Local - Inspired Living SA

Africa, Exploring the Cape, Local, Travel

Arabella Country Estate

During the last school break we decided to take a road trip up the coast towards Knysna, it has been quite a while since we ventured through the Overberg. We love the area so much and it has lots to offer the avid traveler! Beautiful beaches, breath taking mountain ranges, amazing accommodation and restaurants – not to forget the awesome wine estates!

One of our first stops on our road trip was Hermanus and we were fortunate to be invited to overnight at the stunning Arabella Country Estate. For those of you who have never been, the Arabella Country Estate, is one of Cape Town’s most luxurious golf estates. It boasts panoramic views of the Palmiet Mountain Range, and the tranquil Bot River Lagoon. It really is a piece of paradise!

A bit about the Estate:

The estate is approximately an hours drive from Cape Town and 28 km from Hermanus and 7 km from Kleinmond. It is the perfect retreat if you want to get out of the city buzz but don’t want to drive too far!

The golf estate property spans a total area of 113 hectares and has a 1.6 kilometre front, leading out onto the most breath taking lagoon. The property is located within the Transitional zone of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve and the adjacent Bot River Lagoon, which is a designated Buffer zone of the Biosphere Reserve.

Arabella Country Estate is comprised of 236 freehold lifestyle estate properties, which have been developed to conform with prescribed architectural guidelines. It would really be an amazing place to live, I absolutely adore the beautiful surroundings and love the thought of secure estate living! There is also a Curro Private School in Hermanus, so if you were thinking of relocating {me dreaming} it would be perfect!

The estate is all about tranquility and community living, if you love the outdoors then it is the perfect place for you. As well as an 18-hole golf course, the area boasts mountain bike tracks, hikes and not to forget the amazing wine farms.

Our Stay:

As well as having residential accommodation Arabella Estate boasts a 5 Star Hotel and Spa. The Arabella Hotel & Spa, forms part of the African Pride Hotels brand, a Superior-Deluxe range of hotels, lodges and country houses.

Our accommodation for the night was a gorgeous Suite, with pananoramic mountains and lagoon views plus a bathroom to die for! The highlight for my youngest daughter was a TV above the bath!

Although the weather was a bit miserable when we arrived, we would not let it deter our enjoyment. It did unfortunately mean, that we could not make use of the amazing pool area in the Estate, the water was just a tad too cold! 😉

After lunch my hubby and I enjoyed a tour of the Estate, while the girls enjoyed the luxury of our suite and a snacked on a few decadent nibbles delivered by the staff.

Next on the agenda, for me, was a much need Hot Stone Massage at the hotels spa – HEAVEN!!!

While I enjoyed my pampering my hubby and the girls played a round of mini golf, which they all thoroughly enjoyed.

After a wonderfully relaxing bath it was off to dinner. We decided to eat at the Jamani Restaurant in the hotel, which was a lovely end to a great day!

I would like to thank both Arabella Country Estate and the Arabella Hotel & Spa for great attention to detail and making our stay with them extremely comfortable.

If you would like to find out more about the estate please visit the Arabella Country Estate Website or if you would like to book hotel accommodation you can visit the African Pride Website.

Disclosure Ranking: 4

Cape Town Hotels, Cape Town Lifestyle, Child Friendly Travel, Exploring the Cape, Lifestyle, Local, Travel, Wine Farms

Spier Wine Farm and Hotel

I was recently invited to spend a family, fun-filled weekend at The Spier Wine Farm and Hotel , as part of the “Spier New Journey” campaign. We have visited Spier Wine Farm often for picnics and wine tasting but we have never stayed in the hotel before, so I really was keen to experience this for the first time.

Unfortunately in true Cape Town fashion the weather did not play along and we experienced one of the worst storms this winter but this did not stop us from enjoying our new adventure!

The Spier Hotel is situated on the historic Spier Wine Farm, in the heart of the Stellenbosch winelands. Village-style buildings, lush green lawns and spacious rooms, are some of the defining characteristics of the 4 star hotel.

155 rooms are clustered around six private courtyards, each with its own swimming pool. The design is reminiscent of the Bo-Kaap or Mediterranean villages where pedestrians have right of way.

Rolling lawns, gardens and walkways connect the rooms with the reception area, lounge, bar, terrace and restaurant. The décor features a sophisticated, vibrant style with strong colours, patterns and textures, and a collection of art that explores contemporary South African culture.

The hotel is a pioneer in responsible tourism and was one of the first in South Africa to be awarded the Fair Trade in Tourism SA accreditation in 2004. In 2011, Spier won the top award in the Doing It All category in the Condé Nast Traveler World Saver Award. The Spier Hotel has also recently won a Gold at the Virgin Holidays Partners in Sustainability Award.

After checking into the hotel we were whisked off in a hotel shuttle to enjoy some wine tasting – one of my favourite things to do! While the adults enjoyed quaffing a variety of the estate wines the kids were treated to a grape juice tasting. 🙂

Spier’s winery has won multiple awards in recent years, including Producer of the Year (Mundus Vini, Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2011).

We tasted wines from The Spier Creative Block blended wine range, which takes its name from a Spier Arts Academy project, which combines artworks from different artists and rearranges them to create something unique. The Creative Block wines are made with the same principal in mind. The Spier’s winemaking team select grapes from various vineyard blocks, which are blended to create wines, which are said to be “Wines greater than the sum of their parts.” My favourite wine was the Spier Creative Block 3: Shiraz, Mourvedre & Viognier – yum!

After wine tasting we enjoyed a leisurely lunch in Eight Restaurant, which was delicious! The restaurant offers a farm to table dining experience and the produce is either grown on the farm or sourced from nearby farms.

We could not the resist the decadent chocolate fondant, which was heavenly! It is definitely one of my favourite deserts and this one did not disappoint 🙂

If you are looking for a slightly more relaxed dining experience then Eight To Go Deli offers sumptuous gourmet picnics. We were unfortunately unable to enjoy a picnic outside on the Saturday afternoon because of the bad weather. {The photo below was taken on the Sunday, which was perfect picnicking weather!}

If its adventure you are looking for Spier offers Eagle encounters which is great for the kids, as well as Segway tours, which was definitely the highlight of our stay at Spier.

After a Segway master class we were whizzing around the vineyards at no time at all! It is a really fun way to explore the wine farm and see the sites. I think my hubby enjoyed the Segways even more than the kids and was attempting all sorts of death-defying moves! 🙂

The Hotel also has a kiddies playroom kitted out with games and activities for the little ones to enjoy in a safe environment. While you are out wine tasting, relaxing by the pool or enjoying lunch, you can have complete peace of mind that your children, ages 2-12 years, are in safe hands.This is a complimentary service for hotel guests and is not only a fun experience for kids but an educational one too.

If you are looking for relaxation and pampering then a visit to the Camelot Spa is a definite must!

We really enjoyed our Spier experience, the service was top-notch and nothing was too much trouble. Any issues that arose were dealt with speedily and professionally! We are planning to go back very soon, the girls are really keen to do the Segway tour again and the grownups are keen for a bit of spa pampering!

Thank you Spier for an amazing stay!

Africa, Child Friendly Travel, Exploring the Cape, FAR Photography, Local, Travel

Grootbos Exploring Klipgat Caves

Over the past few weeks, I have been sharing our family adventure at Grootbos Private Nature Reserve and all the enjoyable activities, you as a guest can enjoy as part of your package rate. Exploring Kilpgat Caves at De Kelders was my favourite out of all the activities, we experienced during our stay! [Read more…]

Africa, Child Friendly Travel, Exploring the Cape, Lifestyle, Local, Travel

Grootbos Exploring The Reserve

If you have been following my Grootbos posts, this is the second part of our family adventure. We arrived at Grootbos on a Friday afternoon and spent the day relaxing and unwinding. Our thought was to begin Exploring The Reserve the following day.

Grootbos Private Nature Reserve Family Adventure

Recently we were invited to visit Grootbos a stunning Private Nature Reserve, situated on the Whale Coast, in the Western Cape! I was so delighted to be asked and jumped at the opportunity. We love to travel as a family and welcome new experiences, and this sounded like the perfect place to explore.

Grootbos Private Nature Reserve

As I mentioned, Grootbos is situated on the Whale Coast, approximately 13km outside of Gansbaai in the Cape. The drive can take anywhere from 2 to 2½ hours from Cape Town, depending on the traffic. You can either travel over Sir Lowery’s Pass and through Hermanus or take the more scenic coastal road. We decided on the more direct route over Sir Lowery’s, ensuring we would not lose too much daylight, as we were super keen to begin our “family adventure”!

I will split our Grootbos Adventures into a few articles so as not to overwhelm you. My hope is to give you an in-depth look at Grootbos, through the eyes of a family!

In 1991 Grootbos won the heart of owner Michael Lutzeyer. Micheal could not resist the incredible view of Walker Bay, to the distant Cape of Good Hope. He saw great potential for the property. With the stunning natural surroundings, blossoms shining in their most brilliant colours, green fynbos bushes and old Milkwood trees, who could blame him. Here he found the inspiration to create a piece of paradise, now known as Grootbos Private Nature Reserve.

We were fortunate to meet Michael on our first night there! What a truly inspiring man who cares not only for his establishment but also for the community which surrounds it; we could all take a page from his book!

5 Star Luxury

As a family, we are indeed avid travellers. I may have mentioned before, although we love being in touch with nature, luxury is also an important factor. Camping is not my thing. I am more of a 5 Star kind of gal! Well lucky us, not only is Grootbos one of the most beautiful locations, surrounded by the essence of nature, but it also offers 5-star luxury! In saying that, the luxury is not cold and austere but rather warm and inviting.

The other important part of travelling, which can make or break your experience, is service and the staff of the establishment. If these factors are not up to par the luxury or surroundings are of little consequence, but I am happy to report that the service and the staff at Grootbos were excellent! From our first greeting to checking out, nothing was too much trouble, and always done with a friendly smile 🙂

Upon arrival at Grootbos, we were greeted by the front of house staff and offered a refreshing welcome drink. Next was a spot of lunch, not feeling super hungry, we snacked on delicious calamari and salad, which was perfect considering the balmy weather.

The Garden Lodge

The impressive main building, which houses the Garden Lodge’s Reception, Sitting Area, Bar and Restaurant, is the original Grootbos Lodge and has a distinctive African feel about it. The dark-wood furniture, cleverly contrasted by punches of colour, introduced by bold paint colour on the walls. The ethnic art pieces dotted around, create a feeling of understated luxury and warmth.

After our light lunch, we met with one of the Grootbos guides, Christoff, who explained the various activities which we could experience over the next two days. We decided not to do any activities on our first day but rather relax and take in the magnificent surroundings. The girls, who love horse riding, booked themselves a ride for the following day and we also booked the Social Responsibility Tour and exploring the natural caves at De Kelders. We wanted to cram as much into the time we had, to experience all that Grootbos has to offer!

Family Accommodation

Next, we were whisked off by Bernadette, to settle into our accommodation for the two-night stay. We wound our way along the lovely garden paths to find our suite.

The beautiful Garden Lodge, which we called home for our two-night stay, consists of 11 freestanding suites. The suites are nestled in the surrounding flora and boast spectacular views of Walker Bay. Our family suite was the perfect combination of luxury and comfort, with nuances of African flavour.

Our family suite had two bedrooms, one downstairs for the girls, and ours upstairs just off the living area, giving us the necessary privacy we like, without being too far from the girls. Both bedrooms had en suite bathrooms, ours with a bath and shower. The girl’s bathroom was more of a wet-room style. Off of our bedroom was a lovely private deck with loungers, as well as a four-seater table. The deck offered magical views overlooking the Fynbos, Walker Bay and De Kelders.

Grootbos Adventures

As I mentioned previously, I will be breaking up my Grootbos story into separate posts. This post is an overview of Grootbos and the accommodation, and in the upcoming posts, I will share a more detailed account of some of the activities, which you can expect to enjoy when you visit Grootbos.For more information or to make a booking at Grootbos, visit their website by clicking here.

Contact Details and Location

Contact via telephone – Reservations: +27 (0)28 384 8053 or email. Location: Gansbaai, South Africa, 7220

Disclosure

Our accommodation was sponsored by Grootbos for review purposes but this is not, however, a paid post, and all the opinions are my own.