Wishing all Fathers a very fantastic Father’s Day on the 21 June 2020! Areena Riverside Resort would like to send a special Father, Ed Rathbone, the Father of Areena, a big hug and thank you, for all that he does, as a dad, a boss and a friend. We celebrate together the gift that is…
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The name AREENA originates from the Rathbone family itself. Nola Rathbone (Ed Rathbone’s mother) used the front letters of her 6 family members as the farm name of the property that Areena Riverside Resort is now on. A – ALON – SECOND OLDEST SON- (Alon is Nola spelt backwards) R – RUSSEL- THIRD BROTHER, (deceased)…
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During this time of business interruption, we are looking towards what we can achieve, and this is where we need your help. We all know you had a great day, weekend, adventure at Areena, and we encourage you to share your love of Areena Riverside Resort and leave a review on Google for us. This…
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Roy and Maureen Stagg arrived at Areena 1st February 1990. They have lived here permanently for over 30 years and this is how it all started for them: We arrived to meet with Ed & Karen at the end of January 1990 walking across the field to pick out our site for our Cabana home. …
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It is always great to learn new things about your colleagues, and this stressful time in the tourism industry, when we are in such unknown territory, when positivity counts the most, I have found the Areena team has truly shown their Amazingness. We always affectionately call ourselves the A team, and now more than ever…
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Ever wonder how Areena came about? Well here is a highlights version of the story. Ed and Karen Rathbone started with a caravan park in 1984, but back then you could hire only one of the 34 sites on offer along the Kwelera River, compared to the 150 sites they have today. These sites had…
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Mother’s Day is coming up on 10 May 2020 & we want to celebrate all the amazing mothers out there that go the extra mile, do outstanding things for their children and are just plain fabulous. So with this in mind, we have created a Facebook competition where we want you to post a photograph…
View ArticleAbby our friendly and famous giraffe, was not to be left out of the encouragement. He took part in a little photo-shoot, just before South Africa was put under lock down, and we thought we would share some of his pictures with you all. Our staff had some fun with Abby during the shoot,…
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Areena Guides visit Forest way Areena Adventure Guides had a great day of teambuilding, sharing experiences, going beyond strengths and weaknesses. Stan and Helen of Forestway in Stutterheim, were gracious hosts, sharing their many years of experience in school camps, teambuilding and leadership with us. We were treated to a delicious lunch followed by a…
View ArticleThursday Evenings at Areena Quays Restaurant has become rather festive, our pensioners special, with occasional live music has been very popular event with the local pensioners. All pensioners are welcome to join us, booking essential 071720 5867, our Pensioners dinner special changes weekly, with the favourite menu being the fish and chips.
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The Abby fan club grows on a daily basis, and this fame is world known, we are surprised daily at just how far his Abby welcomes students from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, Minnesota USA. Abby has worldwide fame, and loves meeting his fans up close, and of course sharing a…
View ArticleWorld Travel Market, a meeting place of international buyers – one of the leading travel and tourism trade shows in Africa taking place annually in Cape Town, 6 – 8 April. Areena will be there, networking, sharing our amazing resort with the rest of the world, so pop in and visit us.
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AKA Risk Management Specialists had a great team build event with us this month, with every team member going the extra mile to dress the part of the Hippie theme. Areena was their playground for the afternoon, with quad biking safari tours and pellet gun target shooting being their adventures of choice. The day was…
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We had first-hand experience of just what goes into making a film. The crew of locally filmed South African film Kaalgat Karel, due to be released in September this year, spent a day at Areena, filming adventures and various other exciting scenes. We don’t want to give away too much, but this film is going…
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With the year now in full swing, you can afford to take a breather and give yourself a break. Our March specials are the perfect way to take a moment to treat yourself. A Balinese massage with aromatic oils, designed to ease stress and muscle tension, a 60 min treatment at R300. A Human Kind…
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Spend a day of pampering with us at Areena Spa, with packages to suite you from a Beauty Day, a Relax Day or a Destress Day, there is a day package just for you. Each day package includes a full body massage, then options of a body scrub, pedicures and manicures, and then a light…
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A recent zip line at our AmaZing Zing Zip line 10 stage zip line was joined by a rather keen participant, Abby our giraffe. Very keen to keep a close eye on proceedings, he followed the group from zip line to zip line much to the delight of the participants. Our zip line has 10…
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January 2020 saw us celebrating Nola Rathbones 90th birthday. Nola, Ed Rathbones energetic and spritely mum, celebrated her birthday at Areena, surrounded by family and friends. Nola decided to mark her 90th birthday with some adventure and chose to take part in the zip line activity on the day. Nola is no novice to adrenaline…
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R255 and R445 limited drinks and snacks included on board, min/max 15 persons. Ranging from a mini lux option with 2 drinks and 2 snack platters, to a full lux option with 4 drinks and 5 snack platters included. This hour long lavish cruise on the Kwelera River is the perfect way to celebrate your…
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Yes it is that time of year when you start planning for Valentine’s Day, Friday 14 February. We are going to make it easy for you this year. We have some wonderful options available, from a Valentines dinner for 2 at R480 per couple at the Areena Quays Restaurant to a Couples Valentines weekend getaway….
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Yes it is that time of year when you start planning for Valentine’s Day, Friday 14 February. We are going to make it easy for you this year. We have some wonderful options available, from a Valentines dinner for 2 at R480 per couple at the Areena Quays Restaurant to a Couples Valentines weekend getaway….
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Yes! We are once again running our camping pensioners specials at the resort, after popular demand. Our monthly camping pensioner specials are running from May to September at R1950 for the month, excluding electricity. Every Thursday we welcome Pensioners to enjoy a pensioner special at the Areena Quays Restaurant, either a lunch or a dinner…
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What a great fishing season our guests had this past holiday season, the Kwelera tidal river gave up some great fish, to the joy of the fisherman. What a thrill was had when the tug on the line was felt and a fish was caught and landed, we saw Spotted Grunter, River Snapper, to name…
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Ostrich chicks update January 2020 Our little ostrich chicks that were born latter half of last year, have been growing steadily and are a happy little band of chicks. Still too small to let into the game reserve, they will be transferred into the touch farm, from there holding pen in a month or two,…
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The sun is shining, the summer is still here, make the best of the summer days, and make memories. Areena Spa can help you to be at your best, nails bright and shiny, bikini line, legs and underarms silky smooth, faces glowing, and your confidence at an all-time high! Rene has many years’ experience and…
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With the New Year comes new beginning, and Areena Reception is no exception. We are pleased to announce that we have a few new team members to introduce to you. Chandre comes with Marketing experience, Marien with sales and customer relations experience and Jordan who has just written matric. We look forwards to the new…
View Article Valentine’s day is almost upon us Yes it is that time of year when you start planning for Valentine’s Day, Friday 14 February. We are going to make it easy for you this year. We have some wonderful options available, from a Valentines dinner for 2 at R480 per couple at the Areena Quays Restaurant…
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Come meet Rambo, Randel, Pickle, Meryl, Bobby, Bruce and Tarzan’s Jane…. Areena’s walking shells, each one named, so we can keep track of who is who. Yes that’s right we have beautiful tortoises living among us in the wild calling Areena home, but roam freely between the neighbouring farms. If you are lucky enough one…
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You are now able to communicate with us via what’s app, unlike conventional cell phones, our landline number is able to accept what’s app message, looking forwards to chatting on 043 734 3055.
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I had the opportunity to join Amatola Water on their recent 4 x 4 training hosted by Ford Adventure Club at Areena recently. Many locals spotted the numerous vehicles in the game reserve over the few days that the training was hosted, and were curious as to what exactly was happening. The Level 1 training,…
View ArticleWe were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to market Areena at the World Youth Student Travel Conference held in Lisbon Portugal, 8 – 11 October. Amber was able to meet with like minded individuals in the youth and student travel industry, to discuss partner ships, the future of the industry and new developments in…
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We are incredibly excited to partner up with Areena again for our 2019 Sunset Trail Series. The Sunset Trail Series is a 3 part series, featuring three trail runs, at three fantastic venues along the East Coast. Each of these runs are 5km long, and will start at 18h15, to ensure the runners enjoy the…
View ArticleWith only a few weeks until Christmas, and we all know that is going to fly by in an instant, so start thinking about where you will be celebrating your Christmas Day meal. One option is with Areena Quays Restaurant, who is offering an amazing Lunch Buffet, full of delicious morsels, from the traditional Pineapple…
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The Sunday Sizzler is a couples special for a Sunday Night only, and it includes your accommodation in a double en suite self-catering unit and the Sunday Lunch Buffet at Areena Quays Restaurant, for only R850 per couple. The Pensioners Sunday Special is a treat for all you over 60’s, spend Sunday night with us,…
View ArticleSolar PV panels on the roofs of homes and businesses generate clean emission free electricity by converting the energy in sunlight. Solar panels work hard all day producing electricity from the sun. They also support sustainable solar energy solutions at night. Most solar modules are currently produced from crystalline silicon. For optimum performance a solar panel needs to be made of similar…
View ArticleHotelsCombined recognize Areena Riverside Resort & Private Game Reserve amongst the best hotels in South Africa Cintsa, South Africa, 12 September 2019- HotelsCombined, the Australian-based hotel meta-search company, has started an extensive survey covering different types of accommodations within South Africa. This survey is based on gathering data from millions of guest reviews, and translating…
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With much excitement, we ran our first of many Daily Holiday Clubs during the September 2019 school holidays at Areena. The children experienced the Adventure activities such as paint ball target shooting, pellet gun target shooting, low ropes course and hiking, lots of fun was had by all. Tarzan our adventure guide taught them…
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Remember that saying: ‘work hard, play hard?” Well, Areena Riverside Resort has you covered, with our corporate team build activity, is perfect ‘play hard’, after all the ‘work hard’. Our Team Build is a perfect way to reward employees for their hard work or the perfect way to get the team motivated and ready for…
View ArticleBring your team to Areena Quays Restaurant to celebrate the year, and let us host your yearend lunch or dinner. A variety of buffet menu options to suite your budget are available. Groups of 20 or more can book buffet meals, and smaller groups can book a la carte. Bar facilities are available as well….
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Some interesting facts about the inquisitive ostrich you may not know: Their diet consists mainly of roots, leaves, and seeds, and sometimes insects, snakes, lizards, and rodents. Sand and pebbles which they also eat, help them grind up their food in their gizzard, a specialized, muscular stomach. They are the largest and heaviest living bird,…
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A treat for all you couples out there, book yourselves a weekend getaway at Areena. This fabulous special for only R2300 is a winner, and includes 2 nights’ accommodation in a double en suite unit, breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings at Areena Quays Restaurant, Sunday Buffet Lunch at Areena Quays Restaurant and a 20…
View ArticleBreakfast with a view, is a great way to start your weekend! We recommend it in fact. We offer a variety of breakfast options, for the health conscious, a muesli, fruit and yoghurt combo, the hungry, a classic fry up is on offer. If you fancy an omelette, that is available as well, or if…
View ArticleSeptember is Tourism Month, and the Eastern Cape is celebrating with loads of Double the Fun for the Half the Price’ deals. Areena is taking part by offering the following: Areena Double the Fun Deal is R500 per night for 2 persons self-catering, including a free canoe for 1 day. Please note that for the…
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A great way to spend some quality time with your friends or colleagues is to put yourselves to the test and do the low ropes course. Set in our game reserve, the low ropes course will test your balance, problem solving skills and team work, as this is the only way you will all get…
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Due to popular demand we have decided to extend our special until October 2019 Spend a month camping at Areena Riverside Resort, May, to October 2019 for the reduced price of R1750 per month. Why stay one month when you can stay for 3 at this incredibly affordable rate. Meet fellow pensioners, enjoy our beautiful…
View ArticleWe are pleased to share our Caravan Parks resort rating, we have been given a 4 out 5 rating. Please note that these are ratings that get done by the campers for the campers, and this makes us happy to get such great ratings. We urge all our campers to go onto the www.caravanparks.com website…
View ArticleThe time has come for us to pay you back! We recognize that we have many loyal guests and we’ve decided to say “thank you” in a small way! A “LOYALTY CARD”, allows us to do just this. Claim your card at the office when you check in and begin to log in your stays…
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Happy July savings, all treatments on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursday or Fridays, will received a 10% discount. This discount does not include Saturday treatments. Bookings essential 064 684 7784
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We would like to extend a sad farewell to Candice, who will be venturing into the world of sales. Candice has spent the last 5 years with us, guiding adventure activities, as well running reservations in our office. Many of you will have been fortunate enough to at some point in your Areena adventure…
View ArticleWe are fortunate to have some beautiful plants at Areena, and coming across this beautiful flower, I decided I need to know more about it. While doing research on this magnificent specimen of an Agave Attenuata, loving known as ‘the swan’s neck’ I came across some interesting points regarding this plant, that I thought you…
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