Memel Hotel
Hotel in Newcastle

with a big screen TV and a lovely fire-place for those cold winter evenings. We have accommodating 23 guests with en-suite bath or shower. We look forward to welcoming you to our bit of the paradise; away from the hustle and bustle of big city life.
The Memel Hotel is located in the picturesque eastern Free State town of Memel which is situated 2 ½ hours east of Johannesburg and 47 km’s from Newcastle on the R34.  The hotel will be 100 years young in 2014. An a' la carte menu is available with delicious meals to suit all palettesWe also cater for small weddings and similar functions. In addition, wall heaters and tea & coffee facilities are available.There is a.

Although small and personal, Memel Hotel offers the same excellent services you would expect from larger hotels. A concierge service is available at Reception with plenty of helpful advice on the various attractions available in and around Memel. Staff will assist with bookings and help plan itineraries to ensure that guests get the most out of their stay. Memel Hotel offers a comprehensive events service and is able to arrange everything from conferences to weddings. Speak to our events consultant in advance to discuss your requirements. As she reached the kitchen’s doorway to investigate, she caught a fleeting glimpse of a plane as it emerged momentarily from the early morning mist. Piloted by Commander J N Smith, who had repeatedly asked Palmietfontein for homing bearings, the plane had been flying practically blind since take off due to the bad weather conditions experienced en route. The adverse weather conditions slowed the rescue effort, the waterlogged roads were almost impassable and there was only one way up the steep cliff, a stiff climb. It had been the first passenger aircraft to carry sleeper accommodation, comprising two private cabins in the front section of the passenger cabin. Between the pine trees at Rosedale and the crest of Spitzkop, a relatively short distance, the aircraft’s nose was lifted by almost 500 feet which proved to have been just a few meters shy of the altitude required to safely overfly the peak. Similarly, steering the plane just a few hundred metres to the left or right would have sufficed to clear the peak. Brigadier w H Gough, a distinguished 5O year old British army officer who had been awarded a Military Cross in World War One, been in charge of the evacuation of troops from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) was a pioneer in the training of paratroops and in 1941 arranged for instructors to be brought to India to train the British army. He had decided to settle in South Africa, and was on his way to London to fetch his wife and daughter. C.G Gross, a Hollander was on his way to visit mother who was ill at the time. Other passengers were all somehow linked to Mercury Airways and appeared to have been on a free excursion of some kind. Miss B Jarvis, a booking agent, was undertaking her first flight in order to gain experience in dealing with air passengers. Although employed as a first officer Mercury Airways Hamilton Puntis, a quantity surveyor graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand had served in the South African Air Force bomber squadrons over the western Desert and ltaly. Commander Smith’s wife, who was unfortunately also on board the fateful flight died alongside her husband. They were married soon thereafter and lived on the adjacent farm with Rosedale being farmed by Botha’s brother. All that remains today is a lump of twisted aluminium as a keepsake. Rumours also exist of a farm having being bought by police men, paid for from money collected at the scene that day. Only the pilot would have seen death approaching and then only for a split second. One or two passengers were found with their hands still in their pockets. A few feet higher or a few hundred feet to the left or right and they would have arrived at their destination safely.