Experience the 2010 FIFA World Cup with Orient-Express

Travelling to South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup? Then why not consider some of the deals available at Orient-Express hotels from Cape Town to Johannesburg.

Mount Nelson Hotel’s ‘all the frills’ package starts at US$971 a night, or US$604 each for two rooms with a family package, in a garden estate resort just ten minutes from Green Point Stadium in the heart of Cape Town.

On offer for three or five nights, this legendary hotel rolls out the red carpet for World Cup visitors with champagne and canapés on arrival; daily buffet breakfast; half-day spa experience; and one-on-one shopping consultation and half-day shopaholics chauffeur service to premier boutiques around the city.

Also included is a World Cup-themed Afternoon Tea for two; personal yoga or fitness training session; signature ‘Benny’s Kick’ World Cup cocktails and celeb-spotting for two at Planet Champagne and Cocktail Bar.

To encourage families to get into the spirit of the World Cup, Mount Nelson has also arranged for a professional team of local dancers to teach guests to ‘diski’ – the official 2010 World Cup supporters dance.

Mount Nelson Hotel features two heated swimming pools, rolling lawns and family-friendly gardens, destination spa and world famous Afternoon Tea as well as Planet, one of Cape Town’s most glamorous nightspots.

This package is available for at least three nights until 12 June 2010, and for at least five nights from 12 June - 13 July 2010.

In Johannesburg, another centre of World Cup action, luxury 5-star retreat The Westcliff is offering an extraordinary opportunity for guests to walk with lions and play with lion cubs between football matches.

Located in one of Johannesburg's most exclusive residential suburbs, this elegant retreat is incorporating the adventure with a morning of horse riding in the De Tweede Spruit Valley private nature reserve.

The safari enables close encounters with giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, eland, waterbuck, kudu, ostrich, blesbok, impala, red hartebeest and warthog. After a home-cooked lunch, visitors can walk, play and feed adorable cuddly lion cubs as part of their experience.

 The price of this Walking with Lions package starts at US$403.

In addition to the offerings from Mount Nelson Hotel and The Westcliff, Orient-Express also offers a wealth of unique experiences via their safaris. Choose from the Khwai River Lodge, Eagle Island Camp or Savute Elephant Camp in Botswana.

The Khwai River Lodge is situated on the banks of the Khwai River, adjacent to the Moremi Game Reserve and in the periphery of the Okavango Delta. The camp has 15 thatched luxury tents. Each tent has a shaded deck with a hammock and comfortable chairs facing the Khwai River and its abundant wildlife including hippos, elephants, lions, leopards, antelopes and numerous species of birds. The Khwai River Lodge offers game viewing activities in the morning and late afternoon by four wheel drive safari viewing vehicle. The camp also offers guided game walks and after dark spotlight game drives.

Considered a birdwatcher’s paradise, Eagle Island Camp is located in the wetlands on the edge of the Moremi Wildlife Reserve. Twelve luxury lodges have been constructed at the edge of a lagoon on Xaxaba, “the island of tall trees”. Built of timber with thatched roofing and tented canvas walls, each of the 12 lodges has been set on its own raised viewing platform, to give visitors a close-up view of a fabulous parade of birds, hippos, antelope, giraffe and the occasional elephant. Eagle Island is a gentle, tranquil place either to start your safari or to wind down after the bustle of the jeep-safari experience. Right in the Delta, the abundance of water limits the range of game you will see but bird-life is prolific.

The Savute Elephant Camp overlooks the dry, but often exciting Savute Channel and is set amidst towering acacia trees in a rugged, semi-desert environment of spectacular beauty. The camp gets its name from the large number of bull elephants that can be seen in abundance at the watering hole in front of the camp. The camp is situated within Chobe National Park and years of operating experience and the knowledge of guides (who are all from the surrounding area) will ensure that any stay there is memorable.

Safaris start at US$1,000 per person per night including inter-camp flights.

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