South Africans share their favourite local getaways

Just in time for the hol­i­days, we asked local South Africans to share their favour­ite South African hol­i­day des­tin­a­tions and get­aways with us. From pop­u­lar des­tin­a­tions like Knysna and the Kruger National Park to lesser known gems like Barrydale, Beaverlac and Prince's Grant, here are their favourites...

We hope they inspire you to travel loc­ally this hol­i­day sea­son. Because ... Local is totally Lekker!

Jessica Oliver
(Copy Editor, Marie Claire SA
www.marieclaire.co.za)
Jessica tells us her favour­ite get­away is Knysna... "There are plenty of places but for a relax­ing get­away I love going to Knysna. I love how relaxed, beau­ti­ful and easy it is. I love hav­ing noth­ing to do but go on runs, play ten­nis, lie in the sun and have late-afternoon fish braais. And it’s easy to drive through to Plett for a beach day".

Jurgen Welp
(Restaurant man­ager at Bistro Sixteen82
www.steenberg-vineyards.co.za)
Jurgen tells us his favour­ite des­tin­a­tion when he needs a break is to the lowveld, par­tic­u­lary near Kruger park. Why? "Because of the wild­life, weather, just great to get away from city noise and luxuries".

Jayne Holness
(Strategic Planner, Ogilvy Cape Town)
Jayne loves Beaverlac in the Olifants River Mountains, Western Cape. "The best the Western Cape moun­tains have to offer: exquis­ite set­ting, some of the best rock pools, great walks, the Olifants River at it's most spec­tac­u­lar, and a camp­site you can just arrive at".

Hayley Bresler
(Financial assist­ant at South Africa Bunkering and trad­ing, www.sabunker.com)
Hayley also favours the delight­ful town of Knysna in the Garden Route ... "It is such a beau­ti­ful place with so many adven­tur­ous activ­it­ies to go on. From run­ning in the forest, bridge jump­ing to eat­ing fresh sea­food. There are many back­pack­ers scattered around the area so book­ing accom­mod­a­tion is not a mis­sion. The sights, smells and beauty would leave any per­son res­ted and smiling".

Justine Cook
(Change Management Consultant, Change Logic)
It's the Cape West Coast for Justine... "The West Coast is still rel­at­ively untouched in com­par­ison to other coastal tour­ist des­tin­a­tions in South Africa.  The quaint fish­ing vil­lages and long white beaches are per­fect for a proper break from the city, even if only for a weekend".

Mamello "Mum-z" Mokoena
(Comedian and Social Entrepreneur,
www.southernafrica.worldventures.biz)
Mamello's des­tin­a­tion of choice is Prince's Grant on the Dolphin Coast of KwaZulu Natal. Mamello loves the warm water, trop­ical aes­thet­ics, Golf, lagoon and per­fect secluded beach at Prince's Grant.

Steve Robertson
(Marketing Manager, The Last Word,
www.thelastword.co.za)
Steve didn't think long about his answer to our ques­tion about his favour­ite get­away. He knows exactly where he wants to be ...
"I would have to say Hermanus or Arniston. Nice chilled places where you only have to get out of the sea to eat, drink and start the next braai, with a relaxed round of golf in the morning".

Joy-Anne Goodenough
(Travel Blog Editor, The Portfolio Collection, travelblog.portfoliocollection.com).
Joyanne favours get­ting away to the The Klein Karoo — Montagu, Barrydale and sur­rounds.
"I love the bar­ren Karoo land­scape. I love the aloes that bloom on the kop­pies at cer­tain times of year and look like orange flames lick­ing the blue sky. I love the weird little bars and res­taur­ants along Route 62 such as Ronnie's Sex Shop & Roadkill Cafe, Karoo Saloon and The Jam Tarts. I love the hot spring min­eral baths at Warmwaterberg and most of all I love how beau­ti­ful the night sky is out there  with our Milky way spill­ing across the dark­ness and a hun­dred shoot­ing stars ... if you look long enough".

Claire Minnaar
(Web Developer, Mammoth Solutions, www.mammothsolutions.co.za)
Claire's favour­ite local get­away des­tin­a­tion is Wilderness in the Garden Route. "Every time I have stayed there, I feel secluded and FAR away from the city and work! It's a stun­ning place and simply one of the best places to go to escape city life and enjoy moun­tains, sea, wild­life and what the Garden Route has to offer".

Kristen Barrett
(Scarlett Design, www.scarlettdesign.co.za)
Kristen's favour­ite get­away is Old Mac Daddy in Elgin. "Not only is it mem­or­able to me because it was my first week­end away with just my hus­band and I (since the birth of our son), but the venue is gor­geous, peace­ful and fresh and the staff are so pro­fes­sional! I loved the atten­tion to detail in their design and the jux­ta­pos­i­tion of their concept. We enjoyed every moment and had so much fun! I would go there again for sure!

Kelly Searle-Smith
(Senior Manager, Accenture)
Kelly's favour­ite local get­away des­tin­a­tion is Spier Wine Estate, Stellenbosch. "In three words, Spier Wine Estate is PEACEFUL, EXQUISITE, LUXURY! My recent exper­i­ence at Spier Wine Estate can be explained as a touch of heaven and pure bliss! The hotel is far enough away from the hustle-and-bustle of the tour­ists and day vis­it­ors to Spier to actu­ally provide an extremely peace­ful and serene envir­on­ment. The rooms are lux­uri­ous in old-farm style. On arrival, our bed was covered in rose petals and we received a per­sonal wel­come card and com­pli­ment­ary bottle of Spier Pinotage and chocol­ates! The hotel staff were extremely friendly and always will­ing to cart us around in their golf-buggies from one spot to another. There was so much to do too! From hotel break­fast, leis­urely walks along the beau­ti­ful grounds, pic­nic lunches, snacks on the deck, wine tast­ing, the chee­tah and out-reach pro­gramme tour, chilling by the pool, spa treat­ments, to din­ner in the hotel res­taur­ant and tree-tops at Moyo! Wow, what an exper­i­ence! This is def­in­itely my favour­ite place in South Africa at the moment and I highly recom­mend it to both tour­ists and locals!

Klee Barris
(Senior Account Manager at I-Net Bridge, www.inet.co.za)
Klee shares her favour­ites with us ... South Africa is rich with many hid­den sparkles like Ceres, Katberg, Riebeeck Kasteel but for the last few years I keep return­ing to idyllic Hermanus for the sum­mer. the whales, the beaches, the hike to the reser­voir,  the good boerie rolls and walks along the cliffs above the beach... it's just one of my favour­ite places to relax. It also means fun in the sun with my boy­friend "sum­mer lovin' had me a blast" style!

Naomi Estment
(Co-owner of Outdoor Video & Photographic, www.ovandp.co.za & www.ovpstudio.com and her blog naomiestment.wordpress.com).
Naomi's favour­ite des­tin­a­tion is the African bushveld, espe­cially the fol­low­ing game reserves: Londolozi, Madikwe, Welgevonden, Timbavati and Schotia Safaris.
Quite simply, because noth­ing com­pares to the ‘soul vaca­tion’ that this offers!

Pratish Mistry
(Executive Coach
www.professional-lifecoach.com)
My favour­ite local get­away des­tin­a­tion is iSi­mangal­iso Wetland Park (Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park, Kwazulu-Natal). Besides its lush nat­ural beauty, this corner of South Africa has a calm­ing, peace­ful air about it. There is no short­age of activ­it­ies ran­ging from hikes and hippo spot­ting to pad­dling in lakes and whale watch­ing. It's a per­fect place to escape and really get in touch with your­self and with nature.

Lara Johnson
(Uhuru Communications, www.uhurucom.co.za)
Lara's favour­ite local geaway des­tin­a­tion is De Kelders. She says, "It's quiet, it's out of the way and it's not as com­mer­cial as Hermanus".

Gary Van Rooyen
(MD, New Balance South Africa
www.newbalance.co.za)
Gary's favour­ite get­away des­tin­a­tion is Cape St.Francis in the Eastern Cape.
"I’m an ocean per­son and Cape St.Francis and St.Francis Bay offer one every pos­sible water activ­ity ima­gin­able, from surf­ing, kite-surfing to boat­ing, fish­ing and diving. The con­trast of the old fish­ing town and the new canal thatched-roofed homes is also so eye-opening as you exper­i­ence the old and new worlds meet­ing. There is a beau­ti­ful vil­lage centre with great din­ing and shop­ping options. A true break from City life".

Natalie Whitehead
(Campaign Director at HaveYouHeard — Word of Mouth Marketing Agency).
Natalie shares her favour­ite des­tin­a­tion ... "My favour­ite local get­away des­tin­a­tion is Mantis and Moon in Umzumbe, KwaZuluNatal. If you live in KwaZulu Natal and need a week­end break — what bet­ter place to go then down the coast to Mantis and Moon in Umzumbe! Only a 35 minute drive and you're there! Mantis and moon is a hostel with SO much char­ac­ter, you can sleep in the tree­tops in a tree­house or in a T-pee or dorm! The beach is a close 2 minute walk across some old-school train tracks and the even­ing is spent by the Mantis bar with friends, laugh­ing and jok­ing and play­ing drink­ing games... this always ends with a strip down and jump into the jac­uzzi and pool! Mantis and Moon is a com­plete crazy week­end bond­ing away with friends!".

Julian Jackson
(Product Manager, FNB SpeedPoint)
Julian's favour­ite des­tin­a­tion is any­where in South Africa with a good view, friends and a social atmo­sphere ...
"I like spend­ing time with good friends in a nice social atmo­sphere and view!"

Thaya Bedford
(Owner of Beatnik Bazaar
www.beatnikbazaar.co.za)
Thaya loves get­ting away to the Transkei. "It is wild and rural and hasn't been developed. It is the land that time for­got — the people there live off the land and rely on sub­sist­ance liv­ing to sur­vive. The coast­line is breath­tak­ingly beau­ti­ful and undis­turbed by gauche impos­ing build­ings. There is no pre­ten­tion; the beaches are untouched and beau­ti­ful; the people are warm; the food is soul­ful; the air is fresh and the water is warm enough to swim in under the clear night sky and the yel­low moon".

Charlie Human
(Digital Marketing Executive
twitter.com/charliehuman)
Charlie's favour­ite local get­away des­tin­a­tion is to Beaverlac in the glor­i­ous Cederberg.
Charlie says "Spending the day hik­ing and swim­ming in nat­ural pools makes me happy ...".

Jeannine Orzechowski
(PR Consultant, www.twitter.com/JeannineOrz)
Jeannine's favour­ite get­away is Vermaaklikheid ...
"It's just 2 hours from Knysna and it's abso­lutely quiet, private and peace­ful. We stay at Oshoek River Farm, a gor­geous house right on the river and go walk­ing, cyc­ling, fish­ing, boat­ing and cook long lazy meals. It's fant­astic fam­ily time. In sum­mer we can swim and in winter we light a fire and play cards and board games and Charades because there's no TV. And catch up on our reading!"

Nina Davis
(Clifton Preparatory School
www.cliftonschool.co.za)
My favour­ite local get­away des­tin­a­tion is Cleopatra Farmhouse in the Drakensberg. Nina loves it there because of the beau­ti­ful sur­round­ings, 5 star food, ori­ginal décor nd the impec­cable service!

Muzi Mohale
(Travelwires, www.travelwires.com)
Muzi shares his favour­ite des­tin­a­tion ...
"The Southern Drakensberg is my favour­ite because of the peace and tran­quil­ity, the farm­ing com­munity makes one appre­ci­ates mother nature. All 4x4 own­ers should drive through the Sani Pass in rainy con­di­tions to exper­i­ence the adven­ture first hand!".

Iain Gibbin
(Co-owner Oblivion Wine Bar & Restaurant, www.oblivion.co.za)
Iain says his favour­ite local get­away is to the Kruger National Park. "Because its the "real Africa". Very relax­ing, no cell-phone recep­tion (unless you want it) and see­ing a rhino up close is South Africa's ver­sion of Jurassic Park. All real, can't be beaten ..."

Wanda Coustas
(Co-founder urban sprout
www.urbansprout.co.za)
Wanda had dif­fi­culty decid­ing on a single favour­ite des­tin­a­tion but after some delib­er­a­tion she settled on McGregor as her all time favour­ite! "Difficult to make a choice, but if I'm forced then McGregor's Temenos would be very high on the list. — The atmo­sphere there is of imme­di­ate peace and tran­quil­ity, the retreat is geared for those who want to get away from fast-paced liv­ing, and the myriad little spaces in which to med­it­ate and 'be' are so enorm­ously pleas­ing. The heart imme­di­ately responds to the beau­ti­ful gar­dens, the sound of water, the coo­ing of doves and the eerie call of the res­id­ent pea­cocks. Plus, McGregor is a gor­geous town and easy to reach from Cape Town".

Shireen McWhite
(Human Interest Manager
Saatchi & Saatchi)
My favour­ite local get­away des­tin­a­tion is the Tsitsikamma National Park.
"Quite simply because it is BEAUTIFUL! And you get the best of all worlds: moun­tain, ocean and everything else you need. It really is an amaz­ing place."

Mo
(M Fusion Danz,
Website: www.mfusiondanz.co.za)
Mo's favour­ite local get­away des­tin­a­tion is Kardouw Treetops in Citrusdal. Mo loves Karouw Treetops because ... "When I arrive there is no where else I'd like to be! It is small but idyllic. Along the river­side and in raised wooden cab­ins ... It is gorgeous!"

Kirsten Zschokke
(Owner, Miss K food Cafe, www.missk.co.za)
Kirsten's favour­ite get­away des­tin­a­tion in South Africa is St Francis Bay in the Eastern Cape. "I love the white thatched hol­i­day homes, the canals, boat­ing fish­ing and booze cruises on the Kromme River ..."

Carolyn Hiscock
(Owner/Manager — Vortron Holdings Cape,
www.vortronholdings.co.za)
My favour­ite local get­away des­tin­a­tion is: Plettenberg Bay. "The drive up the garden route is fab­ulous.  Walks along the beach, early morn­ing or at dusk, are incred­ibly relax­ing and refresh­ing for the soul! Ever since I was a kid, our hol­i­days con­sisted of a week here and there spent at Plett — treas­ured memor­ies and won­der­ful moments shared with fam­ily and friends, through­out the years.  Even though Plett has become busier and more developed, it still remains for me my favour­ite local hol­i­day des­tin­a­tion — the famili­ar­ity of everything giv­ing it that 'home away from home' feel!"

Clyde Thomas
(Desk Jockey, Allan Grey Life Ltd)
My favour­ite local get­away des­tin­a­tion is Plettenberg Bay. "The pen­in­su­lar of Robberg gen­er­ates a micro­cli­mate within Plettenberg Bay, leav­ing it locked in a sunny high pres­sure zone. Dark gloomy clouds can often be seen slip­ping along the wild side of Robberg, never to slide into the bay. Even when the clouds man­age to block out the sum­mer sun­shine, Robberg beach is the last place the light touches. Plett has the greatest hol­i­day weather of any­where in South Africa, this is because it sits between the two butt cheeks of the low pres­sure sys­tems that run down the South African coast­lines. The sys­tem that runs down the South coast travels out to sea around Port Elizabeth and the fronts that move down the east coast from Cape Town go out to sea near Mossel Bay. This leaves Plettenberg bay in an area of South Africa where the sun loves to shine and the wind hates to blow. Its water is cozy enough for swim­mers to spend hours body surf­ing, surf­ing and pad­dling. Importantly it is cold enough to keep those shiv­er­ing Natalians out of the water and watch­ing from the beach. Robberg’s climb­ing sand dune depos­its golden sand along the shore where vis­it­ors can walk for hours along the unin­ter­rup­ted beaches, watch­ing the fam­il­ies, swim­mers and dogs enjoy­ing their lives. Some would say that Plett gets too crowded, but I think it’s one of the pos­it­ives.  There is always a party to be had, and only novices can­not find a spa­cious patch of beach to enjoy the after­noon light alone.  Its pop­ular­ity gath­ers dis­persed fam­il­ies year after year to rebuild their bonds, cel­eb­rate Easter and Christmas together and meet the newly entered mem­bers, whether they are girl­friends, wives or babies".

Bronagh Casey
(Media officer– Ministry for Education, Western Cape)
Bronagh's favour­ite des­tin­a­tion is Franschhoek.
She says she loves Franschhoek because of its beauty, tran­quil­ity, the food and wine. "If you are a food and wine afi­cion­ado, like me, then you will love Franschhoek. Known for its fine res­taur­ants and café’s, this vil­lage caters to everyone’s food pal­ate, and is home to some of SA’s,  best award win­ning res­taur­ants like the Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français, Mange Tout and Bread and Wine. When I visit Franschhoek a typ­ical day would con­sist of a sun­rise run or walk in the beau­ti­ful vine­yards, fol­lowed by a morn­ing break­fast or brunch out on the main street, watch­ing the rest of the com­munity and vis­it­ors walk by. Franschhoek is a very artistic and his­tor­ical town, with a rich his­tory dat­ing back to the 1680s when the French Huguenots first settled there, so there are a num­ber of his­tor­ical and cul­tural spots to visit, as well as, a great range of art shops and antiques and old book stores. However, a favour­ite of mine is to rent a couple of bicycles with friends and to ride through the vine­yards, stop­ping at the vari­ous wine farms with a tast­ing here and there. There are vari­ous pic­nic spots to choose from with some incred­ible scenery. In winter the even­ings are spent din­ing in front of a fire, and in sum­mer, on the many patios or gar­dens the res­taur­ants have on offer.  I highly recom­mend vis­it­ing Franschhoek dur­ing its annual Bastille Day Festival in July. Hundreds of people gather to take in the cuisine, wine and the floats that parade the streets, and if lucky, all under the beau­ti­ful snow-capped Franschhoek moun­tains. Another cal­en­dar high­light that I would not miss is the “"Magic of Bubbles" fest­ival, which is their annual Champagne Festival held every December. But ulti­mately, Franschhoek is beau­ti­ful any­time of the year, and caters for all ages. Accommodation ranges from the quaint, to the ultra-modern – so there is some­thing for everyone.

So there you have it — Totally awe­some places to travel to loc­ally. What's your favour­ite? Please share yours in the com­ment sec­tion below ...

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