Besembek et alia

Our Bekkie Awards was introduced during 2018 – the year Besembek et alia officially started operating. We, Riaan (Besembek), Irma (Raasbekkie), and Besembekkie (#besembekkie) felt that we needed to find a way to say thank you to the establishments going out of their way to make us feel welcome and give us the best service they could.

There are no specific criteria one needs to meet for being awarded a Bekkie Award. We do reviews for a national magazine and newspaper and some of the places we visit have a good chance of being published by either or both of these publications. There is some filtering applied. However, ALL places we visit are published as part of our Magical Places on this website (unless they disappointed us – yes, it does unfortunately happen), and ANY Magical Place could be a Bekkie Award winner.

We go with the feeling of how much we loved going there and being there, what our interactions were like with the owners or managers, how much we enjoyed the stay, and how much we loved interacting with the locals. We don’t care about food, no food, electricity, no electricity, matching cutlery, odd pieces of cutlery, all 100% perfect working and presentable condition, all not 100% perfect working and presentable condition. It is not about tick boxes. It is about the complete experience.

Our awards go to:

Award	Year	Magical Place	Reason
	2021 – Platinum	To be announced	Will be announced soon.
	2021 – Gold	To be announced	Will be announced soon.
	2021 – Silver	To be announced	Will be announced soon.
	2021 – Bronze	To be announced	Will be announced soon.
	2020 – Platinum	Witkoppen Lodge, Memel	For superb hosts, huge rooms (all en suite), magnificent views, a lovely family area, great farm feeling. No doubt this was a winner.
	2020 – Gold	Houtenrus, Tonteldoos	For the cozy cottage, great hosts, true farm feeling, lovely day visits around, and most of all the large bathtub. Second-time winner.
	2020 – Silver	Sibani Luxury Tents, Hekpoort	Great food and companionship, making new friends and perfect suppers, game drives, and friendly hosts.
	2020 – Bronze	Lookout Safari Lodge, Hammanskraal	Great spot in Big-5 reserve. superb hosts and great accommodation.
	2019 – Platinum	Granny Dot’s Country Spot, Tzaneen, Limpopo	For magnificent views, lush and green gardens, excellent accommodation, superb hosts, scrumptious breakfast, fruit offered to us from the garden by the gardener. An overall winner.
	2019 – Gold	Puschka Farm, Magaliesburg (Gauteng), North West	The most unique cottage is largely off-grid. It was an eye-opener to us on how much resources we let go to waste why we can harvest so much from nature for free. Lovely hosts where a ten-minute chat turned into a two-hour coffee drinking session! We learned so much!- REVIEW TO FOLLOW
	2019 – Silver	Lady Africa Bush Lodge, Sterkrivier, Limpopo	For almost no contact with any person during our stay – sometimes we also need this. Self-check-in and late check-in and self-check-out. Private plunge pool and good directions. Complete privacy in this glamping spot.
	2019 – Bronze	A La Maison Boutique Guest House, Parys, Free State	This was our first review in a town and the guys knocked our socks off. Friendly hosts, an inviting garden where one feels most welcome. We loved the decor of this old house. The town was not too bad either :-). – REVIEW TO FOLLOW
	2018 – Platinum	Sneezewood Farm, Dundee, Kwazulu-Natal	For the magnitude of information provided by the owners (some of it from their library of books), their lovely cottage we stayed in, and the complete farm atmosphere.
	2018 – Gold	Houtenrus, Tonteldoos, Limpopo. OK. We know. Houtenrus is in Mpumalanga. Tonteldoos is in Limpopo. Let’s just say it is in Mpumapopo!	For the personalized attention we received, the pet-friendly accommodation, Jojo the pup (and the other dogs), the locals were awesome! Also the history lessons, the bookshelf in the cottage, the sheep and the cattle. Peace.
	2018 – Silver	Brahman Hills, Nottingham Road, Kwazulu-Natal	For the spa! Oh, also the friendly and helpful locals at the shopping center across the road. and buying books in Nottingham Road.
	2018 – Bronze	Thanda Safari Tented Camp, Hluhluwe, Kwazulu-Natal	For the staff. The field guides and trackers, hospitality, and game managers. One can stay anywhere in a luxury tent, see the Big Five, go on game drives, and have good food. Here the staff members made a difference.

To have your establishment listed and reviewed like the establishments on these pages (AT A VALUE OF R25,305.00 - R65,100.00 AND AT NO CASH EXPENSE TO YOU) is very easy - and you don't even have to be on our wish list! Please visit our CONTACT page. To report any establishments listed here but not in operation anymore, or to correct any incorrect contact details, please CONTACT us.