Western Cape, South Africa
We went back to one of our favorite countries in January 2014: South Africa.
Highlights
- Lodging
- Lovane Boutique Wine Estate & Guest House
- Restaurants
- Mont Marie
- The Pot Luck Club
- Asara Wine Estate
- Bread & Wine Restaurant at Môreson.
- Things to do
- The Neighbourgoods Market
- Table Mountain
- Bo-Kaap
- Ferrymans Tavern
- Sundays 3-6pm to hear The Fancy Galada Band.
We stayed at LovanE Boutique Wine Estate and Guest House in Stellenbosch.
We loved the peaceful wine farm experience this small working wine estate had to offer.
LovanE is also conveniently located for exploring the Winelands and Cape Town.
And the views are spectacular!
The night we arrived, we went to dinner at Mont Marie in the heart of the Blaauwklippen Valley.
Be sure to go in time to watch the sunset over the Cape Winelands.
Right about then I heard the Western Cape whisper: Welcome back, Kristi!
Mont Marie was the perfect start to our trip.
The next morning, we drove to The Old Biscuit Mill in Cape Town.
Every Saturday, The Neighbourgoods Market hosts over 100 specialty traders at The Mill featuring local farmers, fine-food purveyors, organic merchants, bakers and distributors, grocers, mongers, butchers, artisan producers, celebrated local chefs, and micro enterprises.
The Old Biscuit Mill is also where you’ll find Chef Luke Dale-Roberts’ restaurant, The Pot Luck Club.
Read all about our lunch with them HERE. Every bite was paradise.
Dinner that night was at Asara in Stellenbosch.
We were originally going to keep it simple and go to their lounge, Sansibar, but the full moon rising over the lake encouraged us to sit outside at Raphael’s.
It was another wonderful evening in the Winelands — excellent food, wine, and atmosphere.
The next morning we woke up to a crystal clear blue-sky day perfect for exploring Table Mountain!
You can see all of those pictures and read about the best morning of our trip HERE.
Bo-Kaap, formerly known as the Malay Quarter, is at the foot of Signal Hill in Cape Town.
The township is known for its brightly colored houses and is worth driving through.
We were going to eat at Bo Kaap Kombuis Restaurant, but they were closed for an event that afternoon.
Instead, we went to the famous V&A Waterfront.
Quay Four had a crowd and a good sounding band, so we gave it a shot.
We ordered a couple of beers and a big pan of prawns:
Great choice!
We were heading back to our car when we heard some amazing sounds coming from Ferrymans Tavern, so we stopped in for a closer look.
That’s the day we met The Fancy Galada Band.
Lead vocalist Fancy Galada’s energy is infectious.
Even the bartenders were dancing!
We loved every second and ended up staying all afternoon.
The energy that day was everything I adore about South Africa.
One love. One heart.
Thank you, Fancy! I’m thrilled we found you, and I look forward to the day when we see you again.
The next day we drove to Franschhoek and ate lunch at Bread & Wine Restaurant at Môreson.
I loved their courtyard.
I also love that they offer food cooked on a Big Green Egg.
Thee Karoo Lamb is smoked on The Egg for 12 hours and the Bacon Wrapped Springbok was equally delicious.
Before heading back to Stellensosch, we picked up a few dinner supplies from their deli: meat, cheese, bread, and jams.
Sometimes a picnic dinner “at home” is exactly what you need when traveling.
The next day we went for a drive down the coast.
In 2011, we drove the Cape Peninsula making stops at Boulders Beach, Cape Point, and the Cape of Good Hope.
You can see all of those pictures HERE.
This time we drove all the way to Rooi-Els on the eastern shore of False Bay.
On our way back up the coast, we stopped at Bikini Beach and ate lunch at The Thirsty Oyster.
Such a perfectly peaceful day.
I told you about our best morning at Table Mountain, our best afternoon with the band Masala, so now for our best night of the trip:
Big Green Egg-Cademy with Bertus Basson at Hidden Valley Wine Estate in Stellenbosch.
SO MUCH FUN!
You can see all of those pictures HERE.
Please put South Africa and the Western Cape on your list of things to do.
It is one of our favorite countries, if not my all-time favorite.
I love it so much I could see myself living there.
Really!
Bye for now, Western Cape.
No doubt . . . I’ll see you again!
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For more on South Africa, click HERE.