The second Royal Wedding of the year happened in Monaco and the royal couple or the newlyweds are in South Africa combining their honeymoon with some official engagements. Prince Albert II of Monaco is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and he is attending their meeting in Durban and hosting a reception for 400 guests with his new bride Charlene Wittstock. The party will be held at the Oyster Box, one of South Africa’s most lavish hotels. The hotel has been considered Africa’s most opulent destination since 1947 when it was opened.
The opulent hotel has reinvented itself after a two year comprehensive renovation in 2009. The hotel has regularly been hosting royalty, celebrities and business tycoons. Joanne Hayes, chief of public relations for the hotel believes that Oyster Box is an obvious choice for events like a royal reception. Located in the resort town of Umhlanga, just north of Durban, the Oyster Box was built in 1869 and originally served as a navigational beacon before being converted to a hotel. The Red Carnation luxury hotel group is the new owners of the hotel who have renovated it to become a modern hotel with all the contemporary features but retained the look of the 1940s and 1950s which was the original look of the hotel.
The hotel has a total of 86 rooms and suites including eight garden villas that boast of a private plunge pool. The best of the best is the 450 square meter presidential suite. The two-level suite is served by a private lift and has a private swimming pool, private study and marble his-and-hers bathrooms. The royal couple is reportedly staying in the suite but the hotel declined to comment. The hotel has six restaurants, an all-white ballroom adorned with crystal Venetian chandeliers, an infinity pool overlooking the Indian Ocean and a 24-seat movie theater. The royal reception is likely to spill over to several venues of the hotel and so the entire hotel is booked for the event.
Via: google
