Inspired Travel - 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, Cape Town Lifestyle, Exploring the Cape, FAR Photography, Lifestyle, Proudly South African, Travel

Muizenberg Revisited

Muizenberg is a seaside suburb in Cape Town, South Africa, situated on the Cape Peninsula, on the east side of the False Bay coast. It is home to many examples of grand Victorian architecture, dating back to a time when the area was an exclusive seaside resort for the rich and famous. Muizenberg beach is one of the more popular swimming beaches in Cape Town and is considered to be the birthplace of surfing in South Africa.

This area comes alive during the summer season, with holiday-makers and novice surfers enjoying the calm, warmer water, which makes this stretch of coastline so popular.

There are a variety of surf shops, surf schools, restaurants, coffee shops and apartments located along the main beach pavilion – “Surfers Corner”. You have to visit Knead Bakery, when you are in Muizenberg and sample their scrumptious pastries, washed down with a glorious cappuccino!

As a teenager, my friends and I frequented Muizenberg Beach, catching a train from the Southern Suburbs along the coast. We spent many a day lazing in the sun, watching our friends surf and swimming in the sea. Visiting the area recently brought back many happy childhood memories! My eldest daughter is a keen boogie-boarder, so I can see “surf school” in her future!

Photography: Muizenberg images – ©Inspired Living, Painting – Communitree!

FAR Photography, Lifestyle, Local, Travel

The Overberg – Black Eagle Lodge

During the October school holidays we decided to do something a bit different for our family getaway – let’s just say we all like our creature comforts. So we did our version of getting in touch with nature and stayed at the eco-friendly Black Eagle Lodge. There is no electricity in the cottages but they have solar power for lighting and gas for heating water and cooking. I hate to sound like a sissy but camping is not my cup of tea and this is as close as we will probably get to roughing-it!

Black Eagle Lodge is situated off the N2, just before the town of Caledon, nestled in the Overberg Mountains. The drive, from Cape Town, takes you past the turn-off to Hermanus and Botriver, this area is beautiful and mostly farming country. The Overberg has always been one of our favourite places to holiday and spend time exploring. The area has great accommodation and an abundance of great restaurants and wine farms.

The Villa accommodation was luxurious but understated and with its stone-clad exterior blended well into its surroundings. The view from the Villa, was totally amazing, the landscape spreads like a tapestry, of colour, in front of you and all you can hear are the calls from the abundant bird-life in the area. It truly was a return to nature!

The working farm which surrounds you is magnificently kept and boasts wheat fields, flocks of sheep and herds of feisty looking cattle. All there is to do, is leave the city behind you and submerge yourself in the relaxed atmosphere and explore the natural world around you.

Activities on the farm include mountain biking, hiking, fly-fishing, hunting for lizards with the kids and spot the Black Eagles. The stars at night are breath-taking and we spent many a night sitting outside, next to a blazing fire, sipping good wine!

Although you feel like you are completely secluded from the hustle and bustle of city life, you are centrally positioned for fun day trips. We decided to venture out one day and take a trip to Hermanus. En-route to Hermanus, we took a trip through the Hemel-en Aarde valley. The Valley boasts some amazing wine farms – such as Hamilton Russell , Bouchard Finlayson and Whalehaven; a boutique vineyard – to name but a few.

Hermanus, is a beautiful sea side town which we love visiting and if you are lucky you may get to see a few whales when you are there. If you are planning a trip there, the end of September is a good time to go, they host the annual Whale festival then – which is a great deal of fun! It can get very busy during this time, so pre-booking accomodation is essential. There are great restaurants in the area as well – most of them, with a view of the sea. Another popular, rather quaint town to visit in the area is Greyton.

So if you are looking for a relaxing, reinvigorating break, then Black Eagle Lodge, in the Overberg is the place to go!

Images: ©FAR Photography

4 Things..., Cape Town, Lifestyle, Proudly South African

4 Things You Must Do When You Visit Cape Town:

Top Things to do in Cape Town

First and foremost you have to take a trip up Table Mountain, it is the most spectacularly beautiful view you will probably see in the city. Those looking for adventure can climb it but those less inclined can enjoy the splendour from the comfort of the Cableway. Either way be sure and pick a clear, non-windy day.

Cape Point is another one of our many amazing attractions, the views are out of this world and if you walk up to the top viewing point you can see almost the entire Western Cape. For those who are not as energetic (yes ok – lazy) there is a tram service, the “Flying Dutchman Funicular”, which you can take up to the Cape Point light house.

A visit to Kirstenbosch gardens is also a must, exploring our acclaimed National Botanical Gardens is a delightful way to spend a sunny afternoon. You can just wonder around the gardens and soak up nature or you can enjoy a meal in one of the restaurants in the gardens.

Last but certainly not least is a visit to the Cape Winelands, you can start in the Constantia Valley and travel as far as Paarl and Robertson but my favourite, as I have mentioned before, is definitely Franschhoek. You can venture out on your own or join one of the many wine tours on offer.

No matter what you choose to do, you will definitely have fun exploring our amazing city – The Mother City, Cape Town!

Travel, Travel Wishlist

What is at The Top of Your Travel Wishlist?

Seen as we have a rather big wedding anniversary coming up at the end of this year, 15 years to be exact and two 40^th Birthdays looming in the not too distant future – I feel that a special, romantic, holiday is definitely on the cards. Yes that means travel sans children!

My Travel Wishlist

As both my hubby and I really enjoy cooking, eating and wine tasting, the idea of a “foodie” holiday is rather appealing. During our search, for the perfect place, we came across a website that offers just this sort of thing. The site is called “Tasting Places”, they offer “food holidays”: mainly to areas in Italy but also to Spain, France and Thailand. They also offer “bespoke” holidays, which they will tailor to your needs.

Alpujarras

The specific tasting experience that caught our eye is in Mairena, Southern Spain: “Cooking with Sam Clark”. This holiday would afford us the opportunity of a unique holiday destination, as we have never been to Spain before, as well as rather different culinary experience. Your journey will take you to Mairena, a small local village set high up, in the remote location of the Alpujarras, the mountainous region which stretches south from the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Typical Local Village

The chef presenting this “Spanish Experience” is “Sam Clark”; he runs an award-winning restaurant in London, along with his wife Samantha. The restaurant is called “Moro” and is well known for its delicious, authentically Spanish food. “The Clarks”, a British couple, as newlyweds, spent time travelling through Spain and Morocco in a camper van. On this adventure they learnt as much as they could about the cuisine and tastes, in these areas. They then went on to open their highly acclaimed restaurant, Moro.

So what can we expect from this gastronomic experience? The website, “Tasting Places”, promises an “informal yet intensive exploration of inspirational cooking”, which sounds like exactly what we would enjoy. Combined with the beauty of the country setting, the promise of wine tasting and a demo of cheese making – what more could you ask for.

Some of the dishes you will learn how to prepare and taste are: CAZÓN EN ADOBO -marinated fried fish, REMOJÓN -orange & cod salad, TORTILLADE PATATAS -potato cake and ROSCOS -round aniseed fritters – it all sounds mouth-watering! Sam’s recipes are said to reflect his love of Spanish food, especially Alpujarran food but he is also known to draw on influences from North Africa. It sounds like an altogether inspiring and enlightening experience.

Well this is definitely at the top of my travel wishlist! Hopefully we will make it there soon and I can bring back tales and photographs of my travels.

For costs and more details on this and their other “foodie holidays”, have a look at the website: “Tasting Places.”