The Duster

I would be lying if I said that this car has striking good looks, but it wasn’t too bad looking either. I must be honest, I had a few stares on the road, I think it’s because it’s quite unusual for a young female to be driving the Duster. But I kept on thinking they don’t know what they are missing out on. What she lacks in looks, she makes up in space, practicality and fuel efficiency.

Recently I travelled with a few friends to the beautiful Sanibonani Resort in Hazyview Mpumalanga in the Renault Duster 1.5 dCi Dynamique 4×2. There are a few features of the car worth going to town about. Scratch that. Taking a shot left about. Plenty boot space – think three cooler boxes, groceries for 8 people for 4 days as well as luggage for three people. Now that’s what I’m talking about! The only negative about the boot is that it is a bit difficult to open especially when you have nails as you need to press into it to open it. There were a few times where I almost broke a nail (Ed – ouch).

Looking at the car outside, you would not think that it has so much technology inside. Trust the French to sleep on the wheel when it comes to that. The car has an on-board computer which measures amongst other your fuel consumption and the distance your tank will take you. The car also has an on board navigation system which we used to find our way to the resort and which was pretty accurate. The sound system is pretty clear and we could play our songs with the volume on the high side without compromising the sound of our road trip playlist. Another major plus for is the rear parking camera which was pretty useful because being a hatch driver, it was a bit difficult navigating such a big car in some of the parking spaces.

One of the most impressive aspects of the Duster is the petrol consumption. Our trip to Hazyview was 5 hours and in that time we had only used half of the tank. This came as a huge surprise. The car is a diesel but still, we did not expect it to be so frugal. In addition, the noise cancellation is good in the Duster and you do not hear the diesel engine working hard for you.

The drive to Hazyview from Johannesburg is quite relaxing with beautiful straight roads and some great scenery. It was quite enjoyable and comfortable in the Duster.

Sanibonani Resort

Mpumalanga is undoubtedly one of the most breath-taking provinces in South Africa. Mpumalanga literally means the “place where the sun rises” As always, the weather did not disappoint and it was a beautiful and sunny weekend.

The weekend was spent at Sanibonani Resort, a peaceful resort located in Hazyview which is a few kilometres from the Phambeni Gate at the Kruger National Park. Each Chalet has a patio with a built-in braai area, overlooking the Sabie and Sand Rivers. All Chalets are fully air-conditioned with a Hotel Bouquet – DSTV, telephones and en-suite bathrooms. Amenities within the resort, include among others, a 24-hour reception, kiosk, laundry service, restaurant, ladies bar (hello ladies), spa and wellness clinic, swimming pool, 2 Tennis courts, gym, squash court, giant chess pieces, mini golf and a pool table.

Mpumalanga is quite a hot and sunny province with temperatures easily reaching 30 degrees very early in the morning so most of our day was spent lounging around the pool. This resort is quite beautiful and peaceful with lush gardens and plenty of shade. The chalets are quite big and our 8 sleeper was also quite spacious and very comfortable. The chalets are self-catering and are serviced daily. The resort has a three star rating.

Activities and places of interest near the resort

Blyde River Canyon Reserve, Bourke’s Luck Potholes, Sudwala Caves, God’s Window, Elephant Sanctuary, Horse Trails, Mountain Biking, Paintball, Gustav Klingbiel Nature Reserve, Horseshoe Falls, Kruger National Park, Mac Mac Falls, Elephant Whispers Hot Air Ballooning, Quad Bike Trails – Hazyview, Tubing, Zipline, Phabeni Gate, Pilgrims Rest, Three Rondavels, Abseiling, Aerial Cable Trail, Climbing Wall, River Rafting – Sabie River.