The Royal Portfolio: Her Majesty will please!

Some of the most luxurious and individual lodges and boutique hotels in South Africa operate under the name "The Royal Portfolio". "The perfect stay" for every guest is the top priority of owner Liz Biden, who has left her mark on all the hotels with her extraordinary design. CC author Claudia Bette-Wenngatz was able to see this for herself during her visit.

When Liz Biden turned 50, the entrepreneur sold her shares in a successful fashion company in order to enjoy her private life. That lasted exactly two days. Then she told her husband Phil that she wanted to turn the family lodge in Greater Kruger Park into a hotel. Because she had so much fun with design and wanted to share it with many other people. "I had no idea about the hotel business and didn't know what to expect." What began in 1999 with the opening of the Royal Malewane Lodge, the start of a new life as a "hobby hotelier", is now one of the most successful and exclusive boutique hotel chains in the most extraordinary and beautiful places in South Africa: in the Thornybush Nature Reserve right next to the Kruger National Park, in Franschhoek in the Cape Winelands, in Hermanus directly on the Atlantic Ocean and in Cape Town on the Waterfront. No two gems in the "royal portfolio" are the same.

The first stop on my discovery tour is Masiya's Camp, which only opened in June this year and has nothing to do with the usual safari aesthetic in beige-brown earth tones. Instead, I see pink tent roofs here. "Pink, inspired by Marrakech and the color of the African sand," explains Liz Biden, who didn't let anything or anyone dissuade her from her idea. Under these tents in the middle of the bush, she created an eclectic and elegant ambience with romantic curtains, floral or Riviera-style striped wall elements, custom-made Indian doors, vintage-inspired patterns and mirrors with surprising effects. She combined this with African craftsmanship and numerous objects from her private collection, which mostly comprises contemporary paintings by local artists.

"I always combine something old, something new and something surprisingly cheeky and fun," she explains her design concept.

Each of the six tented suites - all with heated floors and heated private pools - has its own theme with dominant colors: from feminine in pink to Asian in blue and red. There is also an elegant bar and a lounge with huge glass fronts overlooking the bush. It is a more than extraordinary environment, which Biden has staged as a starting point for safari drives on the trail of the Big Five.
Masiya's Camp, named after South Africa's most famous, now deceased master tracker, who worked at Liz Biden's lodges, marks the start of my discovery of the Royal Collection. My further journey takes me from the bush of the Greater Kruger Park to an opulently designed manor house in the Cape Winelands, to Hermanus to a beach house directly on the Atlantic Ocean and finally to Cape Town to the breathtaking ambience of an art palace located in a historic grain silo at the foot of Table Mountain. Liz Biden and her husband own houses in all these places in South Africa, where they welcome guests from all over the world.

" MASIYA'S CAMP Luxury in the Kruger National Park "

It's no wonder that the Royal Portfolio now attracts many celebrities such as Uma Thurman, Richard Gere and Justin Bieber. Celebrity guests also include Elton John, who wrote in the foreword to Liz Biden's book "The perfect stay": "The Bidens have a unique talent for creating luxurious hotels - in iconically beautiful locations. But the essence of their success is their ability to create a sense of home and make their guests part of their extended family. What sets her Royal Portfolio apart is the incredible attention to detail and the wonderful staff. They too are considered family members - and they treat their guests the same way. The Bidens are true pioneers of experiential travel, where you can experience the best of South Africa."
Wise and true words from the mouth of Sir Elton, who is surely at least as excited as I am to see what Liz and Phil Biden are planning next. One thing can already be revealed: They are talking about more boutique hotels at Victoria Falls and in the Bahamas. Liz Biden's warehouse in Cape Town, where she stores her art treasures and purchases from all over the world for further use in her retreats, is certainly well stocked ...

" KUNSTVOLL Biden collects works by local artists "



' POOL TREASURE Young elephants are considered curious - and extremely thirsty '



' BATHING IN THE BUSH All lodges are equipped with large bathrooms '

' YELLOW MELLOW As a guest of Liz Biden, you shouldn't be afraid of bright colors '

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ROYAL MALEWANE

THE NEW SAFARI LOOK

Not everyone has the privilege of owning a lodge in the African bush with its 40-strong guide and tracker team. And not everyone who has one enjoys sharing it with others. Liz and Phil Biden, however, did just that. In 1999, they decided to turn their family lodge in the game-rich, 14,000-hectare Thornybush Reserve into luxury accommodation for guests from all over the world. Without any experience in the hotel industry, but with a great deal of enthusiasm and, above all, with the magnificent design talent that Liz Biden had previously only been able to live out within the family circle. Thus Royal Malewane, named after a river in the reserve, was born.
Today, the Royal Malewane Collection in the Royal portfolio includes four ultra-luxurious lodges: Malewane, Waterside, Farmstead and Masiya's Camp. Even more comfort and privacy are also offered in three private villas: African House, Waterside House and Farmhouse.

The bush becomes the stage

While Liz stages all these hideaways as highly decorative and yet comfortably habitable stages, her 40-strong guide and tracker team, who are among the most experienced in Africa, show guests the original life in the bush. Not only do leopards, lions, buffalo, rhinos and elephants appear here, but also surprises such as sundowner stops with cocktails, wine and snacks built into the game drive or romantic candlelight dinners around the campfire as well as stargazing in the scattered light-free firmament. After a game drive, anyone who watches the monkeys playing in the trees, enjoys a massage in the spa, watches kudus, zebras and impalas from the pool and is served gourmet menus composed by creative chefs will also feel very close to (safari) heaven.



Leopard slippers & favorite cocktails

An incredibly dedicated team fulfills wishes even before they are expressed - from the hot chocolate to wake up to the hot water bottle in the jeep on the first morning drive to the favourite cocktail that is waiting at the bar in the evening without being asked. There are also lovely details such as cuddly leopard slippers and original table decorations. So it's easy to understand why Liz Biden says: "I have designed all the Royal Malewane Lodges the way I like them and would like them to be during my stay."



Guides for the next generation

And because they not only want to share comfort with their guests, but also social commitment, the Bidens and their daughter Aly also support various projects to combat poaching, preserve biodiversity and support local schools and conservation projects through the Royal Portfolio Foundation. They also own a Conservation & Research Center in the bush and train young guides. One of them is Megan, who has been training for a year and says enthusiastically: "When Liz Biden is here, I can drive her through the bush." So there is no need to worry about the necessary female power in Royal Malewane.



ROYAL MALEWANE Sundowner in the savannah