Incredible tour to South Africa and Mauritius – part 3
In my previous blogs I took you on a journey into the start of our tour to South Africa and Mauritius and the first one Cape Town City inspections. This blog is dedicated to TOP restaurants and the fantastic South African wine region: Franschhoek in Stellenbosch!
Lunch with an ocean view!
For lunch, we have two regular spots that we love visiting with groups, actually the two best restaurants in Camps Bay for lunch… First, we visited restaurant Bilboa. The location is perfect, with stunning views over the ocean! This restaurant has a capacity of 200 people, making it exceptionally well-suited for larger groups. The service and food are very good, and once again we were not disappointed.
We chose to review only a starter and then go to Mantra Café to move for a main course. Mantra is also a top restaurant with a stunning view over the ocean. Check! Fortunately, this restaurant passed our quality check once again.
To the top of Lion’s Head and the top of our taste buds!
For the rest of the afternoon we went on a lovely hike to the top of Lion’s Head. To work off all those dishes a bit, because in the evening we still had two top spots on our list, namely Nobu in the One & Only hotel. A restaurant that practically always lives up to expectations. And (for us) a new restaurant; The Hussar Grill in Camps Bay, known for the best steaks and chicken in town. As I'm writing this down, my mouth is watering all over again. We've added The Hussar Grill to our list of suppliers in any case. What an atmosphere, service and deeeeelicious food!
Time for wine!
Franschhoek
After three days in Cape Town, it was time to leave for Franschhoek the next day. Along the way, we were going to check out a few hotels, including the Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset. This stately hotel has charm, yet has remained authentic and is very suitable for (large) groups. After the warm welcome, we quickly saw that everything had been modernised. The rooms are beautiful with stylish decor and a lovely use of colour! In addition, the location is ideal as a base for exploring the wine regions of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek.
We ourselves stayed two nights in the beautiful La Clé Village before we flew on to tropical Mauritius. La Clé Village is a great place for smaller groups and consists of luxury villas located among the vineyards! A super location for a high-end getaway for your management team or board of directors.
On the programme were various restaurants from our list in Franschhoek and a number of wine tastings at, among others, Boschendal, La Motte, Babylonstoren and a hopefully new gem: Eikehof. In any case, we were once again struck by the hospitality in this region; everywhere, time seems to stand still to some extent. However, Corona has also dealt blows here and almost all the wineries have had (and are having) a very difficult time. That is why we ordered a few boxes of wine from each wine farm and had them shipped. All support is welcome in these areas.
Traditional braai
After tasting (and actually swallowing 😊) many wines at various farms, it was time to let our driver take us back to our villa. The evening was concluded with a private ‘braai’ at our villa; a barbecue, but South African style.
The table was already laid and upon arrival we immediately smelled that the braai had already been lit. The art of the braai is to light the fire about two hours in advance and then give it time to smoulder. No charcoal is used, but wood. Woods such as oak or ash are very suitable, but the best results are given by the African wood types; Sickle bush and Camel thorn. Our fire was a mix of both, the chef indicated. Nothing was on it yet, but it already smelled wonderful and it ultimately tasted de-li-cious. Also highly recommended for groups. Then multiple fires are lit and the spectacle of the traditional braai alone is a feast for the eyes.
That was how our five-day trip to South Africa came to a wonderful end. Not only had we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, but we had also been able to strengthen our business ties and add some new gems to our list of suppliers. The next day we had to get up early, as our flight to Johannesburg (our transfer location) and onwards to Mauritius was due to depart early.
Inside my next blog I'll take you along in the business class of Southern Airlines and Air Mauritius, and of course I'll tell you more about that tropical gem in the Indian Ocean: Mauritius!