GOUDINI SPA
The name Goudini Spa plastered against the mountain-side along the N1 enroute Worcester intrigued me, ever since I was a child. As a family, we've traveled past this huge sign on countless occasions when we were on our way to the Big Hole Kimberley, the Sani Pass Drakensberg Mountains in Lesotho, or to Lost City resort in Sun City Johannesburg, or the Cradle of Mankind Sterkfontein Caves Pretoria, or the BMW Motorrad Buffalo Rally via Beaufort West, etc. At least 2 decades later when my son turned 5 during August of 1989 we decided to visit Goudini Spa as a family, but were chased away as if dogs and told never to return. We discovered the hard way, that Goudini Spa was reserved exclusively for whites. Goudini Spa management enforced South Africa's apartheid policies to the hilt and as a "non-white, though Afrikaans speaking family" we couldn't even make it past the gate.
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| Goudini Vakansie Oord by ETKV |
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| The Goudini Plaque against the Mountain visible for several kilometers. |
Goudini Spa is an initiative of the Afrikaanse Taal en Kultuurvereniging (RSA), abbreviated ATKA, hence named ATKV Goudini Spa. It was a resort by white Afrikaaners for white Afrikaaners who subsequently acquired 6 more resorts situated at ATKV Buffelspoort North West, ATKV Drakensville, ATKV
Eiland Spa Limpopo, ATKV Hartenbos Western Cape (George), ATKV Klein-Kariba Limpopo, and ATKV Natalia on Kwa-Zula Natal beach, all operated on the premise and aims to promote the Afrikaans language and culture. Membership was exclusive to members of the Afrikaner Christian community.
After the "demise of apartheid" many non-white families flocked to Goudini Spa to see what the hype was about, but we still avoided it as if a penal colony because of their newly found religious prejudice. As recent as the year 2000, ATKV Goudini Spa management denied a Muslim couple membership because they weren't Christians, a case that ended up at the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). By implication Muslims cannot or not allowed to benefit from the 30 percent discount that Christian members are entitled to and enjoy at Goudini Spa.
In my book, this amounts to open discrimination and prejudice and is a violation of the right to religious freedom. If this was done to a Jew, he would very loudly shout "anti-semitism" but ATKV management banks on Muslim complacency. A complacency that virtually guarantees Goudini Spa 100% pax off season. To further this paradox and add insult to injury Goudini Spa has a fast-food restaurant advertised as "Strictly Halaal" in red writing on a yellow board, seeking Muslim patronage yet they cannot become members. Its a blatant case of, we cannot stand you and nor your religion but we really want your money.
However, as non-members paying the non-christian rate, my wife and her siblings have frequented Goudini Spa and always raved about what a great time they had. One day whilst surfing the net I stumbled on some beautiful photos of Goudini Spa which looked really enticing. The photos of the mountainous region, the vinyard valleys, the fynbos, and above all my wife's incessant nagging to go to Goudini Spa served as the deciding factor to go spend a few days of well deserved rest at the resort, right before their annual price increase which kicks-in on the 1 March.
What follows is a pictorial expose of the three days I spent there. But before I continue, I need to say I was disappointed by the overall Goudini Spa experience, especially by the main attraction which are the Spa pools. Perhaps my disappointment doesn't stem from the resort and its amenities itself but rather from my expectations of Goudini Spa, considering we paid real money to be there, 30 percent more than any Christian guest. This blog is not a placard to boycott Goudini Spa nor an attempt at reverse racism but rather an insight into its shortcomings and perhaps what needs to be done to improve relations among all South Africans.
The following few pics are really cool and depict the weather during various times of the day over a three day period when I looked out of the front door of our rondawel in which we stayed.
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| Late afternoon the mist came up and it was quite cold. |
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| Midday and the clouds were standing still |
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| When the wind came up he clouds blew north |
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| When the sun was overhead but overcast |
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| Hazy weather |
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| The Rondawel in which we stayed |
My understanding of the hotel/ resort star rating is that a 1 star is usually a small to medium-sized room /apartment with facilities and furnishings that are clean but basic which typically includes a telephone and TV and a bath tub. The Rondavel in which we stayed, is rated as 2 stars with most of the TV channels TV snowy, the remote control didn't work and the manual buttons to operate were situated on the top edge of the TV which was perched on a shelf above the fridge. To change the channel of even decrease the intensity of the sound level, one needed to climb on a chair with the hope of pressing the correct button to do the necessary. When we vacated the Rondawel after our stay, we discovered that reception gave us the wrong TV remote - a Hisense remote for an LG TV. LoL. And all we got was a sooorrrry.
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| A HiSense remote control for the LG TV below. |
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| TV reception sucked, and the annoyance of a non-working remote control made things worse. |
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| This must have bee a storeroom and not accommodation. |
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The door scraped every time it was opened or closed while
the mosquito net had a massive hole in it. |
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| The TV aerial cable just hanging like a cloths line |
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| Cracked window panes... are they serious! |
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| I wasn't prepaired to put my clothing in this damp, musty smelling cupboard |
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| Incomplete tiling in the bathroom is definitely not worth 2 stars. |
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| The outside of the Rondawels looks more appealing than the inside. |
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| My garden tools shed floor looks better than this. |
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| When I touch the curtain it just came off the rail |
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So within the first hour we were there, I had to get the plumbers
out to unblock the drain that overflowed with human feces. |
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| Look at this... This must be the 1 star and the picture below the 2nd star |
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| Certainly not fit to be called a 2 star resort. |
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The TV aerial was mounted on the rafters of the thatch roof
with the cable hanging like a cloths line |
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| This is for newly weds. When you close the bathroom door, white confetti falls on your head. |
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This is probably the air vent where the steam vapours need to escape.
However when the wind blows the dust comes pouring out immediately after you showered. |
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| This must be the "Chip" and dale bathroom suit. Lots of chips but no dale. |
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This is where the Goudini Spa king cockroach lives.
You know the one that walks over your toothbrush when you not looking. |
Continued .....
