Bushman Sands Hotel Port Elizabeth

Visitors at the four star Bushman Sands Hotel in Alicedale, Eastern Cape of South Africa, are invited to discover a world of opportunity and affordable luxury nestled in the heart of a fascinating Victorian railway town.  Steeped in history and exuding the character of the luxurious Victorian era, this meticulously restored hotel offers modern comforts for ultimate enjoyment and relaxation.  The Bushman Sands Hotel is a delightful blend of rich heritage and modern luxury.

Accommodation at the Bushman Sands Hotel

The four star Bushman Sands Hotel in Alicedale, Eastern Cape, features three different room types ranging from the comfortable Standard Rooms, to the Luxury Rooms and the spacious Junior Suites.

Standard Rooms

• Twin Bedded
• Air-conditioning
• TV with limited satellite TV (DSTV) channels
• Direct dialing telephones
• Tea/Coffee facilities
• Mini bar stocked upon request
• In room safe
• Hairdryer
• En-suite bathroom with: twin vanities, Victorian style bath, shower and private toilet
• Private patio overlooking landscaped indigenous gardens, the swimming pool and final green of the golf course

Luxury Rooms

• Twin bedded
• Sleeper Couch
• Air-conditioning
• TV with limited satellite TV (DSTV) channels
• Direct dialing telephones
• Tea/Coffee facilities
• Mini bar (stocked on request)
• Hairdryer
• En-suite bathroom with: twin vanities, Victorian style bath, shower and private toilet
• Private patio with breathtaking views of the fairways,
• the Bushmans River and the magnificent hills beyond.
• Upgraded guest amenities

Junior Suites

• King sized bed
• Sleeper Couch
• Air-conditioning
• TV with limited satellite TV (DSTV) channels
• Direct dialing telephones
• Tea/Coffee facilities
• Mini bar (stocked)
• In room safe
• Hairdryer
• Walk-in dressing room
• En-suite bathroom with: twin vanities, Victorian style bath, twin showers and private toilet
• Private patio with breathtaking views of the seventh fairway, the Bushmans River and the magnificent hills beyond
• Upgraded guest amenities

Dining at the Bushman Sands Hotel, Alicedale

The popular Bunkers Restaurant & Bar at the Bushman Sands Hotel in Alicedale, South Africa, with its pale, creamy coloured Beachwood furniture and soft finishes in earthy terracotta and gold tones offers guests an atmosphere of pure serenity.

Subtle music balances gentle conversation, maintaining an air of intimacy amongst diners. At the Bunkers Restaurant cuisine is traditionally South African with influences of Xhosa, English and Cape Malay. Hearty Breakfasts, a la carte lunches and evening dinners are served here.

A significant selection of wines is available to compliment meals, while an after-dinner cigar and good single malt can be enjoyed in the library. For that unforgettable event or function - a number of set menus, buffets and special occasion menu options are available upon request. The hotel can cater for guests with special dietary requirements and special needs. For larger groups booking the hotel, exciting alternative dining options are available with prior arrangement. Such dinner options are perfect for corporate groups, team-builds and private functions.

Conference facilities at the Bushman Sands Hotel: Bushman Sands Conference Centre

There are various venues to choose from for the perfect conference to be held at Bushman Sands.  The original Station Building (across the road from Bushman Sands) has been renovated and converted into the Bushman Sands Conference Centre.

Bushman Sands Conference Centre

Conference venues at the Bushman Sands Hotel:

• Boardroom: 12 delegates
• Conference Room 1: 32 delegates cinema style
• Conference Room 2: 32 delegates cinema style
• Conference Room 3 (Main Conference Room): 90 delegates cinema style

Alicedale Town Hall (across the road from the Conference Centre)

The Alicedale Town Hall is an outsourced venue option which was renovated for the President's 10th Annual International Investment Council Conference, that was held in Alicedale during May 2007.  This venue can accommodate up to 200 delegates in cinema style seating.

• Size : Hall = 14 x 9.75 metres
• Stage area = 4.5 x 9.75 metres
• Cinema Style: for 200 delegates
• U-Shape: for 70 delegates
• School Rooms: 120 delegates
• Round tables: 100 delegates
• Trestle Tables: 120 delegates

Bushman Sands Main Hotel Building

• Boardroom: 16 delegates

Standard Conference equipment at the Bushman Sands Hotel:

• Screen in Conference room 1 (Main Conference Room)
• Flipchart
• White Board and pens
• Data Projector optional extra

Additional audiovisual and technical equipment can be hired in on request at an additional charge.

Activities

Game Drives

Situated on nearly 4000 hectares of former farmland, the magnificent Bushman Sands Game Reserve in South Africa's Eastern Cape offers malaria free sightings of a large variety of animal species. Working with the conservation team of the award-winning Shamwari Game Reserve, Bushman Sands has reintroduced indigenous animals that once roamed freely over 200 years ago to their natural habitat, and is working towards the restoration of the environment to its natural state.

The Africa of a bygone era is further recaptured by the Bushman paintings some of which are accessible in the reserve and can be viewed on request. Dating back thousands of years, these rock art paintings ensure that the cultural legacy of the Khoi San people remains for years to come. Another unique feature is the massive 200ha New Years Dam in the heart of the reserve. Originally built as a source of water for the steam trains, the dam now sustains the wildlife in the arid Eastern Cape landscape. Interesting features on game drives include the heritage site of the Battle of Death valley and the Sunset cruises on the New Years Dam

Two-hour game viewing through the Bushman Sands Reserve takes place daily from the hotel. Accompanied by qualified rangers who have been employed mostly from the Alicedale community, visitors are introduced to true African big game from open landrovers. Sundowners at scenic spots offer guests the opportunity to take in the tranquility of the surrounding bush whilst sipping their choice of beverage and nibbling on a selection of light snacks. Tea and coffee is served on both morning and afternoon drives. Family packages are available and custom programs can be arranged to accommodate groups.

Boat Cruises

The New Years Dam provides the ideal platform to watch the mesmerizing effect of an African sunset with the opportunity to view game at the water’s edge. Accompanied by a qualified game ranger, visitors aboard “Imvubu” could come upon antelope cautiously sipping or elephant bathing, whilst enjoying a drink from the onboard bar.

The twin hull, double-decker “Imvubu” (Xhosa for Hippo) accommodates a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 50 guests. She is fully equipped with a bar and toilet facilities. Boat cruises offer dry snacks and a full bar - drinks charged on consumption.

Bushman Sands Golf Course

The 18-hole Bushman Sands championship course in Alicedale, Eastern Cape, has been designed by South African golfing legend, Gary Player. The course follows the banks of the Bushmans and New Years Rivers, resembling the game's earliest "links" courses in Scotland with undulating fairways and pot bunkers.

Unique features include playing the first stroke over the active railway line, a double green (1600 sq.m) shared by the 2nd and 5th holes, crossing the Bushman's River and New Year's River on various holes and finishing with a final drive over a small cemetery in the centre of the fairway. This is a challenging, yet friendly course, to be enjoyed by all golfers.

Total distance:

• Champ - 6034M
• Club - 5562M
• Ladies - 4783M

Bushman Sands Golf Course facilities

Facilities at the Bushman Sands golf course in Alicedale include a halfway house, pro-shop and gents and ladies locker rooms each with showers and a steam room.

• Bunker's Restaurant & Pub
• Halfway house
• Golf Pro-shop
• Gents and ladies changing room facilities with steam rooms

Signature hole at the Bushman Sands Golf Course:

Without a doubt the signature hole at the Bushman Sands golf course has to be the demanding Par 3 14 hole. The tee shot is played from elevated tee boxes across the New Years river to a green that sits at the same level as the tees. It requires a well struck accurate tee shot with a long iron and for the shorter hitter maybe even a hybrid club or fairway wood. The green is well bunkered at the front but there is a generous landing area on which to land your ball and a nice bail out area to to the left side of the green. Any player making a three here has done well, anyone making a birdie has certainly got one over on the master designer, Gary Player.

Bushman Sands golf course ranking:

The Bushman Sands golf course was rated 80th in the Golf Digest Top 100 courses in South Africa in 2008. This is an improvement of 7 places from 2007. With the constant hard work and attention being put in by the course maintenance staff the course will continue to improve in the rankings. The ultimate goal being a place in the top 50.

Halfway House:

The Halfway house at the Bushman Sands Golf Course overlooks the Par 3 ninth hole, seventh and tenth tee, not to mention the most magnificent Eastern Cape bushveld. Its a most welcome sight in Summer time to escape the heat and replenish ones energy reserves. There is a wide selection of beverages for sale as well as chocolates, sandwiches, chicken and beef burgers,stews, curry's,chicken ala king and chefs specials. There is also a drinks cart that drives around the course selling water, energy drinks and cold drinks.