Category: Adventures

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Platbos Farm – Gaansbaai (2020)

Tree in front our suite at sunrise.

My sister and I had initially booked this weekend for May 2020, but that didn’t happen due to the lock down. We rescheduled for August 2020 and landed up having an awesome weekend at Platbos Farm, just outside of Gaansbaai.

Platbos Farm is an eco friendly farm, which means it is completely off the grid i.e. no electricity. We selected the Bush Buck Suite, as it had a flushing toilet. Some of the sites have more environmentally friendly composting toilets.

Bush Buck Suite Platbos Farm Gaansbaai
Bush Buck Suite

The drive from the Southern Suburbs took us approximately 4 hours along the coastal road. This included a lunch in Hermanus. Platbos Farm is a self catering venue so we traveled with all the groceries we would need. This in turn turned out to be more than we needed.

We arrived at 2pm and were pleasantly surprised at the … Read the rest

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Houw Hoek Inn – Grabouw

houw hoek inn grabouw accommodation

I dragged my husband off for a night away at Houw Hoek Inn, situated in Grabouw.

The Houw Hoek Inn, built in 1779, is the oldest licensed hotel in South Africa. There is a mixing of old and new which has been done sympathetically and stepping through the door means stepping back in history.

Arriving at 2pm on Saturday, we had some delicious lunch. From now on, when we drive past, we will be stopping for lunch. After raving about lunch, we had a walk around the grounds. Again, this is a good mixture of old and new with old trees and manicured lawns.

We had booked for the Saturday Night Dinner and Dance, which is like a religion for the returning guests. Dinner consists of three courses, two served at your table and a buffet dessert. The dance starts at roughly 7:30pm and continues until about midnight.

Afterwards … Read the rest

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Glamping – Smitswinkel Bay

For the long weekend in September, I had booked us in for a weekend at the SAN Parks camping area at Smitswinkel Bay. A glamping weekend.

I had made the booking in February via Cape Point Route as there was a discount special that was running.

We arrived on the Friday evening just before 5pm as the gates would be locked afterwards. In total there are 6 tents available and a communal boma which includes a kitchen and braai area. The allocation of the tents was on a first come first pick basis and we picked last. Our tent was closest to the boma.

Unfortunately over this weekend another family had taken the last remaining tents for a 50th birthday celebration. So we were rather the third wheel on the campsite and felt uncomfortable at times to make use of the communal areas.

Our glamping style tent.

The weather was … Read the rest

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Waterfall Lodge – Chaminox – Franschhoek

Waterfall Lodge Chaminox Franschhoek

We headed out to Franschhoek for the long weekend. Really looking forward to staying for two nights in the Waterfall Lodge on Chaminox Wine Farm just before Franschhoek proper.

Regrettably, not a pug friendly venue so their Gran spoiled them something terrible in our absence.

The Waterfall Lodge is in a gully on the mountainside of the Chaminox Wine Farm. To drive the cobbled, one lane road over streams and up the steep incline was nerve wracking.

After arriving at our Waterfall Lodge, we then stood in awe at the sight of our very own waterfall. There are no other lodges / people nearby and the waterfall was ours. The sound of constant roaring water permeated every moment of our stay. The lodge was round and made from stone, and in many ways reminded me of a smurf home.

With our very own waterfall came something we hadn’t anticipated, the … Read the rest

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Duck Pond Cottage – Klondyke – Ceres

Duck pond Cottage Klondyke Cherry Farm Ceres

Travelling on a Friday afternoon with two excitable pugs, we arrived on a Friday night at Klondyke Cherry Farm just outside Ceres and settled in for our three nights of country living in the Duck Pond Cottage. There was unfortunately no snow on the surrounding mountains.

Duck Pond Cottage is perfect for us and the pugs. An old renovated labourer’s cottage with an indoor fire for the cold evenings, and cute kitchen which make everything cozy. The electric blanket and oil heater was a welcome sight what with the cold nip in the air.

Our pugs claimed the farm and surrounding land as their own and ensured that everyone knew they had arrived. At first the sights and smells were overwhelming for the pugs, but they soon settled in and took advantage of the open space to run and play. They actually did more of a trot than a run … Read the rest