The luxurious Arabella Hotel and Spa, located on the Championship golf course alongside the Bot River lagoon near Kleinmond, is starting the second phase of its multi-million Rand spa upgrade and expansion on August 25.

1. ARABELLA HOTEL & SPA STARTS PHASE 2 OF MULTI-MILLION RAND SPA UPGRADE
August 2014: The luxurious Arabella Hotel and Spa, located on the Championship golf course alongside the Bot River lagoon near Kleinmond, is starting the second phase of its multi-million Rand spa upgrade and expansion on August 25.
The Arabella Spa upgrade will be completed in mid-September and includes work on the gym, treatment rooms, the African Rain Forest Room, hydro pool and steam room.
Earlier this year the hotel completed a R10m upgrade to it 18-hole Peter Matkovitch- designed golf course. This investment and upgrade of the golf offering as already shown a return as earlier this year Arabella Golf Course was awarded number 1 status in the Western Cape and Top 5 in South Africa by Golf Digest.
The work in the gym will be small in nature and will not affect GUEST use, says Danny Bryer Director of Sales, Marketing and Revenue for African Pride Hotels, but the work inside the spa itself will be more extensive.
Eight treatment rooms will be renovated from August 25 to 31 that includes new wall and floor treatments, while the remaining eight rooms will be tackled the following week.
“The spa will operate with eight treatment rooms during the renovation process, and we will do all disruptive work such as installing cupboards in the treatment rooms overnight so as to cause as little GUEST disturbance as possible,” says Bryer.
One of the main areas affected during the renovation period is the African Rain Forest Room, which will be closed from September 1 to 14 as workers retile the Rasul and steam areas, resurface the Quartz carpets and replace the ceilings above the rain beds.
“We are also converting the current Tepidarium into a candle room and converting the current candle room into four additional treatment rooms, because we are experiencing growing demand for spa services,” says Bryer.
The Hydro Pool area will also be closed for refurbishment from September 1 to 3, and the pool steam room will be closed from September 1 to 14.
Phase one of the upgrade included the spa reception area, cloakrooms and gym. The size of the gym was increased, new floors were installed, new gym equipment was purchased and the cloakrooms were upgraded.
The Arabella Spa has just been named Best Hotel Spa 2014 by Les Nouvelles Estetiques, a publication “dedicated to the up to date knowledge in the world of spas, well-being and beauty and encompasses all aspects of the spa industry: skincare, bodycare, nails, make-up, haircare, spa therapies and business management”. “This enhancement of the spa facilities reinforces and strengthens Arabella Hotel & Spa’s positioning as a leading spa and resort destination ideally suited for domestic and international leisure travellers.”
The hotel received the accolade at the 10th annual Spa Awards that were held as part of Spa Conference 2014, which was held in Johannesburg last month.