1. I love Bilene because it’s situated on a lagoon with no waves or strong currents. Perfect for little kids & water sports. The water is that gorgeous translucent turquoise, blue & green like you see in postcards. The water is shallow and refreshing and warm. 2. We booked & […]
Travel
Francois and I have a cute & cheerful house in Stanford that we rent out as a little guesthouse. We have spent years renovating, decorating and loving this house. Sometimes we have friends or family who stay at the house, so I thought I’d do a little post on *everything* […]
I haven’t even written about our wedding, and here I am writing about our honeymoon. I think I’m saving that post for our 1-year anniversary which is closer than I even realised. I lost my phone a few weeks ago, and with it a whole bunch of images. It’s sort […]
Probably one of the biggest requests I get both personally and on social media is from people asking for recommendations on where to go for a weekend away. Francois and I are very lucky that we get to travel a lot. We both work in tourism and have friends, clients […]
I’ve received dozens of messages from friends asking for travel advice. Everyone wants that first-hand recommendation on places to stay and things to do in certain towns. I’m exactly the same, which is how I’ve discovered so many incredible places. I’m lucky that both Francois and I work in tourism […]
Francois and I love to break away for weekends. We both work in tourism and hospitality and really treasure exploring new towns together. I’m going to start sharing these mini holidays on my blog because I get so many requests for recommendations and I want you guys to know about […]
A few months ago, I got an “Experience Days” voucher to try out. They’re a company that lets you buy experiences for people, – instead of presents. I happen to be big on this; I would much rather buy someone art lessons, a weekend away, bungee jumping etc instead of […]
Last weekend I went on The Forgotten Route tour, which is a 2 day excursion in to the Karoo. The itinerary look something like this: Starting point: Cape Town Tourism Office in Cape Town CBD. You arrive and quickly put your luggage into the tour bus’ vehicle. I don’t want […]
I’ve been to the Knysna Oyster Festival a few times and it never disappoints. I’ve been for leisure, pleasure, work and fitness. From exploring the nightlife and jumping off bridges to running a half marathon, it’s always been some kind of adventure. BUT, I’ve never gone as a family. For […]
On 1 January this year, I got on a plane and flew from Cape Town > Johannesburg > Sydney and then Sydney > Melbourne. I’m so glad that I got to spend just over 24 hours in Sydney because it is breathtakingly beautiful. Really, I had no idea. I spent […]
I recently stayed at the very charming Vine Guest House in Stellenbosch. Actually, it was my second visit. It’s a gorgeous little gem nestled in the heart of the winelands with pretty views, lush gardens and luxurious finishes. The first thing you’ll notice is how neat, clean and tidy it is. […]
I haven’t done a food post in such a long time, so I thought I’d share this with you guys. I’ve been doing a lot of eating at Col’Cacchio lately. We ate at the Cavendish branch the week before last and last week we went back to take aways. I’m trying to […]
We’re planning our December holiday and I’m sure that you are too. Over the years I’ve become quite the bag-packing expert. I wanted to share some of my essential (and also favourite) items that need to be in your family beach bag this festive season, as well as some beach […]
Gillette Venus has launched their new razor, the Venus Snap. It’s aimed at women-on-the-go, nestled in a cute little case that makes it safe to store in beach bags, your gym kit or handbag. In all honesty, there have been moments at the beach or at gym when I’ve needed a […]
We did some exploring in the Stellenbosch Wine Route last weekend! My mom moved closer to the area this week, which means that we’ll be spending so much more time in Stellies now. Obviously I’ve already started booking a few things for us to do. I wanted to tell you […]
Paris was an important milestone for me. At school, Art History was the only subject that really resonated with me. I loved the Impressionists; especially Degas. I developed callouses on my right hand from writing so many essays about their paintings and different movements and periods. Art history became my sanctuary. […]
A few people (mostly Graeme) have asked how I experienced traveling alone to Paris. You need to understand that as a mother, wife and business owner, my life is pretty packed full of commitments and responsibilities. Obviously so is Graeme’s! The thought of being completely alone if even for a […]
I wanted to write this while it’s all still fresh in my head. I’ve been in bed by 7:30 / 8pm every night because the days here are pretty tiring, physically. Emotionally. I’m guessing that I’m walking about 10 – 15km a day, maybe? Including like 10 flights of stairs […]
I’ve been in bed since 8pm going through my maps and notes for tomorrow, trying to remember and figure out all the little details. This morning I sat in my hotel room ’til 11am because I was literally too nervous to hit the streets. Navigating the metro and Paris in […]
We left rainy, cold Cape Town last week to visit Kwa Maritane in Pilanesberg. We flew out on Friday afternoon, our flesh covered in a mass of jackets, jerseys and scarves. As soon as we landed in Pilanesberg a wave of heat washed over us as we scrambled to offload […]
Exciting news! We’re flying to Gauteng next month to check out Kwa Maritane, a luxury bush lodge in the Pilanesberg National Park. We’ve never been on a family ‘bush break’ holiday, so I’m really excited to check it out. The boys have never been on a professional game drive either, […]
Two weeks ago, I booked and paid my flights to Paris. This week, I collected my visa! I’m putting a lot of effort in to the planning, and a lot of muscle behind the excitement. Things that I love in life include travel, research, organizing, making list and schedules. So […]
Last weekend we went to visit and spend two nights at the beautiful Cellars-Hohenhort. I’d heard so much about this beautiful hotel and estate, and it lived up to every expectation we had. The Cellars-Hohenort was originally established as a refreshment point for ships traversing the oceans to gather spice […]
In this Parenting Life, “July” means several things. School holidays. Flat panic. Winter = entertaining kids indoors. Extra expenses for nannies, camps, holiday care fees, additional extra murals, activities and all-round moaning from children nationwide. It also means a break from packing lunches and lifts (if kids aren’t in holiday […]
We recently went for supper at The Butcher Shop and Grill in Mouille Point, Cape Town’s favourite Steakhouse. Their Sandton branch has been going for over 20 years, and they only opened in Cape Town about a year ago and already the place is packed almost every night – even […]
When I was a kid, our family had our favourite holiday spots. We traveled a LOT as kids. My parents were / are huge outdoorsy adventurers. We went on holiday to so many places that I can’t even remember them all. We went camping throughout Mozambique for 3 weeks and […]
I was recently invited by the Mc Grath group to spend an evening in Matjiesfontein, at the Lord Milner Hotel. I LOVE the Karoo, so I was super excited to explore this little village, rich in history and heritage. Firstly, I thought that Matjiesfontein was a town, then they said […]
A few weekends ago, and after literally hundreds of recommendations over the years – we finally went to visit Spier. My mom is from Cape Town and says that she used to take us there as kids too. In fact, Spier was first established in 1692 and boasts the oldest […]
Over December we did a day drive from Empangeni to Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park. We needed to put in petrol a bit late, so ended up going past Mtubatuba and Hlabisa. By the time we got there, we had already seen 2 elephants, zebra and rhino along the side of the […]