For practical purposes, I’m limiting highlights to the Western and Eastern Cape.
It is that time of year when most people look forward to a well-earned end of year break and I reflect on 11 months of gallivanting around South Africa, savouring some of the best experiences this country has on offer. For practical purposes, I’m limiting highlights to the Western and Eastern Cape.
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Six pieces of heaven you just have to visit
The Robertson Small Hotel
I’m not a fan of large “family” hotels, much preferring the more intimate boutique variety, and an impromptu detour from Route 62 in the Cape Winelands led me to this country gem.
Built as a private home in 1909 during the region’s short-lived ostrich-farming boom and subsequently declared a national monument, The Robertson Small Hotel opened in 2011.
It underwent extensive refurbishment before being acquired two years ago by The Living Journey Collection, a portfolio of eight small luxury hotels within a two-hour drive from Cape Town.
While the facade of the house was scrupulously maintained, its interior – as well as those of the various outbuildings – were modernised and exquisitely redecorated.
Similar amounts of love and attention were lavished on the gardens and amenities. As anyone who has travelled through the Little Karoo – Robertson lies at its extreme western edge – will tell you, the place gets hellishly hot in summer.
I arrived just after midday when the mercury was hitting 34°C after riding a couple of hundred kilometres in biking leathers… desperate for a cold beer and a swim!
My first need was met even while checking in and I was delighted to discover a pool outside my room. I was thoroughly “chilled” when dinner rolled around. The Small Restaurant is intimate and stylish, boasting an impressive winelist and attentive staff.
More importantly, the food had me and fellow diners in raptures. www.thelivingjourneycollection.co.za
Stanford
Drive along the R43 from Hermanus to Gansbaai in the Western Cape and you’ll find verdant Stanford. A mere 140km from Cape Town, the town is emerging as a gastronomic getaway in a province that is already widely acknowledged as one of the culinary destinations of the world.
Apart from the dozen-odd restaurants, bistros and bakeries that line the main road, there are 11 wine estates, three breweries and distilleries, and two multiple award-winning cheese-makers.
My good lady and I booked into the Stanford Valley Country Lodge for a couple of nights – a bucket list destination for me for quite a few years – about 10km outside the village on the Akkedisberg Pass.
It features six cottages with kitchens and 10 en-suite rooms on a 440ha property crisscrossed with hiking and biking trails. www.stanfordvalley.co.za
Historic Pig and Whistle, Bathurst
With a slogan like “No thirst like Bathurst”, it’s no surprise this small settlement 13km up the R67 from Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape is jocularly referred to as “a drinking village with a farming problem”.
Bathurst is known for being home to the world’s biggest (manmade) pineapple and the legendary Pig and Whistle Inn.
“The Pig” is known throughout the Albany district for the quality and conviviality of its Sunday lunch, which can develop into a late-night hooley.
Rose-Mariè and I were glad we had to mount only a single flight of stairs to our room after waving our fellow life-celebrants off into the night.
The inn has been extensively renovated in the years it has been in the hands of Gavin and Lucille Came, and is exceptionally comfortable. www.pigandwhistle.co.za
Baviaanskloof adventure
I have undertaken dozens of roadtrips in the past year but the one that stands out is a three-day scramble through the Baviaanskloof wilderness area with Eric and Esti Stewart of Baviaans2Bay Adventures.
Three elements determine the depth of one’s Baviaanskloof experience: route, weather and choice of vehicle. The second and third essentially decide the first.
Although still winter and chilly, there was no serious rain forecast and, with the Stewarts driving a tricked-out Series 2 Land Rover Discovery and me piloting Isuzu’s new top-of-range m-UX 3.0 Onyx turbodiesel 4×4 sports utility vehicle, we were free to go anywhere there was a semblance of track.
Rose-Mariè in the passenger seat said she appreciated the views but I suspect she was eyeing the sheer mountainside drops that occurred mainly on her side. www.baviaans2bayadventures.co.za
Stellenbosch (a century of pinotage)
Who needs to travel when you live in Stellenbosch, right? Any readers heading to the City of Oaks over the next few months should make the effort to attend at least one of the Stellenbosch Street Soirees that take place on alternate Wednesdays in Dorp Street from 6pm-8pm.
The last one for 2025 takes place on 10 December but they resume on 14 January and continue till 25 March next year.
A R220 ticket gets you a branded glass and 10 tokens (you can buy more) to taste some fabulous wines. There’s music and street food.
If you can’t make the soirees, head to Beyerskloof for some award-winning pinotage, the uniquely South African red wine varietal that marked its centenary this year. www.wineroute.co.za
Portuguese food at Shanna’s (Gqeberha)
I’ve enjoyed fantastic food in 2025 but right at the top of the list were the prawns (and everything else) that emerged from Maria “Shanna” Carvalho’s kitchen in one of Gqeberha’s outlying residential suburbs.
The buzzing restaurant is open for dinner only and the menu includes familiar Portuguese dishes such as trinchado, espetada and peri-peri chicken but also offers “combos” and lesser-known specialties.
One of my favourites, feijoada – a bean stew with pork, beef, chicken and chourico served with rice – is rarely seen on menus in South Africa. The ribs are equally spectacular. Call 041-367-4560 to book.
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