SCOTTBURGH… THAT WAS MY FIRST-EVER HOLIDAY. I MUST’VE BEEN ABOUT FOUR YEARS OLD, AND MY RECENTLY DIVORCED MOM TOOK ME OFF TO THIS LITTLE KZN SOUTH COAST TOWN FOR A WEEK.

For a boy who, until that point, thought the rest of the world looked like Benoni, Scottburgh was unimaginably exotic. One of my mother’s most oft-repeated stories is of her young son running straight into the sea, enthusiastically shouting, “Hello, big water!” – before being flattened by the rolling surf and fished out by the local lifeguard.

Subsequent travels may have changed my perspective on Scottburgh’s ranking among the world’s most desirable holiday destinations, but its Blue Marlin Hotel still holds a special place in my heart. Until the two of us moved down to Cape Town five years later, Scottburgh – and its slightly worn-out hotel – was the place I looked forward to the most every year.

I’ve enjoyed many summer holidays with my own family, and my daughter no doubt has her own foundational memories, but it’s been a long time since I’ve looked forward to the festive season break as much as this year’s.

The last 18 months have presented us all with both personal and professional challenges – some of them resulting in necessary, often innovative change; others requiring patient endurance to get through. Either way, I’m looking forward to a holiday with the kind of enthusiasm that propelled me into

Scottburgh’s warm ocean all those years ago.

I hope that you’re reading this while enjoying your own well-deserved holiday, and that this sun-soaked issue of VISI inspires your summer.

ON BEHALF OF THE VISI CREW, THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT DURING 2021.WE LOOK FORWARD TO SHOWCASING MORE EXCEPTIONAL LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL DESIGN IN 2022!