Cruise Hotel
A tale of an African Queen
27/09/07 10:56
Written by Lameez Abrahams
From the SA Times
The African Queen, a floating hotel and restaurant run by Andy Cowley and his wife Bonny, has a fascinating tale of how it landed up on Henley-on-Thames.
“I left for South Africa in 1957 at the age of 12 and enjoyed 40 fantastic years in the sun. My wife Bonn and I have two beautiful daughters.
A job offer brought me back to Europe in 1990 and circumstances returned me to the Isle of Wight in 1997, exactly 40 years after I had left.
“The boat was originally named De Hoop, which indicates that the Dutch owner of this boat was a protestant – they always named their boat with scriptural messages. Catholics named their boats after their wives,” Cowley said.
The naming of the boat has its roots in the owners’ South African ties. “The boat was first named the Shannon Princess – we upgraded her to a queen. As my wife is South African we thought the African Queen would blend in with our menu,” Cowley explains.
Click here for the full article
From the SA Times
The African Queen, a floating hotel and restaurant run by Andy Cowley and his wife Bonny, has a fascinating tale of how it landed up on Henley-on-Thames.
“I left for South Africa in 1957 at the age of 12 and enjoyed 40 fantastic years in the sun. My wife Bonn and I have two beautiful daughters.
A job offer brought me back to Europe in 1990 and circumstances returned me to the Isle of Wight in 1997, exactly 40 years after I had left.
“The boat was originally named De Hoop, which indicates that the Dutch owner of this boat was a protestant – they always named their boat with scriptural messages. Catholics named their boats after their wives,” Cowley said.
The naming of the boat has its roots in the owners’ South African ties. “The boat was first named the Shannon Princess – we upgraded her to a queen. As my wife is South African we thought the African Queen would blend in with our menu,” Cowley explains.
Click here for the full article
All aboard the African Queen
17/08/07 11:59
From the Mature Times
If you fancy cruising down the Thames in splendour for a weekend, enjoying fine cuisine as the spectacular countryside glides by, then we have an unforgettable holiday break for you to win.
For most of us, the African Queen was one of the most magical films ever made – with Humphry Bogart and Katharine Hepburn at the very top of their form as the comically mismatched pair who, somehow, stop bickering long enough to contrive to sink the German battle cruiser on which they have just been married.
Click here for the full article
If you fancy cruising down the Thames in splendour for a weekend, enjoying fine cuisine as the spectacular countryside glides by, then we have an unforgettable holiday break for you to win.
For most of us, the African Queen was one of the most magical films ever made – with Humphry Bogart and Katharine Hepburn at the very top of their form as the comically mismatched pair who, somehow, stop bickering long enough to contrive to sink the German battle cruiser on which they have just been married.
Click here for the full article
