The adventure for our team of eight began with a direct flight to Cape Town with Virgin Atlantic. Virgin now ranks amongst the finest long-haul airlines, and it was easy to see why. We were well taken care of by the friendly cabin crew and the inflight entertainment was superb! With over 300 hours of TV and film, there was plenty to keep us occupied for the 11.5 hour flight.

On arrival to Cape Town a private transfer whisked us away to the delightful 5★ Steenberg Hotel & Spa in Constantia, our home for the next two nights. In keeping with the classic whitewashed buildings of the Cape Dutch architecture and surrounded by wonderful gardens, this hotel was an excellent choice for our first stop. All the hotel’s rooms have their own private garden to soak up the idyllic surroundings. Our visit was in South Africa’s Autumn and the air smelled beautifully of lavender.

The Steenberg Hotel & Spa is found on one of the Cape’s oldest working wine farms. On our first evening in South Africa we enjoyed wine tasting at the estate’s tasting room, before a delicious dinner in Tryn, their main restaurant. Tryn offers a picturesque terrace overlooking the vineyards plus several smaller rooms allowing intimate private dining.

TOP TIP: Elegant and upmarket Constantia is the perfect choice for a relaxing Cape Town stay – you can enjoy fabulous wines, in beautiful surroundings, all within easy reach of the city centre.

On our second day we headed out for an adventure to the Southern tip of the Cape Peninsular. Enroute the scenery we experienced was breath-taking. We spotted some fascinating wildlife, but the highlight of the day for our group was meeting the characterful penguins on Boulder Beach. 

TOP TIP: Penguins can be seen year-round, but for the most penguin action, South African summer is the best time to visit.

Back at the Steenberg that evening it was time for the first surprise of the trip – a braai (barbecue) hosted in the garden of our villa. It was a lovely, relaxed evening and the hotel’s head chef, who was possibly the most passionate foodie we have ever met, personally talked us through the menu.

The following morning, we waved farewell to the beautiful Steenberg Hotel & Spa and drove along a portion of South Africa’s famous Garden Route to our next stop– the wonderful 5★ Grootbos Private Nature Reserve. Located in Gaansbai this hotel offers two distinct lodges – the spacious and elegant Garden Lodge and the tranquil, couples focused Forest Lodge. We stayed at Forest lodge, which comprises of individual villas with the most breath-taking views! Looking out over the fynbos, sand dunes and picture-perfect crescent shaped beach with mountains disappearing into the distance, we all agreed was pure bliss!

A stay at Grootbos is all about the natural environment, the property has a wealth of activities on offer (walking trails, fat tyre biking, horse riding, flower safaris to name a few) most of which are included with your stay. After a spot of horse riding, our group visited remarkable Klipgat Cave, once inhabited by stone age people. This incredible experience was followed by champagne and canapes on the beach at sunset before an exhilarating ride over the sand dunes back to the hotel. Another passion of Grootbos Is their ‘farm to table’ culinary philosophy. Complete with locally sourced produce and perfectly paired wines for each course, dinner did not disappoint. We finished off the evening gazing at the stars from our terrace with a night cap – the perfect end to our day!

The next morning, we were back out to nature! We enjoyed a boat trip to the marine park, which yielded sightings of penguins, seals, whales, a shark and stingray, not to mention dozens of dolphins on our return! 

TOP TIP: The hotel offers seasonal Southern Right Whale watching trips (Jul-Nov).

After lunch we headed out to see some of the amazing work The Grootbos Foundation does within the local community, the hotel’s foundation operates projects that support local children. We were given the opportunity to visit the foundation's sports facilities for a quick game of footie - although in truth we couldn't get near these kids! Dinner that evening was another treat. A boma in a clearing in the woods, lit up by fairy lights, such a magical atmosphere!

In the morning, the magic continued as we were treated to a spot of forest bathing with one of the hotel's naturalists. It was certainly relaxing. We especially enjoyed the appearance of a deer right next to us as we meditated! After this we enjoyed a 4WD flower safari, followed by a visit to the onsite florilegium (an art gallery devoted to pictures of plants) - one of only a handful in the world. We rounded off our stay by meeting the charismatic, owner and founder of Grootbos. His passion and vision for Grootbos was inspiring. 

The next day started with a 04:30 wake up call to catch our flight to Skukuza in the east of the country, the only airport I have flown into with a thatched roof! We met up with our local rangers for the best airport transfer I could have ever imagined. Just moments from the airport we turned off the main road and into the bush, spotting zebras and giraffes within a few minutes! This was immediately worth the 04:30 wake up! 

Our final destination was the amazing 5★+ Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge - the futuristic offering from the Sabi Sabi brand of lodges. On the reserve they also have Bush Lodge for a more family-oriented atmosphere, Little Bush for the ultimate safari retreat, and Selati Camp whose railway inspired decor evokes a bygone era of safaris. Earth Lodge is built into a natural slope so that it does not detract from the bush and allows animals to roam freely. Elephants have on occasion been found strolling on the roof!

Over the next few days, we enjoyed four fantastic game drives and a bush walk. Our rangers were incredibly knowledgeable and shared several fascinating facts as we explored the bush in search of wildlife. We learnt that hyena poo was white because of the calcium in the bones they eat and that tortoises eat hyena poo to strengthen their shells. Who knew?! Our top sightings included a group of sleeping lions, a cheetah with three cubs sprawled out in a field of wild basil and a mother rhino with her baby.

But the best was saved till the last morning. Whilst following a leopard we came upon a tree with half an impala carcass wedged on a high branch. With the tree surrounded by hyenas, the leopard was biding his time to return to his meal. Unfortunately for our patient leopard, another leopard appeared, scooting up the tree to claim the prize! In a hurry to reach the free meal, the second leopard dislodged the impala, causing it to fall further down the tree, much to the delight of the hyenas. The hyenas jumped up, clamping their jaws on the dangling leg of the carcass. The leopard was not ready to give up the prize and clung on for dear life while three hyenas swung wildly on the impala’s leg until it tore off, causing them to fall to the ground! Our ranger said she had never seen anything like it. An incredible display of nature!

After a fantastic stay in South Africa, we headed back to the airport to make our way home, forever grateful for the experiences and hospitality we received. We all agreed that this will not be our last visit to South Africa, we had fallen under the spell of this outstanding country.

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