Sandy Place Newsletter December 2020

Awards | Animal Sightings | Resort News | Resort Upgrades | Notices

St. Lucia's turquoise waves reach out to you for your imminent arrival, after a year filled with ups and downs. We are elated that all our Shareholders can once again experience the salty air, the immensity of the coastal sky connecting with a brochure-blue ocean and the panorama of the surrounding sights. Let your senses come alive – when you cast your eyes out to sea, observe the horizon hemmed in sardine-silver, smell the saltiness, hear a Little Stint’s voice in the distance and feel the ocean softly lapping over your feet on your seashore saunter.

Explore the area on a road-trip - with the waves in the distance, like white creases on a vast bale of velvet and the lolling of the yachts, both rhythmic and mesmerising.

Start planning your 2021 holiday now! Take a break, set off and experience all the wonder and splendour of your home-away-from-home. Just imagine - daydreaming on the stoop, the braai’s fire lit and a freshly caught fish on the grill. It’s time to celebrate life again at your ‘Sandy’ coastal gem.

Awards and Applause

Sandy Place holds RCI Silver Crown Resort status

This excellent result speaks to the amazing calibre and dedication of the Sandy Place Team and their commitment to ensuring your little St. Lucia gem continues to shine and that they are “Creating the Environment for Everlasting Holiday Memories”.

Top Animal Sightings
by Sandy Place Visitors this Season:

Hippos

The renowned Hippos of St. Lucia continue to make news headlines with their antics and they always guarantee a chuckle! The Hippos frequently emerge from the estuary waters to visit the town to take a stroll down the main street and to graze on the open plots in and around the town.

Did you know? Hippos are very loud animals. Their snorts, grumbles and wheezes have been measured at 115 decibels, according to the USA-based, San Diego Zoo — about the same volume as you'd be exposed to when 4.6m from the speakers at a rock concert.

Whale Watching

The Humpback whales put on quite a spectacle with their breaches this year, seen close by, from Main Beach all the way to Cape Vidal. The road to Mission Rocks was recently tarred – which eased accessibility to the viewpoint; guests flocked to see these majestic creatures breaching out of the water and causing mighty splashes.

Did you know? Humpbacks can grow to 18 metres long, and they can weigh a whopping 40 tonnes (about half the size of a blue whale), according to the NOAA.

Resort News

COVID-19 Protocols

Resort maintenance has been one of the main focus points for the second and third quarter of the year. The Sandy Place Team, together with the HygienicHospitality arm of VRS, has been hard at work to implement all the pertinent COVID-19 protocols across the Resort - to ensure all our guests and Shareholders have a safe and carefree stay. We have curated a few photos which highlight a few of the implemented measures for you below:

Personal Protective Equipment

Laundry Room Protocols

Arrival Welcome Pack - Sanitised

Hand Sanitiser Dispensers

Your Safety is Our Priority

We believe that it is our responsibility to provide our guests and staff members with a safe environment, always putting their health and well-being first. Our dedicated team has been working diligently during this time to ensure that the government-enforced regulations, as well as our own COVID-19 safety protocols, are adhered to and that stringent health and safety protocols remain in effect to ensure a safe holiday environment for all.

VRS HygienicHospitality protocols

In the Know with Sandy Place Upgrades!

A Coastal Escape in our Games Room

We have continued with the coastal theme and repainted our Games Room which now boasts that perfect surfable wave, tropical palm trees and some pretty-nifty surfboards. This has been an ongoing project focused on adding more coastal-themed décor and games to our fun-filled room!

Other Resort Maintenance

Our Laundry Room received a revamp - shelving was removed, while the room was repainted and repacked to ease workflow.

A new coat of paint adorns the Sandy Place roof.

All flower boxes at the Units’ entrances have been re-plastered, repainted and replanted with new flowers.

We are thrilled to announce the replacement of the current sleeper couches in the Apartments' living space, with corner units. The new couches will boast a mocha tone fabric with a tint of sand. The fabric used has been specially woven and treated for durability and ease of cleaning. The replacement is scheduled for mid-December 2020.

In Other News

The Catch On The Lure

Fishing, Fishing, Fishing - that was on everyone’s lips during the Sardine Run. With the Sardine Run comes the much-awaited return of the Shad or Elf. Fishermen from all over came to catch these streamline-swimmers from St. Lucia’s shores - and oh-they-were-not-disappointed this year. Schools of Shad were noted all along our beaches with some fantastic catches!

Heritage Tours Discount

Heritage Tours and Safaris have a special offer for all Sandy Place guests and Shareholders, offering a 10% discount on all Full or Half Day Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park Safaris. Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve is the oldest proclaimed reserve in Africa. The 96000 hectares of wilderness, rolling hills and magnificent wildlife await you!

Please contact the Resort Directly to claim this offer for your next St. Lucia holiday! reception@sandyplace.co.za

A Bit of History

Established in 1895, Lake St. Lucia, a prime eco-tourism destination, is renowned to be the oldest game reserve in Africa. This lake is situated in the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park, South Africa’s first World Heritage Site. The lake contains large numbers of hippos and crocodiles and is the largest estuarine lake system in sub-Saharan Africa; the 36 000ha body of water is an average of one metre deep. If you go back in history, 74 years to be exact, it was the scene of some spectacular military aviation activity during World War II.

Read Jeff Gaisford’s full article here for an interesting read about Lake St. Lucia’s history.

While the Sandy Place Team may not have had many opportunities to provide our valued Shareholders with exciting onsite games and activities, the Shareholder communications kept the Resort spirit alive with fun-filled competitions. We enjoyed all the puzzles and photo recreations you submitted,

but in the end there can only be one

FULL WEEK BONUS BOOKING WINNER

Congratulations to
Johnny Hewitt

for snatching up this prize in our lucky draw!

Thank you for staying up-to-date with all things Sandy Place, throughout this tough season, as well as partaking in this awesome adventure!

Places to Visit Around Sandy Place Resort

Thinking of venturing out? Here are a few places you should visit while holidaying at Sandy Place:

Turtle Tours

St. Lucia Turtle Tours (iSimangaliso Wetland Park) begin in November when Loggerhead and Leatherback turtles come ashore on the golden beaches in the St. Lucia Turtle Sanctuary, to lay their eggs.

Turtle Tours includes a night drive en-route to the beach on the Eastern Shores, light snacks and refreshments on the beach. Departure times align with the tides. Booking is essential - limited to 10 Pax for this nocturnal adventure.

Price: R1200 per person
Bookings: 035 590 1555

Bhangazi Horse Safaris

Horse riding at iSiMangaliso Wetland Park is a great way to explore the wildlife in the area. Rides take place in the south of the park where you are able to see zebra, wildebeest, bushbuck, warthogs, duiker and impala.

Each ride is accompanied by a lead and back up rider; this makes it possible to split the group at times to be able to cater for each individual's level of experience.

Price: R450 – R2150 per person
Bookings: 083 792 7899

Chané Cheese Farm & Lodge

This fun, family outing to a local cheese farm offers a special experience for young and old alike. The Farm shop stocks a variety of organic cheeses, as well as gourmet products – tasters are also available before purchase.

The kiddos can also learn to milk a goat and feed the other farm animals on the property.

For more information: 082 321 5000

More Information

Expand your holiday horizons through a range of available ownership weeks. Simply visit the Uni-Vate Properties website, browse to find your perfectly matched holiday destination and get in touch to secure an additional home-away-from-home week at one of South Africa’s finest Resorts.

Just good vibrations… Feel the sun, sea and sand at these coastal locations.

Scoops of memories to be made in your bucket(list)!

Live La Dolce Vita in Little Italy

Your own little slice of marvellous Margate

UniVate Properties

If you would like to explore more destinations, click here

AFRICAN BLESSINGS
As our Jochebed Children’s Village continues to grow, so do our laundry loads! We are raising funds to purchase an industrial washing machine that will go a long way in helping us manage the big task of keeping the Village’s linen and little King’s clothes clean and fresh, while reducing the cost and the time spent on managing the loads of laundry. Read our blog to find out how you can contribute to our cause.

Read our blog

OPTIONS
As the custodian of your preferred holiday destination, Vacation Recreational Services is consistently looking out for your best interests, as they relate to important and quality holidays. Consequently, VRS recently teamed up with Options. Options (previously VRS Options) is an independent exchange organisation that provides you, as a valued Shareholder, the opportunity of exchanging your week for an alternative holiday in any given year, should you like to. For more information and for exchange enquiries, please contact Options directly on info@holidayoptions.co.za, or visit their website below.
Happy holidaying!

Go to the Options website

Take the pressure out of planning the journey to your favourite home-away-from-home: our partners at ACT Travel are here to plan your flights, car hire and so much more to ensure you have the most relaxing vacation.

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For more information and assistance, please contact us on:
info@actravel.co.za | +27 (0) 12 941 8522

Important Notices

2021 Calendar >
Download Here

Instruction Letter 2021 >
Download Here

VRS Website >
Visit Here

COVID-19 >
Read More

Join our online community to keep up-to-date with happenings
and coastal-life at sunny Sandy Place!

Do you want to be ‘in the know’ with all the latest news and happenings from St. Lucia and at your “Home-Away-From-Home”? Then join our online community where you can browse through all the latest Sandy Stories and share your recent holiday experience with us!

In Closing

As the year comes to a close and the festive season’s jingles linger in the air, it’s a time to be grateful for the opportunity to celebrate “the most wonderful time of the year” with family and friends. With a year filled with many challenges and changes, we are thankful for having had you by our side on this journey and would like to take a moment to say a heartfelt ‘thank you’ for your ongoing support and your financial commitment throughout this year. It's because of your commitment to safeguarding everlasting holiday memories at your ‘Sandy’ Resort that

we can gratefully say that we are ending this year on a high note. As we move forward with the New Year on the horizon, we look forward to creating new and wonderful memories with you into the future. We are elated that you can once again enjoy the beautiful St. Lucia, the salty air, soft powdery sand between your toes, and treasured family-time at your home-away-from-home. Let’s embrace 2021 together and start day-dreaming about your next holiday in this beautiful part of the country with all its splendour!

Festive season greetings!

Warm Regards,
Marjorie Forssman

VRS – Managing Director