Jo, Chania, Sophie, Kim and\u00a0Julie met me at Heathrow on a sunny afternoon in March.\u00a0 Check-in went smoothly and everyone was really grateful that Gary Kershaw the new SAA London Manager had arranged lounge access for us.\u00a0 SAA now use the Star Alliance lounge at Heathrow Terminal 1, which is conveniently situated on the ground floor, near all the shops.<\/p>\n
The flight was quite full, but being a new aircraft, with comfortable seats and good inflight entertainment, the flight went relatively quickly.\u00a0 I must say I was impressed by the service and the food and was proud to overhear some of the girls comment that SAA was much better than they imagined it would be.<\/p>\n
On arrival into Cape Town, we drove to Steenberg, an easy drive through the leafy suburbs of Newlands and Constantia.\u00a0 Time for a shower, before lunch at Bistro Sixteen82 – the first of many incredible meals.\u00a0 We sipped Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc and enjoyed the lovely setting, while trying some of the delights and then afterwards sampled a few more wines, while being told the story of Catharina, the original owner of the farm.<\/p>\n
The attention to detail, the beautiful rooms and the calibre of the staff make Steenberg stand head and shoulders above most other properties in Cape Town.<\/p>\n
After a hotel inspection, we had a little free time, before meeting up for a ‘bubbly’ tasting at Gorgeous by Graham Beck.\u00a0 South African winemakers are not allowed to use the French word for bubbly, so they use the term MCC \u2013 Methode Cap Classique – made the same way as the French stuff, just a different name – and just as good (if not better)!<\/p>\n
Dinner at Catharina\u2019s was a sumptuous delight.<\/p>\n
We left Steenberg after a lovely breakfast and drove to Franschhoek and the awe inspiring setting of Mont Rochelle.<\/p>\n
The meal at Mange Tout was amazing.\u00a0 We had some incredible food on this trip, but this meal was probably the most memorable \u2013 especially the Chocolate Fondant!<\/p>\n
The wine tasting was very professionally done \u2013 great being able to go into the cellar and get the royal treatment.\u00a0 The wines went down well too.<\/p>\n
After a nail biting drive to Cape Town Airport (we had not considered the traffic on Friday afternoon), we boarded our plane for George.<\/p>\n
The Manor House at Fancourt is amazing \u2013 the suites literally take your breath away \u2013 more space than most people have in their own homes in the UK.\u00a0 Another lovely welcome, this time with bubbly and canap\u00e9s \u2013 the gorgeous food is starting to get to me \u2026 I have to decline (sadly).<\/p>\n
Dinner that evening is Italian style, at La Cantina.\u00a0 A lovely relaxed atmosphere and more great food.<\/p>\n
After breakfast, we got everyone on-board the extra-large golf cart for our inspection of the Fancourt estate \u2013 we only saw a very small bit of the 613 hectares \u2013 but got the idea of how big Fancourt is from the model in the main hotel reception area.<\/p>\n
Fancourt has gone through an amazing transformation over the last couple of years and the final phase will include a complete refurb of the Kids Club in April.<\/p>\n
The rest of Saturday was spent in Oudtshoorn visiting the Cango Caves and Safari Ostrich Show Farm \u2013 some of the must do\u2019s when you are on the Garden Route.<\/p>\n
We returned to Fancourt in time for yet another incredible meal, this time at Henry White\u2019s.\u00a0 Henry Fancourt White was the original owner of Fancourt and this restaurant is one of the new improvements at Fancourt.<\/p>\n
The story of the Knysna elephants has always intrigued me.\u00a0 These beautiful creatures have almost been wiped out in the forest near Knysna and much has been done to try and save them.\u00a0 The Knysna Elephant Park was established to try and help elephants that have been badly treated and need rescuing in various parts of southern Africa.\u00a0 It was an incredible experience and the group left, feeling that they wanted to donate something to this project.\u00a0 Glad we had the opportunity to be taken around by Greg; his passion for the elephants is amazing.<\/p>\n
The yacht experience on the Knysna Lagoon was fantastic. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery, while sampling some Knysna oysters \u2013 more food!<\/p>\n
A South African Braai (BBQ) was the final dinner \u2013 sadly the weather did not play ball, so we had to move indoors \u2013 but being Fancourt this meant moving into the Presidential Suite and more VIP treatment!<\/p>\n
The final morning was spent trying out the spa, the treatments are world-class!<\/p>\n
The final meal was at Morning Glory, some of the best sushi I have tasted! \u00a0It was so lovely sitting out on the patio looking over the golf course.<\/p>\n
What an amazing trip \u2013 I have never been so spoilt!\u00a0 Next time \u2013 we must allow for more activity \u2013 bike-ride maybe – something to burn off those calories?!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The meal at Mange Tout was amazing. We had some incredible food on this trip, but this meal was probably the most memorable \u2013 especially the Chocolate Fondant!<\/p>\n