Johannesburg - Horst Frehse is executive director of Cape Town’s The Twelve Apostles Hotel, part of Red Carnation Hotels.
First holiday memory?
A four-week road trip through South Africa in the family Opel Rekord in 1962. The car was packed with a tent and camping gear! We visited the Kruger National Park, the then Lourenço Marques (Maputo), Swaziland, KwaZulu-Natal, the Transkei, and the Garden Route before returning home to Riversdale.
Favourite place in South Africa?
City: Cape Town, holiday spot: Stilbaai in the Southern Cape – the closest thing to paradise that one can find!
Best holiday?
Positano on the Amalfi Coast in Italy.
What have you learnt from your travels?
That South Africa offers the most genuine, friendliest hospitality compared with many other overseas destinations, except maybe Asia. I’ve learnt it is important to have a good mix of relaxation, cultural experiences, scenery and different food and wine exposure – and to travel in the summer in the northern hemisphere to maximise daylight hours.
Ideal travelling companion?
My wife, friend, soulmate and best partner of 32 years, Barbara.
Beach bum, culture vulture or adrenalin junkie?
I’m a mix of “beach bum” and “culture vulture” – trying to find the right balance.
Greatest travel luxury?
Receiving value for money, with warm, friendly assistance from professional, unpretentious staff members, as well as receiving surprise airline (first-class) and hotel (presidential-suites) upgrades.
Holiday reading?
Politics and biographies – books and magazines.
Which place has seduced you?
Southern Spain, with its historical sites, outdoor eating and Spanish specialities, Flamenco music and dance.
Worst travel experience?
Travelling with Garuda Air from Yogyakarta to Jakarta in Indonesia on a Boeing 737, which nose-dived from cruising height onto the airport – it was terrifying.
Best hotel?
It’s impossible to choose just one – there are several that stand out for for various reasons: The Bellagio in Las Vegas for size, Bel Air in Los Angeles for its city location and layout, the Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire for food, accommodation and attention to detail, San Domenico Palace Hotel in Taormina, Italy, for its history and location, and Hotel Johann Lafer’s Stromberg in Germany for its personalised service, hospitality and variety of outstanding gastronomy.
Favourite walk, swim, ride or drive?
I did the Inca Trail in Peru in 1978, which included adventurous train and bus rides from Lima via Ayacucho to Cusco, involving mountain passes up to 5 200m. Seven days canoeing down the Yukon River in Canada was another highly memorable experience!
Best meal abroad?
Johan Lafer’s Le Val d’ gourmet restaurant at the Hotel Johann Lafer’s Stromberg, an incredible Relais & Châteaux property in the Rheinland-Pfalz region of Germany.
Favourite city?
Munich, Germany.
Where to next?
Exciting travel plans lie ahead – we’ll be off soon to Beijing/Shanghai, Ethiopia and Singita Grumeti Reserves in the Serengeti.
l Horst Frehse is executive director of Cape Town’s The Twelve Apostles Hotel, part of Red Carnation Hotels. He has been in the hospitality industry for more than 40 years. During his tenure, The Twelve Apostles was included in Condé Nast Traveler US’s Gold List year-on-year as one of the best places in the world to stay and was continuously voted one of the world’s best hotels in the Condé Nast Traveler’s 2015 Readers’ Choice Awards. In 2011, he was awarded the officier Maître Hotelier du Bailliage d’Afrique du Sud de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs’ Award for his contribution to the Chaîne and the industry in South Africa.
Saturday Star