A courtyard fountain seen through an archway in South Africa's Waterford Wine Estate.

The journal: Stays & Dining

Stays & Dining12 September 2024
Outstanding Uitsig: An Unforgettable Weekend in a Cederberg Cottage
It was with a heavy heart that I said, "I need this." It came after two deep losses in less than a week. The first was my uncle, Nic Wolpe, who died on 24 August 2024 following a battle with stage four brain cancer. The second was on 30 August when The first horse I ever bonded with was put down. I didn't get to say goodbye to either. Nic's funeral was set for 5 September, the day before we were…
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Stays & Dining16 April 2024
Rapt: Cape Town's Candyland
When My Sugar closed its doors in late 2022, it left a gaping whole in Cape Town's sweet scene. Where else could you go to get your fun, funky, and flavourful choccie-filled fix? Thankfully, one half of the visionaries behind My Sugar, Kaylah Greenberg, still had some deliciously sweet magic in her and partnered with What Food group, the masterminds behind Truth Coffee. Together, they opened Rapt…
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Stays & Dining2 July 2023
Paul Patisserie: Perfect Plates and Pastries
Welcome to Paul's, your new best friend on the Waterfront block. I spent the better part of a year eagerly anticipating the arrival of Paul Patisserie, a French bakery and restaurant that originated in Croix, France and was well known in Johannesburg. I'd first been told about it over a year ago, and started hearing from others about how authentic and delicious the food was. One person described…
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Stays & Dining8 February 2023
Vergelegen Wine Estate: A Guide to its Grounds and Gardens
Vergelegen is an estate worthy of several visits. Its expansive grounds and gardens – there are 17 in total – could be covered within a day but to fully explore, and more importantly, to fully appreciate all that this esteemed estate has to offer, a few visits are in order. I ventured to the estate for the first time on a balmy summer day at the start of February 2023. Driving down the impressive…
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Destinations18 December 2022
A Kruger Adventure: 24 hours at Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp
Our last full day in the Kruger, we arose early, packed the car once more and said goodbye to Satara Rest Camp shortly after the gates opened. We were heading south, to Berg-en-Dal, one of the park's newer rest camps. We'd planned out the route the night before, deciding to stop at Tshokwane picnic spot, Sukusa and Afsaal Trader's Rest - another picnic spot. Depending on how our timing went, we'd…
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Destinations17 December 2022
A Kruger Adventure: Satara Rest Camp
We drove through Orpen gate and into the Kruger at lunchtime, our eyes immediately darting from the ground, into the tall grass and up into the tops of the trees, trying to perceive the minutest of movements. Quite quickly, we were greeted by a lone elephant near the side of the road, lazily enjoying a late lunch. Eager to find our rest camp, Satara, we drove at a reasonable pace - surely missing…
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Destinations16 December 2022
A Kruger Adventure: A Guide to Graskop’s Blyde River Canyon
Like any great adventure, our time exploring Blyde River Canyon was filled with a few surprises and bumps along the way. After months of somewhat careful planning, we landed at the small, single-terminal Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport shortly after 12 and were immediately charmed by the rugged countryside and thatched-roof airport. Within a few minutes we’d collected our luggage and were…
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Stays & Dining3 September 2021
Retreat Guest Farm: A Weekend in Piket-bo-Berg
It’s been a difficult year for many of us and this July was a particularly hard one for me so when my mother said she needed to escape the city for a while, I was more than happy to pack my bags and accompany her. I quickly put my love of online window-shopping to good use and scoured the web for a secluded spot that still had all the creature comforts we’d want and plenty of activities to keep…
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Stays & Dining23 June 2021
Simply Superb: The Scone Shack
Winding your way along Plateau Road towards or from Cape Point you’d never know that another, much smaller country escape was patiently waiting for you to arrive. That is what stumbling upon The Scone Shack feels like. Situated on the stunningly rustic Lalaphanzi Farm, the charming shack surrounded by succulents and a variety of farm animals beckons you in. An assortment of outdoor seating means…
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Stays & Dining14 April 2021
Picnics at Hazendal: Bountiful Babushka Baskets
Trying to hold on to the last bit of summer, my friend and I ventured to Stellenbosch for an alfresco feast in the form of a picnic. Our destination: the impressive Hazendal Wine Estate. The family-friendly estate manages to perfectly combine South African and Russian traditions to offer unique experiences from their Pivnushka beer garden and Cape Dutch guesthouse to their Russian tea ceremony…
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