Rising from the ashes

Two businesses, burnt to the ground in March, are ready to re-open

TWO Cape Town businesses that burnt to the ground in the March Peninsula fires have risen from the ashes and will be opening within weeks.

It has taken months of hard work but the five-star Tintswalo Atlantic hotel below Chapman’s Peak and Purrmore Cattery in Tokai are nearly ready for business.

The cattery, which had been running since 2003, could accommodate up to 50 cats at a time and all the runs, described as “spacious, with heating pads for chilly nights, cat toys, catnip and even piped music” were gutted.

Melissa Durand, who manages Tintswalo with her husband, Ryno, said they were opening with a wedding on October 31.

“We’re very excited. The new lodge is beautiful and I think it will be even more special.”

She said with all the vegetation burnt it had even more of a “beach lodge” feel with little to block out views of the ocean.

The lodge lost a Milkwood grove which was more than 300 years old, but have replanted with more than 750 trees donated by a tree company in Paarl. Durand said the trees were thriving. The owners of the lodge, on the beach in the Table Mountain National Park, have a 20-year concession to operate in the reserve.

Durand said the rooms had all been rebuilt and the kitchen was being installed.

No staff lost their jobs during the seven or so months it took to rebuild and many got involved with community projects.

Durand said one of the projects was refurbishing the local Hout Bay NSRI station to say thank you to them for helping out during the fire.

Staff also assisted Little Angels, a community safe haven for underprivileged children, by painting and redecorating their space and spending time interacting with the children.

Some of their chefs became involved with the Hout Bay Music Academy, which works with disadvantaged children and taught them how to prepare donated food.

Purrmore Cattery, and part of the main house, was destroyed during the fire but is set to re-open at the end of next month.

Owner Maureen Lavies has been documenting the rebuilding operations in a series of photographs on Facebook.

PICTURE: DAVID G.F. SMITH READY FOR BUSINESS: Tintswalo Atlantic Lodge will be re-opening on October 31 with a wedding. The lodge was burnt to ashes in the March fire, and the new lodge is said to be even more exquisite and has generated much excitement.

PICTURE: DAVID RITCHIE WIPED OUT: The Tintswalo Atlantic Lodge off Chapman’s Peak was completely destroyed in a fire.