GEORGE

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OVERVIEW

With a population of a little over 200,000, George is a small city and retains much of the charm associated with small towns. But it is developing and the economy is growing. George has a sophisticated infrastructure with banks, conference facilities, businesses and shopping centres – including the Garden Route Mall and Eden Meander transport and sporting facilities, yet retains its small town atmosphere. A new hospital is on the cards, at an investment of $36.5 million (R500 million), to meet the increasing demand for medical services. However, when construction will commence is unknown at this point – Mediclinic is still trying to find the right, and approved, location for its new, larger facility. Further to that, in recognition of George’s growing population, the Spar Group has approved the development of two Superspars. Also, steps are being taken to acquire finance for the development of a proposed hydro-electric plant to be positioned at the Swart River dam in the Outeniqua Mountains, and the municipality is investigating the viability of sun energy farms. The agricultural sector, specifically the strawberry market, is also growing, with produce being exported as part of the new, growing George.

AIRLINES & AIRPORT

George Airpor t handles over 600,000 passengers each year, with six airlines – SAA, Airlink, CemAir, FlySafair, Kulula and Mango – servicing routes from around South Africa and landing an average of 350 scheduled flights per month. It’s also a national distribution hub for cargo such as flowers, fish, oysters, herbs and ferns, and has won the South African Airport of the Year award six times. There is a Bidvest Premier Lounge available to passengers for a fee, a Wimpy and an Illy Express. It’s also possible to hire a car from any of six car rental companies stationed at the airport. If you’re a guest of Fancourt – the city, and arguably the country’s pre-eminentgolf hotel and conference facility – then you’ll have access to their private lounge at the airport. Speaking of the Fancourt lounge, it may well move in the future, as part of an airport improvement project. Brenda Vorster, George Airport manager, was quoted earlier in the year as saying that: “The George Airport has budgeted R7-million to upgrade and enlarge the departure lounge with 40 extra seats by moving the Fancourt lounge upstairs. To speed up the departure process, the George Airport has made provision for three more departure gates to be installed. The tender documentation has been finalised and the process is well underway. The time-frame for the alterations is six months.”

HOTELS

As with other smaller cities in South Africa, there are only a handful of branded hotels in George, but there are a number of accommodation options from independent suppliers, the most well-known of which is Fancourt. The resort is seven kilometres from the airport and set on 613 hectares with two hotels, extensive conference facilities and three golf courses (see sidebar). The two hotels are in the form of the five-star Fancourt Hotel with 115 rooms and the Manor House, a luxury boutique hotel with 18 suites. If you’re keen to stick with a known brand, you have a choice of Marriott with the Protea King George and the Protea George Outeniqua, and the City Lodge Group, which has a single Town Lodge. Marriott’s King George Hotel overlooks the George Golf Course, is 10 minutes from the airport and offers 109 four-star rooms, a restaurant and a tavern. Protea George Outeniqua is situated in the business node of the city, minutes from the Garden Route Mall. It’s the smaller of the Protea properties with only 50 three-star rooms, but offers good value for money. Opposite the Garden Route Mall is City Lodge’s Town Lodge with 120 rooms. Expect standard amenities and City Lodge-level service. Looking again at the independent properties, the four-star Burrough Place is situated on the main road when entering George from the Outeniqua Pass, and is 15 minutes from the airport. Oubaai Hotel Golf & Spa is another luxury golf resort, situated just seven minutes from George Airport and offering fivestar accommodation, along with a quality golf course.

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