WHERE TO NEXT?

Good morning traveler,

I am happily home from South Africa. Two weeks away is a long time (especially when it’s closely following a previous 2 weeks away). 

But it was so worth it! 

South Africa is amazing! Yes, there are incredible safari experiences. Yes, you are close enough to hop over to Mozambique, the Seychelles or Madagascar. But even more convenient are Cape Town and the Winelands. I love contrasts and to be able to have such varied experiences in one trip makes for a very special trip. 

As I wrote the details below, I thought about editing it to be shorter. But all of the experiences I've had you can have on your trip to South Africa, so I kept them in. I hope some of these inspire your next adventure!

Since last Wednesday, we were in the Winelands and Cape Town. Both destinations to put on your list! The Winelands are made up of three towns - Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl. I loved walking around quaint Franschhoeck. It is here we visited a boutique that one of the safari lodge managers told us about. I think every one of us bought a dress there. Franschhoeck also happens to be where Richard Branson’s winery, Mont Rochelle, is. Visiting his winery is just one of many reasons I’ll be back to visit. 

A few other highlights:

Dinner with Christo Brand, the prison guard for Nelson Mandela

We had dinner at the Bailey, a glamorous Cape Town restaurant, where the delicious food was outshone by our dinner guest. Christo Brand, the prison guard for Nelson Mandela, who became his friend, continuing their relationship once Mandela was out of prison. His stories and the secrets he kept are fascinating. His book is about to be re-released with additional details. He sent us each home with a copy. I can’t wait to dive into both that and Long Walk to Freedom. If you plan a trip to South Africa, I suggest reading both before you come. I also suggest you meet with Christo, whether over coffee, dinner or even with an excursion to Robben Island to see the prison first hand through his eyes.

Watching the World Cup with a group of internationals

I've watched the World Cup outside the US on several occasions and it's always fun. Fun to be with a mix of people from all over the world. On this occasion it was in one of my favorite rooms at the Belmond Mount Nelson - the Tavern.

Learning to cook in Bo Kaap

Bo Kaap is a very colorful neighborhood of Cape Town. It was exclusively for colored Muslims during the Colonial and Apartheid times. Today that group still makes up most of the residents. We had a lovely cooking class making roti, somosas and sambal. They were delicious and will be showing up on my family's dinner table.

Wine tastings

We spent a full day experiencing the best of South African wines, paired with delicious foods and chocolate. It’s quite obvious that wine is front and center in this area. We tasted reds, whites and MCC (their version of Champagne), we ate local foods and we learned about unique experiences to have in this area. 

It was 90+ degrees and you can see how my chocolate was melting. It was delicious!

For the ultimate splurge you can do wine tastings via helicopter. At one winery, upon landing in your heli, you are picked up in a Land Rover and driven to a private area of the estate for a romantic wine tasting and picnic. If you are looking to impress someone I think this will do it. And there are many more low key ways to go wine tasting - by bicycle (yes they will pick you up after the first couple of stops if needed) or by a retro train.  

Site visits & the Amazing Race

We did so many site visits on this trip, including many safari lodges, boutique hotels in the Winelands and the best hotels in Joburg and Cape Town - the two main cities you would normally fly into. Joburg has the Peech Hotel, Fairlawns and the Saxon (on the surface the last two appear similar but they are very different). Cape Town has even more options. We stayed at Belmond Mount Nelson, which I loved for a resort like setting in the middle of the city. We also visited three of Liz Biden’s properties, the newly opened Waterside Lodge (safari), La Residence (Franschhoeck) and the SILO Cape Town (Top photo above. Imagine waking up to that view!?). I am absolutely in love with her unique and well curated style. These three properties are so beautiful, and so different. 

Your bathtub at the Silo

In Cape Town we were slated to do five site visits, which is a lot in one day. But my partner in South Africa made it fun and memorable for us. He organized an Amazing Race style competition with us in teams on side cars racing about town. It was a blast! My teammate, Tate, and I came in second. We did have a shot at first, but as we were zooming down the coastal highway and our driver asked if we wanted to see a particularly scenic neighborhood called Bakoven that jutted out in the sea, we opted for that. It was worth it! 

Hiking Table Mountain

As I had a 9p flight out on Saturday, we had the day free to explore. First on my list - hiking up Table Mountain. An important item to note about hiking Table Mountain is it is very weather dependent. Ideally I wanted to hike up the Platteklip Gorge trail and take the cable car down. But it was not to be. Although it was a spectacular day, it was windy and the cable car was closed. Luckily there was a plan B. A more moderate (but also challenging) hike to half way up the mountain. Still spectacular views and good exercise. 

Check out the elevation!

I could fill up the weekly Highlight for months, just with places in Cape Town and the Winelands. Accordingly below you will see my absolute favorite cafe in Cape Town that we went to after our Table Mountain hike. I’ll sprinkle in other favorites over the coming months. 

If you haven’t been to Cape Town, you absolutely should have it on your list. If Cape Town was less than 19+ hours of flying from Boston, I would hop over for a long weekend or a full week as often as possible. The combination of incredible dining options, wineries, beaches, shopping, cool neighborhoods, active adventures and many ways to luxuriate, make it an ideal destination.  I've had two friends who each lived in Cape Town with their families and they've been telling me for years how amazing it is. I 100% agree!

I will be back to Cape Town. I hope sooner rather than later. And here are just a few of my reasons why:

• hiking to the top of Table Mountain up the Platteklip Gorge trail and taking the tram down
• doing an Amazing Race adventure around town with my kids
• having my family meet Christo Brand to hear his stories of Mandela and that time in South Africa’s history
• mountain biking the lower slopes of Table Mountain and in Paarl
• visiting the penguins on the peninsula, while enjoying more hiking and a picnic
• reserving a tee time for Jason at Jack Nicklaus designed, Pearl Valley Golf course 
• hiking up Lion’s Head with locals on a full moon
• paragliding off of Signal Hill
• enjoying a flat white and spending hours reading in Truth
• staying at Birkenhead House in Aug/Sep during the peak of whale season
• staying at the SILO (and likely putting my college kids at a cool hostel in town)
• SUPing the inner waterways around the V&A waterfront
• dining at La Colombe, the Pot Luck Club and the Table at de Meye
• picnic-ing in Babylonstoren 
• wine tasting at Mount Rochelle
• going cage diving with great white sharks

I hope you are enjoying the holiday season. I wish you all cozy days and fun adventures with your families!

Warmly,