Kingfisher GuestHouse

28/09/2016

IT’S REVAMPED, AND IT IS LIVE!

Following months of planning, and upgrades, our revamped website has just gone live. It is bigger, better, more informative, user-friendly and prospective guests can book online and get instant confirmation with the click of a few buttons.

A special thank you to Karin Anker and Karl Shoemaker for the new pictures, and Peter De Decker for the web layout.

The web-address is unchanged. Please have a look at www.kingfisherpe.co.za

Accommodation Kingfisher Guesthouse Summerstrand Port Elizabeth

16/09/2016

FINALLY REVEALING OUR NEW LOOK

Following months of repairs and maintenance and upgrades, we are finally able to reveal our new look and share it with our friends. Our webmaster is in the process of finalising the website, but here’s a sneak peek of what is to come.

01/09/2016

SPRING IS WHEN LIFE’S ALIVE

The calendar says it is 1 September, which means that it is officially Spring day in South Africa. With the temperature reaching a scorching 39 degrees Celsius yesterday afternoon, there can be no doubt that Spring has sprung. Our local newspaper’s front page article this morning announces that water restrictions have been implemented by the local municipality with immediate effect. We can only hope that there will be plenty of rain in the catchment areas, so that the beauty of Spring can be maintained throughout Summer.

We are sharing a couple of pictures from our garden. Happy Spring day everybody, and enjoy the season full of promise!

07/08/2016

LITTLE JAYDé DIED, GEILA IS NOW OKAY

Despite having had all the prescribed vaccinations, both Jaydé and Geila contracted the Parvo virus. We can only speculate about where they could have contracted it, but the possibilities are endless. Strange as it may sound, we could even have picked it up at the Vet’s when we bought their food, and brought it into our house on the soles of our shoes. Anything is possible. The two of them developed symptoms within half an hour of one another. With Geila being older and stronger than Jaydé, she immediately reacted to treatment, while Jaydé’s condition worsened. The Vet did her best to pull her through. She even took Jaydé home with her so she could keep an eye on her during the night. Eventually, the virus won. It has been a devastating experience that has changed our lives dramatically. Some days are easier than others.

13/06/2016

INTRODUCING JAYDé, OUR NEW 2IC

Meet Jaydé, our new pocket sized Yorkie. She is eight weeks old, very friendly and very-very small. Of course, Geila considers her the best gift ever. Geila’s only complaint, is that she sleeps too much!

10/05/2016

Kingfisher GuestHouse is putting on a new face

Following months of planning, we have finally taken the plunge six weeks ago, and have started changing the face of Kingfisher GuestHouse. With minor structural changes, and enormous amounts of paint, we have created a brand new look for the guesthouse. It is always challenging to do repairs and maintenance while also trying to keep the business running. With our high percentage of return guests, we have been fortunate enough to have guests who were both supportive and understanding when the work caused a bit of disruption. Here are some pictures of the process unfolding. The contractor finishes his part of the work today, after which we shall still add some finishing touches of our own. Keep an eye on our webpage for pictures of the new look. We hope to have it up in a couple of weeks.

13/04/2016

OUR BOSS IS A YEAR OLD TODAY!

Today is our little Geila’s first birthday. It has been almost ten months since she took control of the guesthouse. We think that her training went exceptionally well. She has taught everyone to do exactly what she wants us to do, when she wants it done.

Moreover, the Yorkie Property Laws have been entrenched in all of us. If you wake any one of us up in the middle of the night, we would be able to recite it without hesitation:

1. If I like it, it’s mine.
2. If I saw it first, it’s mine.
3. If it’s in my mouth, it’s mine.
4. If I can take it from you, it’s mine.
5. If it looks like mine, it’s mine.
6. If I had it a little while ago, it’s mine.
7. If you have something and put it down, it’s mine.
8. If I chew something up, all of the pieces are mine.
9. If it used to be yours, get over it.
10. If it’s broken, it’s yours.

Yet, she is affectionate and funny, and puts sunshine in our days. We love her so much.

07/03/2016

KINGFISHER GUESTHOUSE NOW HAS AIR CONDITIONED GUESTROOMS

It is official, we are too old to be hot. Moreover, it would be ridiculous to strive to be cool at our age. We are however, fed-up with the heat, and desperate for the comforts associated with air conditioned guestrooms. Apparently, this summer is considered the hottest one in recorded history. In line with our commitment to our guests’ comfort, we are having air conditioners installed in all our guestrooms today. Now, everyone on the premises can be “cool”!

21/01/2016

CELEBRATING CILLIERS' 50TH BIRTHDAY TODAY

I know I should replace him, but he bakes so damn well! So, here's wishing Cilliers an awesome day, and a year filled with love, peace, prosperity, and good health.

Cilliers, our lives are better for knowing you, and the world is a better place for having you in it for the last 50 years. We hope to have you around until you are a hundred!

24/12/2015

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We had so many orders for cupcakes yesterday that it seemed as if cupcakes were taking over the guesthouse. Even the dishwasher seemed as if it was going into hyperglycaemic shock!

With the cupcakes done and out of the way, here’s wishing all our guests, guests who have become friends, our staff and family members a very merry Christmas. May your day be filled with love and peace. Please let us also spare a thought for those who are less privileged than so many of us; those who might be victims of an uncaring society.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!

15/11/2015

LITTLE OLOTHANDO’S GRADUATION

Olothando is the son of Nzali, one of our staff members. He was born five years ago, while Nzali was already a member of the staff of Kingfisher GuestHouse. This week we celebrated Olothando’s graduation from pre-school. As of next year, he will be attending primary school as a Grade R learner. Olothando is known to all the other staff members, as they often see him at the bus stop. He is well loved by everyone, and we often hear stories about how clever and witty he is.

Olothando, you face a new chapter in your life now, and we want you to know that our thoughts and best wishes go with you. May you enjoy continued success in the years that lie ahead. Here’s wishing you many-many more graduations!

09/09/2015

CELEBRATING 10 WONDERFUL YEARS

This month, marks the tenth anniversary of our ownership of Kingfisher GuestHouse. I should probably be saying that we are celebrating our tenth anniversary, but the guesthouse has been particularly busy since the beginning of 2015, and we have not been out since Easter. Despite having to put celebrations on hold a little longer, we are deeply aware of how blessed we have been during the last 10 years. Leaving the security of professional careers, and setting foot in an industry about which we knew absolutely nothing, was not only the craziest, and most uncharacteristic thing we had ever done, but also the most wonderful and revitalising experience we ever embarked on. With nothing but a bit of capital and enormous passion, we set out to make a then, 12 year old dream, a reality.

We are proud to say that we have achieved exactly what we set out to do. With more than 90% of our guests being return guests, we have succeeded in creating a personal environment for visitors to Port Elizabeth. It is a cliché, I know, but we truly believe that we have created a home away from home for many a weary traveller; a home, many of them want to return to again and again.

This, however, would not have been possible without enormous support from a dedicated staff contingent, without tremendous cooperation and collaboration with neighbouring guesthouses and other role players in the industry, without external support structures who are willing and able to assist even over weekends or on Christmas Day(!), or without the encouragement of our friends and family. Most of all, our success is the result of our guests, who have allowed us to become part of their lives, their successes, their failures, their sorrow, and their joy. It seems appropriate to use the words of Daniel Tosh in each one of his Video Breakdown sections; “and for that, we thank you”.

Next time we have a chance to get out, we shall raise a glass to each and every one of you (and then get Uber to drive us home). We thank everybody who has been a part of our success, and we are looking forward to the next ten years of living our dream.