Romantic ... The Oyster Box, near Durban.
THE Oyster Box might not be well-known outside South Africa, but that's about to change.
The world's newest royal couple, Prince Albert of Monaco and his bride, Charlene Wittstock, have chosen the five-star hotel near Durban for a post-wedding party for South African friends who cannot make it to their wedding in Monaco this weekend.
The newlyweds are expected to stay for five days in the two-storey presidential suite overlooking the Indian Ocean.
The Oyster Box hotel's presidential suite.
Built in 1869 as a beach cottage before becoming a hotel in the 1930s, the hotel has a romantic history already. The owners, Bea and Stanley Tollman, had their first date here. Stanley vowed on the night to marry Bea and also to buy the hotel. Mission accomplished on both fronts.
Through 54 years of marriage, the Tollmans have built their family company, the Travel Corporation, into a global business spanning 60 countries and encompassing 25 brands, including Contiki, Trafalgar, AAT Kings and Uniworld.
They bought the Oyster Box five years ago and promptly closed it for two years for a significant renovation. The property now has 86 rooms and suites, as well as extensive public spaces and grounds.
All of the hotel's interiors, including the lavish presidential suite, have been decorated by Bea. Indeed, the family matriarch is responsible for the look of all of the properties in the Tollman's Red Carnation Hotel Collection, a group of 13 four- and five-star hotels in England, the US and South Africa.
Perhaps the best-known of the collection is the Bushman's Kloof Wilderness Reserve and Wellness Retreat in Western Cape, named the best hotel in the world by Travel + Leisure magazine in 2009.
Add a W to Russia
The edgy W hotel brand has opened in that most traditional of towns, St Petersburg. Located near the Winter Palace and St Isaac's Cathedral, the new W has 137 rooms and suites.
Unlike most of the other five-star properties in St Petersburg, the design is contemporary, with the only nods in the direction of Russia's rich history coming through the use of colour.
The French culinary star, Alain Ducasse, is the name behind the hotel's restaurant, bar and terrace.
He is obviously a man in demand. Though Ducasse has an empire of restaurants to run, today he will be found in Monaco, overseeing the wedding banquet for the aforementioned newlyweds.
See wstpetersburg.com.
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