I ♥ Wynberg Because ...

I ♥ Wynberg

Hi, I’m Shaun Lawrence from Palm House Luxury Guest House in Wynberg.

Wynberg IS BEST KNOWN FOR being the old­est area in the south­ern sub­urbs with its beau­ti­ful Chelsea cot­tages giv­ing you English charm in the middle of Africa.  Chelsea Village dates back to the 1700’s and has glor­i­ous ‘Englishy’ archi­tec­ture … think cute cot­tages and thatch rooves.

GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN AT Wynberg Park which is also known as Maynardville Park. The park is a much-loved out­door venue in Cape Town and is host to the Maynardville Open-Air Theatre, fam­ous for its annual Shakespeare-in-the-Park.

OTHER HAPPY SNAPS in and around the Chelsea Village.  Why not sit on the park bench in the ori­ginal vil­lage square?! Continued

Arniston Photographs

This pic­tur­esque little fish­ing vil­lage on the shores of Marcus Bay is also known as Waenhuiskrans (‘wagon shel­ter cliff’).  The name comes from a large sea-cave, which although only vis­ible dur­ing low-tide resembles the struc­tures used by set­tlers to house their wag­ons and cattle.  The vil­lage itself got the name ‘Arniston’ from the Arniston ship which wrecked off the in 1815.  After cut­ting away three of its anchors the ves­sel ran ashore and broke up on the sharp rocks off the Arniston Reef.  Sadly, only six of the 378 pas­sen­gers sur­vived to tell the tale.

Arniston how­ever is a pretty vil­lage, with spark­ling blue water and gor­geous beaches, per­fect for laz­ing away sunny sum­mer days.  Artists and pho­to­graph­ers are attrac­ted to the sea­side loc­a­tion; the white-washed cot­tages, rolling sand dunes, steep cliffs and blue ocean make for pic­ture per­fect pho­to­graphs and paint­ings!  The cot­tages are Kassiebaai are more than 200 years old and are a National Monument.

De Hoop and De Mond Nature Reserves neigh­bour Arniston; a bird watcher and hikers delight.

Continued

Struisbaai Photographs

Although a bit windy on the day we vis­ited Struisbaai and not being dur­ing ‘sea­son’ just yet we could still get a vibe for this pretty sea­side town loc­ated in the Cape Agulhas region of the Western Cape.  Colourful fish­ing boats bobbed in the har­bour and chil­dren swam and boogie-boarded in the waves (don’t chil­dren ever feel the cold?!). A board­walk through part of the dunes makes for easy walk­ing and the views of the beaches are worth see­ing – whether it’s windy or not!

During the sum­mer months Struisbaai enjoys a healthy amount of vis­it­ors who come to the town to enjoy the water sports on offer.  It’s easy to launch a kayak or small boat from the beach while kite-surfing and board­ing are also pop­u­lar.  Struisbaai, like many of the coastal vil­lages in this region boasts quaint white-washed fishermen’s houses and newer houses must fol­low the design of the ori­ginal cot­tages.  If in the town make sure you visit the Anglican church which is now a National Monument. Continued

I ♥ Constantia Because ...

I ♥ Constantia

Hi, I’m Olga Backberg from Wild Peach Cottage in Constantia.

Constantia IS BEST KNOWN FOR its stun­ning nat­ural beauty and as the birth­place of the wine farm­ing industry in South Africa.
GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN AT Groot Constantia, the old­est and prob­ably the most fam­ous wine estate in South Africa, with sev­eral well-preserved ori­ginal build­ings rep­res­ent­ing some of the best examples of the Cape Dutch archi­tec­tural style, for which this area is renowned.
THE BEST pan­or­amic land­scape pic­tures  over­look­ing the Constantia Valley and False Bay CAN BE TAKEN FROM the slopes of the Table Mountain chain, when hik­ing on one of the many paths between Constantia Nek and Cecilia Forest (no need to be extremely fit to go on these hik­ing trails!).
OTHER HAPPY SNAPS AT world-renowned Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden, which is home to over 22,000 indi­gen­ous plants. Continued

Bredasdorp Photographs

We had the oppor­tun­ity to visit the town of Bredasdorp when we took part in the Voet van Afrika Marathon this past week­end.  The town is situ­ated in the Cape Agulhas region of the Western Cape and claims to be the first town or dorp to be estab­lished in South Africa.  Apart from being a big pro­du­cer of wheat and pro­tea flowers, Bredasdorp is also well known for hav­ing South Africa’s only Shipwreck Museum (which was sadly closed on this week­end).  The museum has an extens­ive col­lec­tion of arte­facts from ships wrecked along this coast­line … one can see can­nons, coins, chinaware and ship bells.  One of the rooms at the museum is a trib­ute to Audrey Blignaut, a South African author born in Bredasdorp.

The wheat fields that sur­round the town attract many dif­fer­ent birds; we were lucky enough to see 13 Blue Cranes in one field alone and although not avid birders ticked off our first ‘lifer’; a Cape Teal duck mer­rily pad­dling around a farm pond! Hueningberg Nature Reserve is a must if you enjoy the great out­doors – there are lots of walks avail­able.  Bredasdorp and the area around it is a won­der­ful place to visit and at just over two hours from Cape Town, it’s the per­fect dis­tance for a week­end get­away. Continued

I ♥ Rondebosch Because ...

I ♥ Rondebosch

Hi, I’m Vanessa Wium from Sandown Lodge in Rondebosch.

Rondebosch IS BEST KNOWN FOR its his­tory as the place where the first Dutch set­tlers where given land to farm along the banks of the Liesbeek River, where Cecil John Rhodes rebuilt the Groote Schuur Estate which today is the home of the State President and where Simon Van de Stel, the first Governor of the Cape Colony lived. The his­toric beauty of the Cape Dutch style homes and build­ings and tree lined streets adds to its old world charm. Rondebosch is also home to South Africa’s top rated uni­ver­sity, the University of Cape Town as well as a num­ber of the country’s top private and gov­ern­ment schools includ­ing Bishops, Rondebosch Boys, SACS, Westerford and Rustenberg Girls schools.

GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN AT Rhodes Memorial on the bot­tom slopes of Devils Peak while watch­ing the sun rise over Cape Town for spec­tac­u­lar views and his­toric nos­tal­gia. Continued

I ♥ Darling Because ...

I ♥ Darling

Hi, I’m Paul Martin from Aloe Cottage in Darling.

Darling IS BEST KNOWN FOR its won­der­fully diverse spring flowers, the Voorkamerfest Theatre and Arts Festival, Evita se Perron (the home of Tannie Evita Bezuidenhout), great wine farms, art gal­ler­ies, country-style res­taur­ants and bis­tros, the Duckitt orchid nurs­ery, the friendly small-town atmo­sphere and relaxed coun­try life.
GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN AT Evita se Perron where you can pose as "the most fam­ous white woman in South Africa" and take a humor­ous trip down South Africa's memory lane at Boerassic Park.
THE BEST spring flower PICTURES CAN BE TAKEN AT the Tinie Versfeld Wildflower Reserve, Waylands Flower Reserve or at the orchid open days at Duckitt Nurseries on the first Saturday of the month from May to November.
OTHER HAPPY SNAPS CAN BE TAKEN while sip­ping wine at some of the local wine farms like Ormonde, Cloof, Darling Cellars, Groote Post and Tukulu. Continued

Stanford Photographs

Stanford is a quaint, sleepy vil­lage that is found on the other side of Hermanus in the Cape Overberg.  Sheltered by the Klein River Mountains it’s a peace­ful vil­lage that has a healthy mix of art gal­ler­ies, antique and second hand shops, res­taur­ants, side­walk cafes and pubs.  Originally a farm, de Kleine Riveirs Valey and the his­tor­ical build­ings on tree-lined streets are ref­er­ence to the English influ­ence on the vil­lage and why its now the third most his­tor­ic­ally import­ant vil­lage in the Western Cape.

If vis­it­ing Stanford a must see is the Birkenhead Brewery which is a boutique brew­ery open for beer tast­ing and lunches and the Stanford Walking Trail which meanders its way along the Klein River, through the town and offers walk­ers great bird­ing oppor­tun­it­ies, includ­ing sight­ing the endangered Blue Crane.

Stanford is a won­der­ful week­end venue; per­fect to take in the sights or just as per­fect to laze around the garden and do noth­ing! Continued

I ♥ Napier Because ...

I ♥ Napier

Hi, I’m Craigan Millar from The Suntouched Inn in Napier.

Napier IS BEST KNOWN FOR the little arty town on the way to Arniston!
GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN AT the biggest sun­dial in South Africa, at the Napier Muncipal Building.
THE BEST scenery PICTURES CAN BE TAKEN AT the top of the Grootberg.

WHEN THE WEATHER'S GOOD, I LIKE TO visit the beaches of Arniston or Struisbaai and enjoy the Elim Wine Route.
WHEN THE WEATHER'S BAD, I LIKE TO visit JD Wine cel­lar and Napier Brewery.
I THINK THE BEST TIME OF YEAR TO VISIT IS September, BECAUSE the fields are vibrant green and bright yel­low with grasses and can­ola, and June when the Patat Festival takes place. Continued

Bay Harbour Market — Photographs

I’m a big fan of a mar­ket so ima­gine my sheer joy when we walked into the Bay Harbour Market in Hout Bay!  It seemed to be a case of ‘the early bird catches the worm’ because on arriv­ing at around 9.30am we man­aged to walk around eas­ily, found a table to sit at and didn’t have to wait in to long a queue to order our deli­cious break­fast and per­fectly made creamy cappuccino.

I was so impressed with this mar­ket; it’s been open for about six weeks and in that short space of time has become very pop­u­lar.  There are over 100 stalls which have a healthy mix of food, art, cloth­ing, craft, décor and fash­ion.  I loved the beau­ti­ful cush­ions, nap­kins and aprons Melanie of Quiver Design had on show and the ceram­ics Noleen Read pro­duces are def­in­itely on my Christmas list.  The food all looked abso­lutely deli­cious and the only thing to do is to make the mar­ket a reg­u­lar week­end stop to try all the pro­duce offered.

The mar­ket is open 10am – 5pm on Saturdays, 10am – 4pm on Sundays and from September 9^th will also open from 4pm – 9pm on a Friday. There is ample, secure park­ing avail­able. Continued

Gorgeous Greyton — Photographs

The gor­geous vil­lage of Greyton, loc­ated in the Cape Overberg and sur­roun­ded by farm­lands and the Riviersondered Mountains is a very man­age­able 90 minute drive from Cape Town and is just per­fect for a week­end get­away.  The vil­lage has a num­ber of super res­taur­ants and delis so a decent cof­fee and a loaf of artisan bread is easy to find … if that is what you are look­ing for.  The Greyton Market takes place every Saturday from 10am to mid­day; thing to try would be the lemon curd pan­cakes, the homemade lem­on­ade, the heavy with meat pies, the pes­tos – actu­ally the list is endless.

The oak lined streets, beau­ti­fully restored cot­tages and pretty gar­dens make Greyton pic­ture per­fect. There is loads to do; from walk­ing or cyc­ling in the moun­tains, ambling the streets, eat­ing at the many eat­er­ies, hik­ing to McGregor, vis­it­ing his­tor­ical build­ings or hunt­ing for antiques – the list is end­less.  Or of course you can just relax in the sun­shine and enjoy the views! Continued

I ♥ Stellenbosch Because ...

I ♥ Stellenbosch

Hi, I’m Joerg Streibing from Auberge Rozendal in Stellenbosch. We are just 30 minutes from Cape Town International Airport and right in the heart of the Cape Winelands.

Stellenbosch IS BEST KNOWN FOR its friendly people, young stu­dent vibe, clas­sic uni­ver­sity build­ings and Cape Dutch archi­tec­ture, as well as the fant­astic wines and award win­ning food.

GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN in front of Stellenbosch's most his­toric icon, the Moeder Kerk (Mother Church) and you will return to Stellenbosch.

THE BEST animal PICTURES CAN BE TAKEN AT Vredenheim Wine & Game Estate with the ostrich, spring­bok, wilde­beest, don­keys, and many more ...
OTHER HAPPY SNAPS can be taken while you enjoy yourselves at the weekly Stellenbosch Slow Food Market held at the Oude Libertas Center every Saturday year around.
Continued

I ♥ Simons Town Because ...

I ♥ Simons Town

Hi, I’m Debbie Smuts from The Grosvenor Guest House in Simons Town on the False Bay Coast.

Simons Town IS BEST KNOWN FOR for its pen­guins at Boulders Beach, great white shark diving, whale watch­ing, hik­ing in the Cape Point National Park, boat trips, kayak­ing, steam train trips from Cape Town to Simons Town, the work­ing Naval base and of course ‘Just Nuisance’.

GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN AT Boulders Penguin Beach or next to ‘Just Nuisance’s’ statue on Jubilee Square.

THE BEST land­scape PICTURES CAN BE TAKEN AT the site of ‘Just Nuisance’s’ grave.
OTHER HAPPY SNAPS AT the yacht basin with the navy ships in the back­ground from Jubilee Square. Continued

I ♥ Citrusdal Because ...

I ♥ Citrusdal

Hi, I’m Anyas from Olifantsrus Farm Guest House and Olifantsrus Self Catering in Citrusdal in the Western Cape.

Citrusdal IS BEST KNOWN FOR being the gate­way to the Cederberg and for its cit­rus fruits of course!

GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN AT Wupperthal, a pic­tur­esque mis­sion vil­lage where excel­lent vel­skoen (known through­out the coun­try) are made and tobacco is dried and worked into rolls (roltabak). The other main products of the area are dried fruit, dried beans and rooibos tea. At Christmas time there is a fest­ival of carol singing at the mis­sion and the moun­tains echo to the voices of the people of Wupperthal. This is a place rich in cul­ture, his­tory and hos­pit­al­ity. Continued

Wine farms where you can picnic in the Western Cape

Picnic Venues

It's a per­fect day, the weather is scream­ing for a pic­nic. There are usu­ally two scen­arios, when the idea of a pic­nic emerges. One is: you expertly, and in no time at all, pro­duce the hum­mus, tsat­siki, sushi, farm cheese and home-baked bread your­self and need that per­fect venue to off­set your production.

The second is: you've over­stretched your­self dur­ing the past week and couldn't pro­duce a piece of buttered bread, let alone an entire spread your­self. Besides, you think you're owed a gour­met pic­nic bas­ket, includ­ing the blanket (some wine farms do provide the whole she­bang), for the con­tri­bu­tion you make to your fam­ily and greater mankind.

The good news is that each of these scen­arios is eas­ily met in the Western Cape. There is now a grow­ing list of wine farms that real­ise that there is no bet­ter way to show­case their wines than hav­ing you come to their per­fect idylls to exper­i­ence a good nosh on the banks of whatever river there is wind­ing through their farm, together with a bottle of one of their wines ... Continued