Be the Captain of your own holiday this Autumn

Autumn in Knysna is awesome….

the days are warm and sunny (hot enough for shorts and T-shirts), there’s no wind (great for being on the lagoon), and the evenings are crisp and cool (but not too chilly to braai on the deck of your houseboat as you watch another glorious Knysna sunset!).It’s a good time to explore the area too, with not too many visitors in town. Take your houseboat across the lagoon to Featherbed Nature Reserve, a national heritage site with spectacular views across to the Eastern Head. Or anchor at Thesen Islands and browse around the many shops and boutiques at Thesen Harbour Town and the Waterfront, or enjoy a meal or snack at one of the excellent coffee shops and restaurants.

Knysna oysters taste great at this time of year when the water’s slightly colder…spend an afternoon quaffing this famous mollusc with a pint of the best – Mitchell’s beer is brewed right here in Knysna. You can get oysters at most of Knysna’s restaurants, or order them to take away and savour on your houseboat.

Mind you, it’s not long before the popular annual Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival kicks off, so if you’re planning to run the Forest Marathon or Half Marathon or compete in the Rotary Cycle Tour, now’s the time to book your accommodation with Lightleys and Phantom View River Resort. For the full Oyster Festival programme visit www.oysterfestival.co.za

Lightleys has destinations countrywide …and beyond!

Lightleys now offers fourfabulous destinations for house boating in Southern Africa! All theinformation you need to book your holiday break at one of theseexciting destinations is on our website:

* Lightleys Knysna
Knysna is a beautiful lagoon-side town on the scenic Garden Route.
* Lightleys Port Alfred
Set along the banks of the tidal Kowie River.
* Lightleys Vaal River
An exciting inland waterway with many shorefront restaurants, bars, spas, golf courses and a casino.
* Lightleys Swaziland
Just south of Pigg’s Peak is a scenic loop that leads to Maguga Dam.

Breakaway to Lightleys for your next conference!

At Lightleys in Knysna wehave the perfect venue for your next small conference, corporatebreakaway, team building event or special function – can you think of abetter place to celebrate an event or bond with your colleagues?

We can accommodate up to 50 delegates in our fleet ofself-drive houseboats or our luxury log-style lagoon-side chalets, andwe offer an exciting range of on and off-site activities.

We’re ideally located for delegates from all over the country- George Airport is just 70 km away (45 minutes) and Port ElizabethAirport just 260 km away (2.5 hours). There are regular daily flightsto both airports from all major South African cities includingJohannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.

We’re situated on the banks of the Knysna Lagoon withindriving distance of Knysna’s exquisite beaches at Brenton-on-Sea andBuffalo Bay, the famous Knysna forests, and Knysna town with its coffeeshops, pubs and restaurants. We also have our own restaurant, TheCrow’s Nest, which seats up to 50 people. And our stunning wooden deckwith built-in barbeque and panoramic views over the lagoon is ideal forcocktail parties and braais.

Our professional Lightley’s team will assist you witheverything to make your event a success. Let us take care of thelogistics – accommodation, transport, catering and all activities…..itcouldn’t be simpler than that. Contact marketing@houseboats.co.za for more information.

Team building with Lightleys in Knysna and on the Vaal River

This is the most fun you can have on water and we challenge you to find a better team building exercise!Based on the Amazing Race concept, teams navigate their LightleysHoliday Houseboats around the Knysna Lagoon or the Vaal River lookingfor clues. The race takes about four hours. Each clue carries a numberof points and the team with the highest score wins.

It’s loads of fun and suitable for groups of up to 50 peopleof all ages, with four to six people per boat. Skipper’s licences arenot required, however safety is paramount.

You can choose to use our standard clues or design your own unique race. For more information click here.

Winter specials at Lightleys countrywide

We’ve gone crazy andslashed our prices for winter – our Winter Madness Promotion is validfor bookings made at Knysna, Port Alfred, Vaal River & Swaziland.

May 2009:

Mid-week sail-away (Monday to Friday)

Book 4 nights mid-week on these dates and get 25% off our daily rate.
Pay before 30 April and get a further 2.5 % discount!

•   18 – 22 May
•   25 – 29 May

Please note there is no discount on the fuel and refundable breakage deposit.

June 2009:

Mid-week sail-away (Monday to Friday)

Book 4 nights mid-week on these dates and get 25% off our daily rate.
Pay before 15 May and get a further 2.5 % discount!

•   1 – 5 June
•   8 – 12 June
•   22 – 26 June

Please note there is no discount on the fuel and refundable breakage deposit.

Special offers at Lightleys Knysna

For the best of bothworlds, you can now enjoy a two night stay on a houseboat in Knysna,followed by three nights in one of our upmarket double storeylagoon-side chalets, adjacent to the Lightley’s office, conferencecentre and restaurant.

We’ll throw in oysters and bubbly on arrival and a delicious picnic to savour on your houseboat or on the deck of your chalet.

Awesome Autumn Package – extend your stay on land!

Five night package for May, June & August

Two people R3731.00
Four people R4950.00
Six people R6062.00
Package includes:

* Two nights on a Lightleys Holiday Houseboat
* Three nights in a chalet at Phantom View River Resort
* Bubbly and oysters on arrival
* A delicious picnic lunch during your stay
* A full day canoe hire.

The package is subject to availability and does not include the fuel and refundable breakage deposit.

Win two nights for two on a Lightleys Holiday Houseboat!

Here’s an offer you shouldn’t refuse – forward this newsletter to a friend and at the same time cc marketing@houseboats.co.za – you’ll automatically be entered into our fabulous competition to wintwo nights for two people on a Lightleys Holiday Houseboat at any ofour four branches – Knysna, Vaal River, Port Alfred and Swaziland.

The more friends you forward the email to, the more entries you will automatically be awarded.The prize includes:

* Two nights’ accommodation for two people on a houseboat
* Bubbly and oysters on arrival
* A delicious picnic lunch during your stay
* A full day canoe hire.
The prize is subject to availability and does not include the fuel and refundable breakage deposit.

Activities in and around Knysna

If we haven’t given you good enough reason yet to visit Knysna, how about some of these:

* Get up close andpersonal with any number of animals at the various sanctuaries in thearea – Monkeyland, Birds of Eden, Knysna Elephant Park, EagleEncounters and The Wolf Sanctuary.
* Take a morning to do some dolphin or whale watching in season.
* Get some culture with a visit to the Millwood Goldfields atJubilee Creek; show your respects at the grave of George Rex – known asthe founder of Knysna; or browse the museums and art galleries in town.
* Visit the famous Cango Caves and ride an ostrich at one of the many farms in Oudtshoorn.
* If you’re an adrenalin junkie, we challenge you to try thehighest commercial bungy jump in the world at Bloukrans, a TsitsikammaForest tree top canopy tour or a waterfall cable line tour!
* With a vast lagoon and the Indian Ocean on its doorstep,Knysna offers many water sports including lagoon and deep sea fishing,canoe trails, scuba diving, surfing, and kite boarding.
* Landlubbers might enjoy paintball, mountain biking, skydiving, micro lighting and quad biking.

Our friendly Lightleys staff will happily book these activities for you or steer you in the right direction.

 Ahoy Captain!
With Best Autumn Regards
From the Lightleys Holiday Houseboats Crew

www.houseboats.co.za

Telephone
Knysna & Port Alfred +27 (0)44 386 0007
Vaal River +27 (0)16 973 1729
Swaziland Pigg’s Peak 00268-6024054

Mail
Knysna & Port Alfred info@houseboats.co.za
Vaal River info@oldwillow.co.za
Swaziland Pigg’s Peak infohawane@realnet.co.sz

Central Reservations
+27 (0)44 386 0007
info@houseboats.co.za

PO Box 863, Knysna, Western Cape, 6570
Lightleys Holiday Houseboats, Phantom Pass Road, Knysna

* PACKAGES & SPECIAL OFFERS: except where otherwise stated, packages and special offers are not available during school holidays and long weekends. Prices exclude fuel, refundable security deposit and, where applicable, car hire contract fee of R23.00; car hire rate includes 200 kilometres per day; additional kilometres are charged at R1,21 each.

The Enimla Group of Companies

www.houseboats.co.za – www.phantomview.co.za -  www.knysnaleisurecraft.co.za