Travel Inspired Living SA

Inspired Living SA Travel Blog brings you great travel adventures from South Africa, as well as International destinations. You will find out more about the fantastic travel opportunities within the Western Cape and the greater South Africa. Read articles featuring the amazing places I have travelled, as well as what is on my Travel Bucket List.

Exploring the Cape, Lifestyle, Wine Farms

Beau Joubert Wine Estate

I was recently invited to spend a Stomp and Sip Day at Beau Joubert Wine Estate, in Stellenbosch, Cape Town. We were advised to bring our swimming gear along – as we would be “swimming” in grapes! I must admit I was a tad nervous of what we actually be doing but we were promised a fun day in the vineyards!

First a bit of history:

Beau Joubert wine farm, in the renowned Stellenbosch Wine Region, dates back to 1695. Governor Simon van der Stel originally granted the land then known as Veelverjaagt, to Coenraed Visser. A century later, in 1795, the farm was bought by a French Huguenot descendant, Dirk Daniel Joubert, who divided it between his two sons. One of them retained the Veelverjaagt name while the other named his portion La Provence, to honour the birthplace of his forefathers. Five Joubert generations have since placed their unique stamp on this mountainous 80-hectare estate.

An exciting new era dawned at the turn of the millennium when a group of families from Wisconsin, USA fell in love with the grandeur of the Cape.This led to a vibrant American-South African joint venture and a change of name for the farm. The name BEAU JOUBERT combines the French for ‘beautiful’ with the name of the family who originally put the farm on the wine map. Adding to the sense of history is the fact that the dwellings built in the 1700s as well the splendid historic manor house built in the late 18th century still grace the estate.

Stomp and Sip Day:

The day began with grape picking, which we actually missed as we arrived a bit late but we did get to see the grapes being loaded up and transported back to the cellar for sorting.

After grape picking we wandered back down to the cellar to get ready and change into our swimwear, for some grape stomping! As we were advised not to take any cameras or cell phones near the grape tanks, will have to take my word on this one! You could choose from three levels of submergence – being a complete scaredy cat, I opted for the 1st tank, which on reached waist height! There was quite a bit of hysteria and grape throwing which ensued, it was as promised lots of fun and definitely a memorable experience!

Once we had rinsed off and removed grapes from places they should not be, we were treated to a tasting of the first ever bubbly produced by Beau Joubert. The bubbly is still in its infancy stage and is yet to be named. I was rather impressed with the flavour of the bubbly, even in its young state and cannot wait to taste it, once it has been released to the public.

After tasting a few more young wines we were treated to a lovely alfresco lunch.

During lunch we had the opportunity to taste a few of the estates red wines – the highlight for me was definitely the Beau Joubert Shiraz. I liked it so much, I bought a few bottles to take home 🙂

A wonderful day was rounded off with a delicious apple desert and cream, paired with the Beau Joubert Fat Pig Port.

Thank you to Beau Joubert for an awesome experience! What a lovely day, spent with great people, in an stunning setting, eating and drinking delicious wine!

For more information on the farm and their wines please visit the Beau Joubert Website.

Africa, Cape Town Hotels, Exploring the Cape, Lifestyle, Romantic Getaways, Travel

{ Travel } Southern Sun Cullinan Hotel

I was recently invited to spend an afternoon at the Southern Sun Cullinan hotel , which is just outside the V&A Waterfront, in Cape Town. My excitement for the day was twofold, not only was I eventually getting to meet Twitter friend Jodene Shaer, aka @Jodenecoza, for the first time but there was also the treat of a tour, of the Southern Sun {SS} Cullinan Hotel.

For those of you who have not visited the SS Cullinan before, it is a truly grandiose hotel, situated in the heart of the Cape Town CBD. It is part of the award-winning, Tsogo Sun, hotel group – well known for world-class luxury.The SS Cullinan is perfectly situated and a stones throw away from many Cape Town attractions, as well as the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town International Convention Centre and Long Street.

To start off our tour we were treated to a show of Sabrage by the hotel Sommelier. Sabrage, for those of you who do not know, is a rather impressive technique, of opening a Champagne bottle with a saber! This technique is usually used for ceremonial occasions. The force of the blunt side of the blade hitting the lip of the bottle neck, breaks the glass to separate the collar from the neck of the bottle. I have seen it done before but I must admit it impresses every time!

We were then treated to a selection of sushi and oysters, served outside in the stunning pool area – what a treat for a Tuesday afternoon! After merrily munching on these decadent treats and sipping heavenly Graham Beck bubbles{my favourite}, we were then whisked off for a behind the scenes tour of the hotel.

Our first stop was a peek into the Laundry area, which services the entire hotel. What a hive of activity – I must admit the sheer amount of laundry scared me! I will never complain about doing laundry again! The majority of local hotels, out source their laundry, having an in-house laundry is something rather unique to the SS Cullinan.

Next on the agenda was a Masterchef style, “team building” exercise! This is something, which the hotel offers to companies, as part of a corporate event. As our challenge we had to whisk egg whites, by hand, to stiff peaks and when we felt confident, hold the bowl over our head, to test our skill! Needless to say there was much hilarity, dotted with the expletive, while we all whisked our arms off! I am proud to say I won the speed test – I am not sure how, seen as whipping meringue is not my strongest suit!

Our next stop was a visit to one of the hotels suites and catch a glimpse of the luxury, which guests can expect, when they stay at the SS Cullinan. The suite was indeed 4 Star luxury at its best!

The bed was beautifully adorned with red rose petals in the shape of a heart and the bath was also filled with rose petals – so romantic! Not to mention the bubbly chilling in the bathroom – I wished I could have stayed the night!

Suites at the SS Cullinan include a butler station with tea and coffee-making facilities, a fully stocked mini-bar, television with DStv, a digital safe, complimentary WiFi, as well as a complimentary bath and pillow menu and a butler service.

The last stop on our tour was the hotel bar area, where the staff had a surprise in store for us. All we were told, was it would be like taking a step back in time 🙂 We were so curious to find out exactly what lay in store.

The surprise did not disappoint! They had created a Secret Treats experience for us – you really were transported back in time – just like a kid in a candy store! 🙂

It is truly evident that nothing at the hotel is too much trouble! The staff are prepared to go the extra mile and create a memorable experience for their guests. No detail is too small or insignificant! if you are thinking of travelling to Cape Town and in need of a hotel, I would highly recommend you try the SS Cullinan Hotel!

Thank you to both Jodene and the SS Cullinan, for a memorable and fun-filled afternoon!

For more information on the SS Cullinan and online booking visit the Tsogo Sun Website.

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, Lifestyle, Travel, Travel

The Easiest Way to Support Conservation in Africa

We’ve all done it. We go on a road trip, take loads of great photos and then never post them anywhere. They’re simply memories lying in a random folder on your PC collecting digital dust.

I was recently inspired after reading an African safari blog interview with Heinrich van den Berg, to never let this happen again. Heinrich is an award-winning photographer who fell in love with Africa and photography, and realised that through his photography he was able to get others to appreciate the places he’d photographed. A brilliant contribution to conservation efforts! This got me thinking… if Heinrich can do it, so can everyone else.

When we’re able to trigger appreciation within someone, that person automatically shows a new-found respect to the subject of appreciation. See where I’m going with this? If we can get others to fall in love with the places we go and things we see, then their new-found respect for these things could create massive change in the status of conservation of everything from natural areas to cultural groups.

The great thing about this is that you don’t even have to be a professional photographer nowadays to take a stunning photo – often the things we see, do all the hard work.

Above: Divundu – Namibia. That’s not Photoshop – that’s all Africa.

In the interview with Van den Berg he said, “I want to show the beauty that is out there. Then if people are aware of this beauty, they may think twice before destroying it.” The message? Be part of the solution. Share your photographs and experiences wherever you can – you never know who you may be inspiring to appreciate something new.

International, Lifestyle, Travel

Thailand Travel Koh Nang Yuan

This week we travel to Koh Nang Yuan in Thailand, as part of my Thailand Travel Series. We visited Koh Nang Yuan on a day trip, via speedboat, from Koh Samui. We also visited Koh Tao, which was also fantastic for snorkelling. [Read more…]