The sight of a Boeing 737-200 cabin being transported by road from Johannesburg to its final destination outside Hoedspruit caused quite a stir among locals last week.
Sporting a banner that reads ‘Aerotel@Zandspruit in motion’ the massive load had motorists grabbing their cell phones to capture the slow moving convoy through the city of Polokwane.
A search on the internet informed that Aerotel Hoedspruit is the idea and brainchild of local businessman and pilot Martin den Dunnen.
It was learnt that the recycled Boeing will be converted into a 12-sleeper boutique hotel in Zandspruit Bush and Aero Estate and promises to offer breath-taking views of the Drakensberg. The project is scheduled for completion by October.
Zandspruit Estates is an integrated, multi-faceted development, situated 2 km outside Hoedspruit. At the heart of this development is the Bush and Aero Estate, also a first-time concept in South Africa, where aviation meets the love for wildlife.
Aerotel will be an ecologically friendly development with a low ground coverage percentage and most of the surrounding buildings being steel structures which are floating on pillared substructures, so as to allow the micro ecosystems to continue to co-exist underneath it. The recycling of the large steel fuselage and wings is also in trend with where development and housing should be going.
The aim is to, where possible, use the authentic internal fittings of the plane in the decoration and styling of the hotel to provide a truly unique experience and ambiance.
Story: RC Myburgh
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