The Staycation – 10 ways to stay at home, yet be on holiday

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The Staycation.  It’s not a new term, in case you think that I’m just slow on the uptake (I can be, I admit). Staycations are about staying at home whilst taking time off.

The word is a little, well, it’s a little lame. It’s tantamount to convincing yourself you’re rich when you know the bank balance is well below where you’d like it to be. But it does rather aptly combine the ideas of home and holiday in a way that goes beyond the image of gardening and walking the dog as highlights to the day… Continued

Top 10 hotels in Johannesburg to suit any visitor

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Jo’burg has been described as South Africa’s heartbeat. It is also regarded as risky and travel alerts warn about crime in the city. It’s true. There is crime. But it’s overstated and largely sensationalised by the media.

Those who live in Jo’burg will soon set you straight  about where to go and when. We say it’s all about perspective, really. But checking in with a local or two is probably essential.

Jozi is thrilling. It’s the continent’s most cosmopolitan city, an intense weave of culture, history and play, and the vigour of South Africa’s economy.

To leave it off your itinerary is to miss an essential South African experience.

Here is our guide to help you find hotels in Johannesburg – our top 10 depending on what you’re in Jo’burg for … Continued

Nestle In At Noordhoek Paddocks Farm Cottages

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Noordhoek Paddocks Farm Cottages is a stunning self catering establishment set in the wild along the wetland area of Noordhoek. With only a four minute drive or a strenuous walk through the wetlands and over the dunes to the very beautiful Noordhoek beach, you couldn’t ask for a better location. These lovely cottages are part of a working horse yard and it’s not unusual to hear the splendid sound of horses neighing, trotting hooves and owls hooting.

Offering luxury farm accommodation in a stunning setting, this makes for the ideal romantic getaway and holiday spot. From here you are only minutes away from a number of fabulous bars, unique restaurants, quirky shops and markets, wine tasting at Cape Point Vineyards, popular attractions such as Chapman’s Peak with breathtaking views and much, much more. Continued

By the sea in Jeffreys Bay …

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Nothing had changed since the last time I was in Jeffrey’s Bay.  The wind whipped between the houses, across the white sand beach and sent water spraying off the back of waves.  The ocean at Supertubes was somewhat messy and littered with white horses.

That didn’t seem to deter the two surfers who had just ran down the boardwalk and stepped out onto the beach. They surveyed the swell with eager eyes and clutched their short, colourful boards. Jeffrey’s Bay was unchanged, quiet before the festive season and beautiful still. Continued

Dive into a day of fun at Redberry Farm

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As you enter the farming area just on the outskirts of glorious George, you will notice never-ending rows of strawberries. The sweet smell entices you to enter Redberry Farm, which is the first tourist beacon you reach on this stretch of road. When you arrive, you are greeted with huge smiles from the ever so friendly staff who are all rather eager to share all their strawberry secrets with you.

Strawberry picking is super and here you can grab your container of choice before you are led to the ‘pick your own’ fields.  It’s so easy to keep eating and forget to fill your containers – I had to remind my family a number of times to fill their containers and not just their mouths. The scenery surrounding the farm is exquisite and I couldn’t think of a better place to spend a sunny afternoon with friends and family. Continued

Mountain Biking in Hogsback

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Hogsback is an ancient and enchanted place that lies on the R345 between Alice and Cathcart in the Eastern Cape. It is possibly most famous for its link to Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” novel and is claimed to have inspired the novel and subsequent Tolkien scenery, whether true or not, the town certainly looks as though it has been dreamed up by a fantasy novelist.

Some of the things that makes Hogsback so special is that it is incredibly, almost magically, well-populated with indigenous forest, trout rivers and waterfalls – according to one guide Hogsback has one of the highest densities of waterfalls in a single area – and on bicycle back, we were about to go and hunt down nine of them. Continued

Bistro 98 at Dunkirk Estate – A Review

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I am always eager to try out new places to eat on the Dolphin Coast of KwaZulu Natal and because Bistro 98 had been recommended to me, we booked a table for dinner on my birthday. Located within the Clubhouse of the gated Dunkirk Estate in Salt Rock, Bistro 98 is open both to the public and to residents of the estate, serving up beautiful food in a chic and stylish setting… Continued

Finding hotels in Cape Town: 5 step guide to save you time

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It isn’t estate agents alone who mutter the mantra – location, location, location. It’s also how people choose hotels. I’m prepared to bet you thought it was all about the cost of the room?

But the latest study of why people around the world choose the hotels they do reveals location as the number one priority. The cost of the hotel and past experience come in second.

Based on this research, we have put together a five-step guide to help you find hotels in Cape Town … Continued

Sliver into the serenity of Silvermist Mountain Lodge

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The very stunning 4 star graded Silvermist Mountain Lodge is set on magnificent mountain slopes of the Table Mountain National Park in Constantia Valley. The surrounds and beautiful privately owned wine farm estate offer spectacular views. The fynbos deck is a popular spot for a romantic moment, sundowners or a private picnic and is situated on a cute decked area in the Fynbos forest. This exquisite lodge has a sparkling blue pool where you can do a few laps or splash around in the afternoon sun. Continued

How eco friendly is your tour operator, really?

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Is your eco friendly tour operator really environmentally friendly? And how do you recognise one?

So many organisers of tours and trips these days attach the prefix ‘eco’ to their offering. How far reaching this ‘umbrella’ claim is depends on a number of issues. But when is it just a wishful title, and when is it credible? Continued

Sunday Lunch at the Fig Tree Restaurant

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I have just got home from a dear friends birthday lunch … when she turned 40 last year she convinced a group of us to go camping at Mt Splendour in the Drakensberg but luckily for us this year the celebration was a bit closer to home and didn’t involve setting up a tent. It was instead a long, leisurely carvery lunch at The Fig Tree restaurant at Simbithi in Ballito.

Part of the Simbithi Country Club located in the Simbithi Eco Estate, the Fig Tree Restaurant takes its name from the majestic fig tree which is situated in the centre of the club house. The restaurant is gorgeous; recently refurbished it is light, airy and the floor to ceiling glass sliding doors affords diners stunning views of the golf course. There is a large wooden deck beneath the fig tree; the perfect spot of al fresco meals! Continued

When the Drakensberg stole my heart

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Having lived in Cape Town all my life, I couldn’t believe that this was my first visit to the Drakensberg region of South Africa.  Having driven for over eight hours from the Kruger National Park, we found ourselves moving sluggishly along at a designated 40km per hour.  The heat continues to scorch the dry grass on the road side and on the mountains to our right.

It was hot, we were tired and hungry and just wanted to get there.  The mountains in the distance drifted closer to us and the empty farmlands continued to span past us.  Out of what seemed like nowhere, we saw the sign for Amphitheatre Backpackers. Continued

Tea at Durban Botanic Gardens

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At the beginning of November we spent the weekend in Umhlanga and being in the area, I used the opportunity to revisit, after a 20 odd year hiatus, the Durban Botanic Gardens. These gardens hold very fond memories for me; a place where, as a student at the nearby Technikon Natal, I would go to escape the heat and humidity of the summer months. The gardens are absolutely beautiful; manicured lawns, massive trees, paved pathways … the perfect place to relax and escape the city. Continued

The secret life of South Africa’s little five

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What do the leopard tortoise, buffalo weaver, elephant shrew, ant lion and rhinoceros beetle have in common with their large counterparts?  Very little other than the names they share. What they are is a sharp reminder of the neglected small creatures – the “forgotten inhabitants of the African savannah”.

It’s human nature to support the little guy. In psychology terms this is known as the appeal of the underdog; the Davids (as opposed to Goliaths) of this world… Which is one explanation for Rael Loon’s concept of South Africa’s Little Five. As opposed to the Big Five – one of the major reasons tourists visit the country.

The massive Big Five push (just about every tourism document in the country promises sightings on safari) needed a nudge to return to the heart of the issue  – that of conservation. Continued

Cape Agulhas Day Trip

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We woke early, ate our breakfast and drank in the panoramic views of Walker Bay and the surrounding fynbos from the balcony of Grootbos Private Nature Reserve. Early this morning we had decided, spur of the moment, to go and visit the southernmost tip of the African continent, Cape Agulhas!

I grew up in Cape Town and have spent most of my life living here, the sea has captivated me for as long as I can remember and trips to Cape Point always filled me with a sense of incredible mystery and wonder. But I knew I would never be completely happy until I stood at the true tip of Africa and not just at the tip of Cape Town’s southern peninsula (impressive as it is)… Continued