you feel it is time to skip slaving over a hot oven for the family rather come and book a table with us, enjoy the hospitality we offer and go home to a clean kitchen and not having to eat all the leftovers ‘til the New Year.
More exciting news. This time Boating News. We have finally given the go-ahead to have our resident fisherman, Cornel, trained and qualified as a skipper for our deep sea boat. So we are then going to start, with a few regular guests who have supported us over the years, with a little afternoon cruise on the river, possibly out to sea for a spot of fishing. This will lead up to us being able to offer this service as an option for an executive group or family outing. Yet another space to watch out for and be a part of once it starts.
If you thought I was the hotel golfer, I try hard, with all my friends saying that I need to add an ‘-er’ to my surname (going from Ringo to Ringer), but the fact is that, although I will be driving to Swaziland to play in their national golf competition and represent the Southern Natal Nomads for our South African side, Kim Strauss our hard-working Store Manager won the Southern Natal Challenge for Sanlam in the CANSA challenge! Kim was flown to Joburg to play the Lost City and absolutely loved it. Although didn’t bring back the silverware she said she would try even harder next year. She is also off at the end of the month to play in the Interclub in Dundee. We wish her well for this!
Don’t forget the Holiday Season is coming up. If you haven’t booked your holiday, we suggest you think about it soon, spaces are filling up. And if you are going away, please drive carefully.
So I think this is about as much news from the last few months and what is lying ahead of us to put down on paper. Should you be in the area, please pop past for a coffee or glass of wine so we can then look to entertain you or just catch up
See you soon,
Ryan