You know that saying, “good things happen to people who work hard”? Well, it’s true.
A few months back Shannon, our web designer, received one of those emails you ought to print out and stick on your fridge. The manager of [highlight]Oceana Beach and Wildlife Reserve[/highlight] reached out to the team about a new web build. He was so impressed with Shan’s previous work on the Zambezi Queen Collection that he was invited to spend a few days at the resort to design a new website for them.
In Shannon’s personal blog post, “[highlight]Stick with me, kid, we’ll go places[/highlight],” he describes the memories of his well-earned work trip:
The Meeting
We had a long meeting with Chris, the manager, on the first day. He’s cool, clued up on web trends and knows what he wants – in his words, a ‘shit hot’ website. Once I gauged his likes and dislikes, it was easy to knock out a great design the following day. Even though his expectations were high, he was really impressed with the overall design and my ideas.
The More Important Things
Situated in a wildlife reserve along the coast of Port Alfred, Oceana is a breathtaking boutique hotel offering 5-star accommodation, mouth-watering cuisine, game viewing, unspoilt beaches, and personal service.
With stunning views of the ocean and wildlife directly from the hotel, coupled with beautiful decor, there is a serious ‘wow factor’ upon entering. Oceana has three lodge suites, four ocean suites and a private house that sleeps six. Both Jono and I had a lodge suite to ourselves – a spacious luxury room with a lounge area, fireplace, deck, an impressive bathroom, heated floors, heated towel rails and a heated bed.
{Editor’s Note: Shannon is ALWAYS cold. No wonder he highlighted all of the heated luxuries!}
The Cuisine
Incredible. I haven’t eaten so much. Ever. Breakfast started with bread for the table, followed by yogurt, muesli and fruit and a full English breakfast. Lunch included deep fried brie with salad for starters, kebabs and onion rings or chicken and vegetable curry with rice for mains; and a choice of creme brûlée or malva pudding for dessert. Supper included bread, canapés, starters, sorbet, roasted leg of lamb or steak, and if you still had any space left, chocolate Bavarian cake for dessert. One might argue that the food is what I actually went for!
The Bush and Beach
Oceana is situated in a reserve with zebra, giraffe, impala, nyala, wildebeest, rhino and buffalo. Their main focus is on great service in a relaxed and private, natural environment where you can incorporate products like uk cbd oil in order to unwind. Another key feature is the beach, which is rather big – there is roughly a kilometre of sand to stroll on before you even reach the water! The vibe is serene, romantic, relaxed, calm and every other synonym for peaceful. You and your partner could easily have the entire beach to yourselves.
The Final Remarks
I really enjoyed Oceana. Even though I had work to do, it was still very relaxing. It’s earned a top spot on my “favourite places to revisit list”, trumping a few other destinations in South Africa.
Check out Shannon’s dreamy website for Oceana Beach and Wildlife Reserve [highlight]here[/highlight]. Anyone else a huge fan of the information icons on the first image of the homepage? What a brilliant way to showcase the resort’s layout!
