- South Africa
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We travelled through the wine region of South Africa, visiting the beautiful wine estates of Waterford (chocolate nibbles with the wine), Boschendal and Constantia, each estate providing sublime views to accompany their delicious wine.
However, our most memorable afternoon was at the Camberley winery which we felt compelled to visit as we hail from Camberley in Surrey. Our host, the manager, was most welcoming and gave us a personal tour and the opportunity to taste many fine red wines for free. Leafing through the guest book we could see that many lucky folk from Camberley had also been this way before.
We have just been on a great tour of South Africa and had a specialist guide take us around the site of the Battle of Isandlwana (which happened in 1879) and the incredible defence of the Hospital at Rorkes Drift. Anthony Coleman was our guide and was booked through Prana Holidays. Highly recommended.
It's a guest house. It's beautiful, just look at the website. This is not just my recommendation, it's in the Wine Magazine's top 100 restaurants, and was rated as the World's Best Small Hotel by Tatler Travel in 2005.
Best of all, before dinner, you get to taste a selection of wines under the trees, chatting to fellow guests and taking in the wonderful views of the hills, as they change colour under the setting sun. Well, not strictly wine tasting, because I don't see any spitting out going on. The wines are so magnificent they are only going in one direction. And when you think it doesn't get any better, they produce even more wonderful wines to accompany the delicious food.
This place is fantastic, and with the pound exchange rate against the rand, you get an incredible experience for a very affordable price.
www.roggeland.co.za/
near Paarl
Telephone: 0027 21 868 2501
Great place to visit. Quirky winery, check out the emphasis on goats, with their goat clock tower and puns on many a classical French region in the wines they produce [Goats do Roam, Bored Doe, Goat Door, etc.] but with tasty stuff inside the bottle too. They do some excellent cheese and if the sun is out then the location is ace. So long as you're not the designated driver it's a perfect day out!
www.fairview.co.za/
Fairview Wines
Suid-Agter-Paarl Road
Suider-Paarl 7646
South Africa
Franschhoek is a lovely wine valley in the Western Cape. There are a number of fantastic vineyards, all quite close to each other so it's easy to explore the region over a day or two. There are a few grand names such as La Motte - a charming old farm-turned-winery, worth a visit for the wine tastings (their Shiraz stands out). But the best experience I had was at a small, artisanal producer: La Petite Ferme. They are a very small winery, which produces wines of outstanding quality. They also do lovely food, and the view over the vineyards from the hill where they are is one of the most awesome things I've seen in my life. They also have accomodation, not bad value and you get that amazing view 24/7!
A beautiful setting to sit and relax tasting some of the best wine in South Africa. My wife is not normally a red wine person but she loves the Three Cape Ladies, a delicious red wine, while my preference is for the Trilogy with its richer more complex flavours.
If you join the Warwick Wine Family, they will arrange to send you a mixed case of wine every six months in the UK, and you get invited to their Garden Party in December, where you can get very drunk on the finest white and red wines for free. Another benefit is the 20% discount on buying wines at the estate
www.warwickwine.com/framework/index.asp
On the R44 between Stellenbosch and Klapmuts/Paarl
The only place for a full-on South African wine and gastronomic experience, combined with an amazing cultural and natural environment backdrop.
The Spier Estate has everything you want, from interesting wine tasting sessions, to amazing restaurants (there are about five on site), picnics combined with music concerts in the open against the wonderful mountainous backdrop of the Cape’s famous mountains and next to a river. The hotel was one of the best we ever stayed in in the whole world. And it is all Fair Trade in Tourism certified, as well as certified by the Wine Industry Ethical Trade Association.
Prices and packages to suit all budgets and tastes. It was an absolutely amazing experience and we wished we could have stayed longer … or forever.
By Road > R310 Lynedoch Road Stellenbosch, South Africa
Postal Address > PO Box 1078, Stellenbosch, 7599,South Africa
Website > www.spier.co.za
Telephone > +27 (21) 809 1100
Fabulous foreign shindig held in September, the African springtime. Imagine the Burning Man meets Afrika in the desert reaches and surrounding mountains of the Tankwa Karoo, South Africa. A lightning moment of environmentally alert creativity manifested in a myriad of art forms. Join in the fun or just take the opportunity to camp out under a million stars and become bewitched by the passing show.
This is South Africa's own version of Glastonbury. Swap your wellies for sun cream. Take the Klipdrift and the Windhoek instead of the vodka and the lager. Get on the road and head north out of Johannesburg towards Sun City. Drive right on by that place and eventually you'll be in the heart of the bush at Oppikopi Farm.S et up your braai, open the eski, roll out your sleeping bag and soak it all up. You won't find a cover band and you'll have a fruitless search for pop. If a tasteful Glastonbury combined with a Big Chill in a warmer place is your thing then look no further!
Venue Information: Oppikoppi Farm
Full Name:Oppikoppi Farm,Northam,South AfricaDirections
North-west of both Johannesburg (about 160km/100 miles) and Pretoria (about 130km, 80 miles), just west of Northam, on the way to Botswana.http://www.istc.org/sisp/index.htm?fx=event.detail&event_id=32509
A fantastic curry house just off Long Street. Authentic, regional curries that make the most of Cape Town sea food. About R170 for two courses. Can't recommend it highly enough.
33 Church Street (upstairs on the first floor)
Cape Town
8001
www.bukhara.com
Seriously recommended hostel in Durban – situated behind the owner’s house, it’s a small collection of private huts and a larger dorm room/common area in the midst of a tropical garden. It’s actually called ‘hippo hide’ because of the decor but you’ll be just as likely to spot a monkey on your doorstep come morning. Best thing, however, is the super friendly staff who make you feel like their guests rather than just travellers on the road.
It's a wildlife centre which supports its work of helping endangered species by keeping wild cats. They have lots of different cats from cheetahs, to servals to African wild cats - and you can go into their compounds with the guides and it's fascinating.
The top bit for me was being able to stroke a baby cheetah and then to walk two teenage cheetahs. They are on a harness and walk along with you. They alternate sitting on the ground purring and refusing to move with leaping off into the undergrowth to chase random small squeaky things. It was a wonderful experience and I got some great photos!
We went on the sunset cheetah walk (pre booking essential - it was full the first time we tried) then had a glass of wine with the owner, who was charming - and heard all about the work they do.
Unreservedly recommend the place.
It's based about 20 minutes east of Plettenburg Bay - near Birds of Eden and Monkeyland.
Tenikwa Wildlife Awareness Centre
The Crags 6602
South Africa
Tel +27(0) 44 534 8170
info@tenikwa.co.za
www.tenikwa.co.za
Nestling in the hills, with False Bay and Table Mountain in view, a very pleasant place to have a very good and cheap lunch and drinkable wine starting at around 30 ZAR/bottle, which is almost cheaper than water.
The food is simple, with Cape Malay dishes the speciality.
Booking at weekends is recommended
www.delheim.com/
Knorhoek Road
Stellenbosch, 7599, South Africa
Get Directions
0218884607
One of the more relaxing places to enjoy a variety of cheap to expensive wines, normally eight to 12 wines are tasted.
Waterford is known for its chocolate and wine tasting, where you get three pieces of different chocolate with three different red wines
www.waterfordestate.co.za/
Cellar: Blaauwklippen Rd, Helderberg, Stellenbosch.
Stellenbosch, 7600.
Tel no: 021 880 0496
A rustic restaurant with great food and wine. The resturant is next to the Ken Forrester Wine Estate, but they do wines from the Helderberg area. Wines outside Helderberg are in the rest of the world section.
They cater for both small and large parties of people with surprising ease. The steaks melt in your mouth, and if you have a sweet tooth, the duck & cherry pie is very good. For dessert I've never got past the creme brulee, but they all look very good
www.96wineryroad.co.za/
Surprisingly on Winery Road!! From Cape Town take the N2 to Somerset West, and take the R44 towards Stellenbosch. Winery Road is 3-4 miles on the left hand side. 96 is on the right about 0.5 miles down the road
One of the larger guest houses, set in the hills above Amanzintoti, with glorious views of the Indian Ocean. On a clear day, the ripples in the sea are dolphins swimming up and down the coast.
The accomodation is split over several houses/bungalows each with their own character. All the rooms are very comfortable.
Due to the steps down to the lower levels, the infirm need to be careful.
The laundry services is a bit on the pricey side compared to other guest houses
The quiet town of Amanzintoi springs to life on a Friday and Saturday night as all the young seem to congragate around this club. During the week the place shuts at 9PM, but its party, party at the town's only night club.
Don't let FMG put you off this otherwise sleepy resort, known for its beaches, the location is near the N2 away for the residencial areas
Follow the Ne south from Durban to Amanzintoti, and turn onto Kingsway, the clubs is by the main shopping centre.
Forget hotels stay here! Spotlessly clean modern rooms, (we even had a balcony overlooking table mountain). Great staff, gave really good advice on where to go in Cape Town and the area. Really fun bar, over all a great choice, the rooms and food is as good as any hotel, but for some reason these guys don't charge as much! They also have a great fun bar full of people who have travelled all over the world and who actually talk to you. We made so many friends amongst the staff and guests we left wanting to stay longer, thats never happened to me in any faceless hotel
81 New Church Street, Gardens, Cape Town.
(all the taxi drivers seem to know where this place is)
0027 21 426 0200
www.capetownbackpackers.com
Wine buffs with a penchant for South Africa will need little introduction to Saxenberg, and this highly rated vineyard offers tastings and slightly reduced prices on its excellent wines. But the main reason for visiting is its excellent restaurant, the Guinea Fowl. Seriously impressive cooking is coupled with not-too-formal service. Three of us had 'the works' for a birthday lunch and somehow the bill came to less than 1,000 rand. In the summer it is hard to beat lunch on the terrace, with hazy views of the back of Table Mountain. It's also one of the closest vineyards to Cape Town and only 15 minutes by car to the main airport.
T: +27 21 903 6113
E: info@saxenburg.com
W: www.saxenburg.com
Physical Address:
Saxenburg Wine Farm
Polkadraai Road
Kuils River
7580
Postal Address:
PO Box 171
Kuils River
7579
Luxury boutique hotel in the Heritage Square part of the city centre, convenient for Cape Quarter, shopping, the bus to the Table Mountain cable car and only 15 minutes walk to the Robben Island ferry. The rooms are all different, some with very original touches. The staff are, in a word, amazing. No request seems to exceed their knowledge and skills, but they are never patronising. Moreover, the hotel has led the regeneration of Heritage Square, transforming a site designated for demolition into a block of gentrification. It's not a cheap option in Cape Town, but I cannot imagine you regretting the cost. Spoil yourself!
90 Bree Street, Cape Town, South Africa
PO Box 4475, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
E: info@capeheritage.co.za
T: +27 21 424 4646
W: www.capeheritage.co.za
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