Tickets to the Devil is a 1968 novel by Richard P. Powell that tells the story of a national bridge tournament played at the fictional Xanadu Hotel somewhere admist the hippies and the moon landing. It’s a good read, containing everything that a great bridge-themed book of the time might. 

This particular column entry, however, is about the real Xanadu.

My wife and I had the pleasure of living here for a few weeks while looking for a new place to stay. It was just before the start of Coronavirus lockdowns hit, and we were under a great deal of stress when we got there. It’s worth mentioning that the owners were completely and utterly calm in the middle of our panic.

Xanadu Hotel & Resort is located in KZN, South Africa.

The balcony of the unit we were staying in provides a great view of treetops – and finally, of the ocean. The owners were nice enough to lend a few books on bird-watching for the duration of our stay. Access to complimentary coffee, breakfasts or lunches and a large USB-capable television for binge-watching and bridge made it even better. (Did I mention that the dog’s name happens to be the wi-fi password, too?) 

We were in need of recovery time when we arrived. I’m glad to say that we were in a better state by the time we left.

I took some time to refresh my knowledge of bridge conventions, to get back into the routine of regular reading; I also got a chance to watch every card-related movie we have in our library – plus, an unrelated surfing movie that was undoubtedly made for TV a few decades ago, but still apt when you can hear the ocean. Kibitzing is also better on a big screen.

The owners were friendly, calm and able to locate sausages for breakfast at a moment’s notice.

It was bridge as usual for a two week stretch, and it was time well spent.

Do you have any great bridge getaway memories to share?