Dash at the Queen Victoria Hotel
grape pinotage – a cross between pinot noir and hermitage found only in the Western Cape – and some of the best in New World wines. With so much on offer, wine-
lovers and foodies will find plenty to satisfy their appetites – so long as they know where to go.
Bunny chow
SAMPLE PRODUCT
Four nights’ B&B at the Cape Town Ritz Hotel starts at £649 with Travel 2 in May/June. The price includes transfers and flights, as well as a Cape Winelands tour visiting Paarl, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek.
travel2.com
Cox & Kings has an eight-night self-drive itinerary, From Cape to Grape, from £1,675. The price includes flights, car hire and four nights’ B&B each in Cape Town and Stellenbosch.
coxandkings.co.uk
Kirker Holidays offers a twin- centre featuring four nights at the Vineyard Hotel in Cape Town suburb Newlands and three at the Oude Werf Hotel in Stellenbosch. Prices start at £2,249, including flights, transfers and car hire.
kirkerholidays.com
l CAPE TOWN: ON THE TABLE Cosmopolitan Cape Town’s dining scene is as diverse as its population: from trendy local eateries serving South African fare, to the artful Japanese cuisine of Nobu at One&Only Cape Town, headed by Michelin-starred chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa. For a quick taster, its new Nobu Lite menu has platters starting at about £21 for four, served from 6pm-8pm. With great food goes great wine, and the monthly Wine&Dine evenings at Nobu and fellow One&Only restaurant Reuben’s will show guests the best of the region’s vineyards, with a five-course menu and specially selected wine pairings led
Reuben Riffel
by the hotel sommelier and chef. At Nobu, that’s the head chef (£50) or head sushi chef (£28), and at Reuben’s, it’s the Masterchef South Africa judge Reuben Riffel (£22). Top-notch food comes at surprisingly low prices elsewhere too. Hayes & Jarvis destination manager Nick Wilson says: “South Africa is outstanding value for money when it comes to eating out, and the quality is also fantastic. Dash at the Queen Victoria Hotel was recently voted the number-one restaurant in Cape Town. Think Michelin-starred quality for less than £40 a head.” Savour afternoon tea with a South African twist at Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel (from £15); munch on pan-African cuisine at touristy-but-tasty The Africa Café, a fun option for families; or try something new with creative tapas-style dishes and knockout city views at open-plan eatery The Pot Luck Club. It’s not all about restaurant dining, though. Cox & Kings’ private walking tour Cape Town Eats takes guests into the city’s backstreets to try bunny chow, bobotie pies made with spicy lamb mince, rose-flavoured milkshake falooda, and South African comfort food such as fried bread vetkoek or samp and beans. Need something sweet for dessert? Virgin Holidays’ product development executive, Caron Streeter, has a soft spot for the over-sized cupcakes at Charly’s Bakery: take a bus tour to the District Six museum, which focuses on the city’s apartheid history, and the bakery is nearby.
46 •
travelweekly.co.uk — 5 March 2015
l CAPE WINELANDS: RAISE A GLASS The Winelands are a short-trip staple from the city, but it seems a day is no longer enough. Gold Medal has reported a “healthy increase” in recent Winelands bookings, while Hayes & Jarvis is finding more demand for twin- centre stays than day trips. That allows more time to
explore the quaint colonial architecture of Franschhoek, Paarl or university town Stellenbosch; dine at the area’s upmarket bistros and vineyard restaurants; and enjoy the pace of life in its off- the-beaten-track boutiques. New Virgin Limited Edition hotel Mont Rochelle even involves guests in grape-picking if they visit during harvest time in February or March. Wine tastings and cooking classes are easily added for guests who like getting hands-on with local produce: Kirker Holidays’ concierge can arrange these, as well as flagging up any local markets or wine events. Rainbow Tours can organise cooking tuition at Le Quartier Francais in Franschhoek, a frequent winner of ‘best restaurant’ accolades. A self-drive is perhaps the easiest way to enjoy the region at your own pace. Cox & Kings’ From Cape to Grape stays in an early-20th-century manor house in Stellenbosch, so clients can explore independently or take a full-day wine-tasting tour of the local estates. One full-day option adds local chocolate and cheese-tasting to the wine experience, for the ultimate indulgence. But if clients want guidance throughout, choose an escorted
PICTURES: SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM
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