Sept 2013 Travelled to South Africa on a wine tasting and safari trip with
friends. We arrived in Cape-town and spent 2 nights at Leeuwenvoet Guest
House which is within a 20 min walk to the warf. However, there are great
local restaurants around the corner ie. Miller’s Thumb and Nelson’s Eye. We
had a day tour of the Cape. due to I climate weather we were not able to go
to tabletop Mtn nor take a boat trip to see the seals. We did see lots of
penguins & baboons and had a lovely walk in the Kirstenbosch botanical
gardens. Next stop was LaFontaine Guesthouse in Franschhoek which was very
nice with beautiful suites that included Insuite fireplaces. The town is
small and geared for the tourist trade but seemed much nicer than
Stellenbosch. Plus, there are many wonderful restaurants within walking
distance ( we ate at Reuben’s and went back the next night for a repeat of
the dessert…..Malva pudding!). This is a great spot to explore the nearby
wineries of Paarl, Stellenbosch, and Franschhoek . Dave,our guide took us
to 4 very good wineries (favorite that day was Delheim, where we had a
lovely lunch). The next day was our “free”” day which we booked another
wine tour and again made it to 3 wineries, one included wine and cheese
pairing at Fairview and the Spice route included wine and
chocolate…..never had room for lunch. The views from here were fabulous.
Our non wine drinker found his muse in the car museum next to One of the
wineries. If planning it again think I would drive out here first, plan on
spending another day or two and skip Capetown till our return. Next we
travelled onto Grootbos Nature Reserve where we were spoiled by fabulous
food, spa treatments, and romantic private cottages (forest lodge)with
stunning views of the ocean and milkwood forest and finbos. All activities
were included in our stay and when the weather did not cooperate we were
given the option of visiting winery’s and wine tasting. Two nights were
not enough and would have loved to have extended here. The next morning we
were off early for our trip north to Thorny Bush Game reserve with
accommodations at Waterbuck Lodge where we spent 3 nights. This was a real
treat again as there were only 4 cabins and the camp was very intimate. The
manager and guide (Anita and Hannes) were great and not only did we see the
big 5 we did it on multiple drives and saw some once in a lifetime
events…lions roaring, leopards hunting…..the food here was more than
plentiful and the chef catered to any dietary need.
Our agent, Anna Lee worked with us for months and was very helpful in
getting all of our arrangements made. She chose perfect facilities. All of
our transfers were on time and had spacious vehicles that were very
comfortable. All of our guides were extremely knowledgeable and personable,
catering to everyone’s needs.
Word of caution for those with American Passports…when traveling to South
Africa one needs 3 blank VISA pages…the “endorsement ” pages at the back
of the passport do not count!
I would not hesitate to have African Travel Gateway plan my next trip, nor
would I have any hesitation in recommending them to others.
Thanks again for a great trip
Maureen