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Boat cruise - Stonehaven on Vaal

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“Boat cruise” Review of Stonehaven on Vaal

Excellent cruise on Vaal River on the Spirit of Jen. Bar facilities and jaccuzi available. Breakfast and lunch on Sunday Cruises.

• Excellent 393
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• Terrible 25
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389 - 393 of 628 reviews

Waited forever to be attended. Finally left after sitting for an hour without being attended to. Waiters keep passing the buck.

Did the boat cruise on vaal - absolutely stunning - I was surprised at how picturesque this cruise is. Very relaxing, food was good - drinks a bit on the pricey side. Would definitely do it again.

Our department chose Stonehaven on Vaal as our yearend function venue. It is a beautiful venue! Well maintained venue! Staff are very friendly! Boat was neat and clean! Food was DELICIOUS! It was a rainy day - but yet we all enjoyed it! From beginning to end this was a pleasant experience! Will definitely recommend this venue for any function - big or small!

What a great place to have dinner with family. They make sure each and every person feel welcome at all times, staff are always very polite and friendly. The only place that actually make a nice magnum milkshake. The food is the best, always freshly prepared and so tasty, not once that I went there and ordered something it was bad. The place offers so much and is very relaxing next to the vaal river with river cruises as well as meals served during some of the cruises. This is by far the best family restaurant in the vaal.

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Stonehaven On Vaal: Boat Cruise

Stonehaven runs a fleet of Vaal Boat River Cruises from the Stonehaven Harbour and proudly boasts SAMSA (South African Maritime Safety Association) Certificates for all of their Vessels. Before you book a cruise on any inland waters in South Africa, make sure the Operator is able to show you SAMSA certificates. It is now compulsory for all Commercial Cruiser operators to have these safety certificates – if they do not, the safety of the vessel you are using is not assured and there will be no public liability cover on these vessels either. Let us know if you would like us to forward a copy of Stonehaven’s cruiser certificates to you.

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River Cruises

Below you can find some information on the River Cruises that we recommend on the Vaal River for some of the best lunch or sundowner/dinner cruises on the river that the area has to offer.

Stonehaven on Vaal Vanderbijlpark

Stonehaven runs a fleet of Vaal Boat River Cruises from the Stonehaven Harbour and proudly boasts SAMSA (South African Maritime Safety Association) Certificates for all of their Vessels.

The ‘Royal Stonehaven’ is an upmarket, classic Cruiser that takes up to 45 passengers for a 1 hour | 2 hour | 3 hour cruise. The enclosed bottom deck has large sliding windows, music/PA system, conference facilities, 3 ladies/gents, alongside mooring facilities, open top deck with sun loungers and a Jacuzzi.

The top deck is open to maximize the birding and sunbathing features. There is a 6-person Jacuzzi and sun loungers on this deck.

The Vaal Cruise and cuisine offered is perfectly designed to impress overseas visiting business people, tourists and top VIP’s.

www.stonehaven.co.za

Liquid Lounge Vaal River Cruise Vanderbijlpark

The Liquid Lounge makes its presence known along the lush shores of the Vaal River. This 56km section of navigable water boasts a contrast of serene nature and some of the finest real estate in the country, aptly named Millionaires Bend. Enjoy a two hour Sunday buffet lunch and wine tasting cruise aboard the Liquid Lounge with your family or friends.

www.liquidlounge.co.za

Aqua Lounge Vaal River Cruises Vereeniging

Aqua Lounge specialises in providing guests with a unique and fun cruise experience on the Vaal River. Situated at the Riviera on Vaal Resort, they offer a wide variety of cruises, including 1 hour Leisure Cruises, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Cruises, as well as Private Cruises for those seeking a more exclusive atmosphere.

www.aqualoungecruises.co.za

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A Resort Experience like no other.

A Unique & Fun Cruise Experience.

Aqua Lounge Cruises

Enjoy the scenery of the Vaal River

From the comfort of our on-board lounge with relaxing music.

Bring your friends and family to enjoy a fun outing, birthday celebration or corporate event. Our dedicated team will ensure that your event is an unforgettable experience. For more information on what we offer, please follow the links below or download our Marketing Brochure.

• Aqua Lounge Classic (Max capacity of 50 guests)
• Aqua Lounge Premium (Max capacity of 110 guests)

WHAT WE OFFER

Our scenic venue is the ultimate day trip venue, or a relaxing Holiday destination with 16 fully refurbished chalets available on the banks of the majestic Vaal River. With great fishing spots nestled between huge Oak and willow tree’s. 

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Stonehaven on Vaal

Ratings and reviews, location and contact.

Stonehaven for me, is a soul soothing experience. The river and beautiful surroundings brings so much calmness. And then the heartwarming, friendly service of every staff member, is absolutely to be praised. Also, the food at Stonehaven is always fresh and beautifully served. My special... More

Hi there Firstly i would like to thank our waiter Bobby for the best day ever!! We are from Pretoria and we stopped in for a quick lunch and because of Bobby we ended up staying 3 hours!! Her service was great she was so... More

We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner date tonight. We had a very friendly waitress named Princess who served us witha great smile and excellent service. Our meal was top class. I must say the stonehaven brownies we got with the coffee where delicious too. To top... More

Personally this place is one of the best I have ever been to staff is friendly, venue is amazing, food it great our setup was breathtaking couldn't have asked for any better. I surprised my other half with a birthday picnic and he enjoyed his... More

We where hete for my b.day and we enjoyed the wine and the food. It's was excellent. Especially our waitress. Her name is Vivian and she was very friendly and spoiled me with a free cocktail for my birthday. She made the experience special. We... More

I enjoyed every monent,the view is stress relieving, it's far from the noise. Food was out of this world. I will surely come back and even recommend to friends and family. Vivian was very helpful and kept on checking on us from time to time.... More

Stunning breakfast and waiter Anna was fantastic. The Stonhaven breakfast was yummy and the cappuccino is one of the best have had. Dogs loved the outdoors as well even got their own couch to sit and enjoy the views from.

Took overseas friends from Jhb to the Vaal to have a cruise on one of Stonehaven’s boats. They raved about it and said it competed well and in fact was better than all the cruises they had been on in Europe. The staff were friendly... More

We honestly had a lot of fun cruising,and the food was so amazing. It was a wednesday and we had the Wednesday special, so delicious. This was our second time going g to stone haven and we will definitely come back,,,a million times.

Difficult to describe, but the whole atmosphere makes one feel good about life. The river, the gardens, the nautical antiques and country quirky decor is one of a kind. Staff ultra friendly, food really good too.

Great place to visit with great area to sit and watch the water. Excellent atmosphere and very quiet. Unfortunately the service is not that great and the food average at best. The pace needs a bit of refresh and deep clean but is good for... More

We went to enjoy a peaceful lunch on the immaculate lawns at Stonehaven on Vaal. It was a 5 star experience with very friendly and attentive staff. We enjoyed a sunset cruise at a very decent price afterwards. It was a tranquil, homely atmosphere and... More

Amazing venue on the Vaal with so many activities and games for children. Great food as always. Anna, our waitress went above and beyond to make our morning even more special with her amazing , fast and friendly service.

I came for the mothers day breakfast buffet and I was assured by the beautiful and friendly lady Vivian. Stonehaven is a beautiful place to visit, I would recommend it to anyone at anytime. Thank you Vivian you made our stay easy

I love this place so much, the staff are extremely friendly and very helpful. The food came at a quick pace. It has a beautiful view. A family friendly place, no flies. The food was incredible and I can’t wait to come back again.

The Unique Burial of a Child of Early Scythian Time at the Cemetery of Saryg-Bulun (Tuva)

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Pages:  379-406

In 1988, the Tuvan Archaeological Expedition (led by M. E. Kilunovskaya and V. A. Semenov) discovered a unique burial of the early Iron Age at Saryg-Bulun in Central Tuva. There are two burial mounds of the Aldy-Bel culture dated by 7th century BC. Within the barrows, which adjoined one another, forming a figure-of-eight, there were discovered 7 burials, from which a representative collection of artifacts was recovered. Burial 5 was the most unique, it was found in a coffin made of a larch trunk, with a tightly closed lid. Due to the preservative properties of larch and lack of air access, the coffin contained a well-preserved mummy of a child with an accompanying set of grave goods. The interred individual retained the skin on his face and had a leather headdress painted with red pigment and a coat, sewn from jerboa fur. The coat was belted with a leather belt with bronze ornaments and buckles. Besides that, a leather quiver with arrows with the shafts decorated with painted ornaments, fully preserved battle pick and a bow were buried in the coffin. Unexpectedly, the full-genomic analysis, showed that the individual was female. This fact opens a new aspect in the study of the social history of the Scythian society and perhaps brings us back to the myth of the Amazons, discussed by Herodotus. Of course, this discovery is unique in its preservation for the Scythian culture of Tuva and requires careful study and conservation.

Keywords: Tuva, Early Iron Age, early Scythian period, Aldy-Bel culture, barrow, burial in the coffin, mummy, full genome sequencing, aDNA

Information about authors: Marina Kilunovskaya (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail: [email protected] Vladimir Semenov (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail: [email protected] Varvara Busova  (Moscow, Russian Federation).  (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences.  Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Kharis Mustafin  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Technical Sciences. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Irina Alborova  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Biological Sciences. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Alina Matzvai  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected]

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student - 2,75 € individual - 3,00 € institutional - 7,00 €

Copyright В© 1999-2022. Stratum Publishing House

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Stonehaven  is owned by the Cloete-Anderson Family and is the Vaal River’s social centre, a natural interface between locals and visitors. Here you will find the largest alfresco Garden Restaurant in South Africa. You will enjoy being greeted by the relaxed and charming ambience as you meander through Stonehaven’s cobbled pathways that lead you through the quaint herb garden, over 1000 rose bushes and the mature gardens and lawns that sweep down to the Vaal River. You have a variety of dining options at Stonehaven on Vaal. The Dining Terraces provide an attractive spot for summer meals overlooking the river as does the garden and lawns where you can enjoy dining under a gazebo. Dining around the swimming pool while your children enjoy a dip is also a perfect way of enjoying relaxed family dining. The Wine Cellar and River Pub have a friendly atmosphere which makes the conversation flow naturally and easily. You will enjoy experiencing winter in the sanctuary of Stonehaven’s cosy River Pub with its roaring and crackling fireplaces enhanced by Stonehaven’s many antiques and nautical ornaments and memorabilia. Stonehaven‘s fare is hearty in quantity and freshly prepared from local produce. Menus range from light pub meals to a more serious restaurant menu with a mix of classic and modern dishes. Homemade puddings are a particular treat at Stonehaven.

Besides the 10 acres of beautifully tendered gardens, there is the busy Stonehaven Harbour with a fleet of 4 Cruisers to choose from for your sized function – from 2 to 200. Full onboard dining is catered for from breakfasts, brunches, braais, spits, smorgasbords, picnics, buffets, seafood extravaganzas and cocktail snacks. Stonehaven also hosts a regular Sunday Cruising Buffet every Sunday aboard one of the luxurious cruisers or floating restaurants – “The Spirit of Jen”.  Casual 50-minute cruises too on Saturday and Sundays too.

Stonehaven on Vaal hosts many different kinds of functions, such as 21st Birthday Parties, Stork Parties, Gender Reveal Parties, Kitchen Teas, Engagements, Weddings, Christenings, Anniversaries, Graduation Parties, Children’s Parties, Corporate conferences, Corporate Team Building, Year End Functions and 2020 Kick-Off Functions.

SAB BREWERIES AWARD

Stonehaven was honoured to receive an award and the first place prize for the Best Barman & Best Barman within the Southern Gauteng, Free State and Northwest Provinces!

4th SEDIBENG TOURISM AWARDS 2015 - VAAL REGION

The 2015 Sedibeng Tourism Awards were hosted by the Sedibeng District Municipality in partnership with the Gauteng Tourism Authority at the Emerald Resort & Casino. The awards serve not only to recognise excellence in the tourism industry, but also to promote the region as the destination of choice for business, heritage and leisure tourism. Stonehaven was honoured to receive the following 4 prestigious awards:

1. Gold Award in the Meetings, Exhibitions and Special Events Category 2. Gold Award for Rosemary Anderson (Stonehaven MD) for Outstanding contribution by an individual to Local Tourism 3. Silver Award for the Restaurant/Eateries Category 4. Silver Award for the Outdoor/Adventure Category

2nd LILIZELA TOURISM AWARDS 2014  

Stonehaven on Vaal was presented with 1st Place at the prestigious Lilizela Award on Wednesday the 1st October 2014 at Monte Casino for “The best marine adventures in Gauteng” inviting guests to enjoy both adventure and relaxation activities on the Vaal River.This is the Second Year of the Lilizela Tourism Awards which is hosted by the Department of Tourism. Stonehaven on Vaal’s MD, Rosemary Cloete-Anderson accepted the award in Sandton, saying, “We are sincerely humbled to receive this prestigious Award – it has inspired us to strive even harder to provide a quality, fun and entertaining tourist experience. We are really so grateful – thank you”.

2nd SEDIBENG TOURISM AWARDS 2013 - VAAL REGION

The prestigious and high profile Sedibeng Tourism Awards were held on the 18th April 2013 at the Lord’s Signature Hotel. There were 78 entrants this year which encompassed hospitality businesses within the greater Vaal Region from Loch Vaal all the way up to Heidelburg and the Vaal Dam.The event was graced by the MEC of Economic Development in Gauteng, Nkosiphendule Kolisile, the CEO of Gauteng Tourism, Ms. Dawn Robertson and the MC for the evening was Bongani Bingwa -well-known Carte Blanche presenter.

In the MEETINGS, EXHIBITIONS AND SPECIAL EVENTS category, the winners were:- • Stonehaven on Vaal (Gold) • Riverside Sun Resort (Silver) • Emerald Resort & Casino (Bronze)

In the LUXURY ACCOMMODATION category, the winners were:- • Emerald Resort & Casino (Gold) • Three Rivers Lodge and Villa (Silver) • Riviera on Vaal Hotel (Bronze)

Stonehaven on Vaal also took first place (Gold) for the Adventure/Outdoor category and third place (Bronze) in the Restaurant category. Rosemary Cloete-Anderson, Stonehaven on Vaal’s MD, received the Gold Award for “Outstanding Contribution by an Individual to Local Tourism”.

VOH BIKERS CLUB

Our heartfelt thanks for the VOH Bikers Club for the honour of receiving their club banner!

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Rusmania • Deep into Russia

Out of the Centre

Savvino-storozhevsky monastery and museum.

Zvenigorod's most famous sight is the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, which was founded in 1398 by the monk Savva from the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra, at the invitation and with the support of Prince Yury Dmitrievich of Zvenigorod. Savva was later canonised as St Sabbas (Savva) of Storozhev. The monastery late flourished under the reign of Tsar Alexis, who chose the monastery as his family church and often went on pilgrimage there and made lots of donations to it. Most of the monastery’s buildings date from this time. The monastery is heavily fortified with thick walls and six towers, the most impressive of which is the Krasny Tower which also serves as the eastern entrance. The monastery was closed in 1918 and only reopened in 1995. In 1998 Patriarch Alexius II took part in a service to return the relics of St Sabbas to the monastery. Today the monastery has the status of a stauropegic monastery, which is second in status to a lavra. In addition to being a working monastery, it also holds the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum.

Belfry and Neighbouring Churches

Located near the main entrance is the monastery's belfry which is perhaps the calling card of the monastery due to its uniqueness. It was built in the 1650s and the St Sergius of Radonezh’s Church was opened on the middle tier in the mid-17th century, although it was originally dedicated to the Trinity. The belfry's 35-tonne Great Bladgovestny Bell fell in 1941 and was only restored and returned in 2003. Attached to the belfry is a large refectory and the Transfiguration Church, both of which were built on the orders of Tsar Alexis in the 1650s.  

To the left of the belfry is another, smaller, refectory which is attached to the Trinity Gate-Church, which was also constructed in the 1650s on the orders of Tsar Alexis who made it his own family church. The church is elaborately decorated with colourful trims and underneath the archway is a beautiful 19th century fresco.

Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is the oldest building in the monastery and among the oldest buildings in the Moscow Region. It was built between 1404 and 1405 during the lifetime of St Sabbas and using the funds of Prince Yury of Zvenigorod. The white-stone cathedral is a standard four-pillar design with a single golden dome. After the death of St Sabbas he was interred in the cathedral and a new altar dedicated to him was added.

Under the reign of Tsar Alexis the cathedral was decorated with frescoes by Stepan Ryazanets, some of which remain today. Tsar Alexis also presented the cathedral with a five-tier iconostasis, the top row of icons have been preserved.

Tsaritsa's Chambers

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is located between the Tsaritsa's Chambers of the left and the Palace of Tsar Alexis on the right. The Tsaritsa's Chambers were built in the mid-17th century for the wife of Tsar Alexey - Tsaritsa Maria Ilinichna Miloskavskaya. The design of the building is influenced by the ancient Russian architectural style. Is prettier than the Tsar's chambers opposite, being red in colour with elaborately decorated window frames and entrance.

At present the Tsaritsa's Chambers houses the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum. Among its displays is an accurate recreation of the interior of a noble lady's chambers including furniture, decorations and a decorated tiled oven, and an exhibition on the history of Zvenigorod and the monastery.

Palace of Tsar Alexis

The Palace of Tsar Alexis was built in the 1650s and is now one of the best surviving examples of non-religious architecture of that era. It was built especially for Tsar Alexis who often visited the monastery on religious pilgrimages. Its most striking feature is its pretty row of nine chimney spouts which resemble towers.

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