A South African Christmas Break

Back when Adam and I got married, many moons ago, we traveled to South Africa for our honeymoon. We had the most magical and memorable time between Cape Town and Safari and talked often about how we couldn’t wait to go back and would bring our kids, when we had them and they got to the right age for such a big trip.

That time arrived. The kids grew up a bit and definitely were mature enough to handle a trip like this so we booked it.

Now I have had a lot of questions about the Safari and how we booked it. Here’s the story…
We used a travel agent and we did have a third party service that they booked for us to manage all details of the trip. In my opinion, this service was not necessary at all. So I don’t suggest it. You can book this trip on your own by following my lead here…Here we go!

We started the trip by flying direct to Capetown, from Dulles airport in DC.

Once we arrived in Capetown we had a driver (this is important to arrange transportation in advance) who took us to our hotel. We stayed at the One & Only which was located perfectly in town close to the water, shops and restaurants which is nice to be able to walk to at any time.

Once we settled in and freshened up, we went over to the winelands (Franschhoek) for quad biking through the historic Vrede en Lust Wine Estate, nestled in the foothills of the Simonsberg. The ride was organized by a company called Wine Valley Adventures. They were great and very safe! This was a really nice way to go to wine country with kids. After this adventure, we had a lovely lunch at Savoye restaurant at Vrede en Lust. After lunch we drove through and stopped to walk around the charming historical town of Franschhoek and then returned to our hotel for some much needed rest time by the gorgeous swimming pool where I enjoyed a perfectly chilled cocktail.

That evening we went to a restaurant called Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia. It was FANTASTIC. Nestled near Table Mountain, the views were spectacular and the food was out of this world. I highly recommend this restaurant.

The next day, we had a delicious breakfast in our hotel and then got our day started at the resident colony of African penguins at Boulders Beach. This is my FAVORITE! I had gone with Adam on our honeymoon and I just LOVE those penguins! They are SO cute and SO interesting in their natural, warm weather climate! They waddle around, huddle up, belly flop into the water….you MUST go if you are ever in Capetown. After time on the beach with those cuties, we continued on with our driver (same driver the whole trip, again this is very important to plan out your itinerary in advance and have a driver to take you around because parts of South Africa can be dangerous. Note: finding a driver can be done through your travel agent or the hotel that you book) to visit the legendary Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point (of Flying Dutchman fame). This was nice. Luke ran all the way up the mountain and Gavin and I grabbed our binoculars and watched the seals laze around in the rocks in the water. We then took a cable car to the top of the lighthouse where the views over the magnificent Cape Peninsula were just stunning.

Our next stop was Table Mountain. The best part of our drive over there was the baboon sighting we got along the way. What a crazy animal…one you don’t want to mess with. So if you encounter em - stay inside your car!

Unfortunately, the wind was too strong so the cable car up to Table Mountain was closed. We had to skip it. No love lost. I have been before and while the views are gorgeous, I don’t feel like the kids missed out on a thing. Even better…we had more time to SPA that afternoon which was very needed after all the travel and time zone changes we had just endured.

That evening we had dinner at the The Waterside on the Pier. It was a long, delicious meal. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this restaurant however i would recommend going over to the Pier! It’s gorgeous. Tons of tourist shops, restaurants and bars on the water and very lively. It was a 2 minute walk from our hotel.

We were supposed to be in Capetown for 3 days however we lost a day of travel due to a canceled flight situation so we only had two days which turned out to be plenty of time. We were ready to go on our safari!

Having the opportunity to go on safari is not something I will ever take for granted. It is so beyond words special. This trip, we stayed at the Singita Boulders. When we went on our honeymoon we stayed at Leopard Hills Lodge. I recommend both resorts very highly. They are incredible. These hotels think of it all and make your experience blissful. Incredible food, fantastic guides, safety measures and most importantly, beautiful surroundings. It’s an experience that makes you truly appreciate the earth that we live on.

Each day, you go out on two game drives. One, very early in the morning, and one in the late afternoon. They time these drives around the animals behaviors in their natural habitat. You are very lucky if you see the big five: Lion, Elephant, Leopard, Buffalo and Rhino. We saw them all and more. What a trip, we’ll never forget.