I spent a week in Sedgefield when I went to the Garden Route recently. The Garden Route is a magnificent area on the south eastern coast of South Africa. It is a mix of lakes, forests, breathtakingly beautiful beaches and lush verdant vegetation. Each area has it’s own distinct character.
Sedgefield is South Africa’s very first slow town. It has been confirmed by Cittaslow so it must be true.
A surfer strides into the sunset on Myoli beach
Sedgefield might not have the glamour of Plett or Knysna but it certainly has a lot more charm. There are massive and inviting soft sandy beaches. Tranquil lagoons, plenty bird life including flamingos and the ocean is home to whales, dolphins and other marine life. Who would want to shop with all this natural beauty?
A tortoise – reminder of Sedgefield’s slow town status
I would recommend a visit to the Wild Oats Organic Market on a Saturday morning. I would also suggest taking a cycle trip on one of the many magnificent routes. What better way to spot a Malachite Kingfisher or any one of the birds in the area? There are hides to view the bird life on the lakes.
A walk to watch the setting sun on one of the beaches is a MUST. And behind Spar is an Italian restaurant. Trattoria da Vinci. You have to eat there. Well priced, relaxed easy atmosphere and fabulous food. I had an aubergine parmigiana. It was excellent.
Google Tourism Sedgefield for more on Sedgefield Tourism and do pick up their brochure. It’s free and lists cycle routes, hides, hikes and more.
Go to – My Holidays and Trips – at the top of this page to read about other places we have visited. Or just click on – this link.
I just spent a week in the Garden Route. The reason I went down, or up, depending on which way you look at it, was to run the Knysna Half Marathon. It’s one of the nicest races in South Africa. They limit the race to 7000 entrants and although that is a lot, other races attract nearly double that amount.
They also have a cycle race, a Mardi Gras, and their annual Oyster Festival at the same time, so there were plenty people and activities happening.
Knysna Quays
Knysna is a picturesque town set on an estuary come lagoon. The estuary is fed by the Knysna River and the estuary in turn feeds into the ocean between two hills or “heads”.
It is an aspirational town due to it’s great weather and natural beauty. High end activities such as golfing, painting and art collecting, sailing and fine dining are well represented. This is in sharp contrast to the local shanty town and Rastafarian village. It’s worth a visit into the townships to see how locals craft makeshift houses out of timber. You may be offered indigenous herbs by the Rastafarians. Partake at your own risk. Smokingcannabis is not legal in South Africa.
There is lots and lots to do. Just wandering around the main town taking in the haute hippy atmosphere is a great way to spend the day. You will find no shortage of cafes, bars and restaurants to while away the time.
You could visit all or just one of the many spectacular beaches or paddle a canoe in one of the national parks. How about mountain biking in the Knysna Forest or take a cruise around the estuary? You might even fancy a visit to the elephant park?
Seafood restaurant in Knysna
Visit the Knysna Tourism website for more on what to do and where to go. Adrenaline junkies will not be disappointed at what is on offer.
If you fancy an active holiday then visit this older post which has links to the sport events calendars in South Africa – what to do outdoors in South Africa.
Go to – My Holidays and Trips – at the top of this page to read about other places we have visited. Or just click on – this link.
So for a little bit more on our last spa break at 5 Mountains Spa. We found it by Googling “spa specials”. I have to say it was a particularly good special.
We arrived Tuesday late midday and departed Saturday just before lunch. Essentially we had 4 nights and 4 days. The special included breakfast, lunch, supper and a complimentary bottle of really good wine every day. We had two different treatments each per day.
Location 5 Mountains Spa
Treatments were along the lines of Indian Head Massage or Hot Stone Massage. We also had a manicure, a pedicure and a facial.
We did pick the coldest and wettest week of the decade to decide to have a spa break. A pity because the spa is set on a vineyard just outside of Wellington. It would have been nice to take a walk or maybe visit more of the wine estates close by.
What made our stay special was a bevy of salon girls. The chef had the week off and this team cooked our food to perfection. They offered us tea and biscuits the minute we sat in the reception area to catch up on e-mails. Nothing was too much for them and I found them utterly charming.
5 Mountain Spa treatment room
We got a different menu each evening with a choice of two starters, two mains and two deserts. I had made it clear that I am vegetarian before we went and they had tailored the menu to include me. Examples of starters were “Slow roast tomato salad topped with goats cheese” or “Fried haloumi on a bed of leaves with a berry compote”.
How about “Stir fry served with cous cous & tofu” or “Caprice parcel served with veggies and crispy potato wedges” for a main? And then still chocolate brownies or meringue tarts for desert. I think I gained about 2 kilograms there. The food was that good. The price for all of this? R7500 for two.
On our way home we stopped in at Bovlei wine cellar next door and took advantage of some wine specials. There were plenty more wine estates in the vacinity.
Go to – My Holidays and Trips – at the top of this page to read about other places we have visited. Or just click on – this link.
My other half and I are partial to spa breaks. During winter, there are bargains to be had in Cape Town. We have had spa breaks at The High Rustenburg Hydro, Twelve Apostles Hotel, Romney Park and recently we spent four nights at 5 Mountains Lodge.
The other breaks were before my blogging days so I wasn’t taking pics or making notes. But here is a little bit of information from memory about the spas, and links, should you want more information.
The High Rustenburg Hydro is one of the oldest spas in South Africa. It is set in the winelands near Stellenbosh. Their approach is very much on healing and detoxing. Our room had twin beds and we were assessed by therapists to decide which meals and treatments we would have.
5 Mountains Spa dining area
The agenda was cram packed. Breakfast arrived on a tray. One of us had fruit only, the other had fruit and muesli. Then we headed off for either a treatment, a massage or to the hydro centre for hydro therapy.
Most guests tended to remain in a dressing gown provided by the spa. We had a bowl of soup between main meals and lots of herb tea or water. Lunch and supper were buffets of nothing more than vegetables presented in different ways. They also allowed us one jacket potato with our evening meal. No alcohol.
It’s not a romantic break and we found keeping up with the program a bit hard going. The food was better than I expected. It’s the place to go for a body overhaul.
5 Mountains Spa pool area
Twelve Apostles was more about a great location, fine dining and a five star hotel with a few treatments thrown in. I can’t remember how we stumbled on this special. We loved the flotation tank and the chocolate body scrub.
We did not like the young manager who told us lunch wasn’t included. We had to drive back home to fetch the confirmation and show him that actually, it was. And from then on he had an attitude toward us.
Romney Park is a couple of meters from our guesthouse. So we stayed at home and walked down to have the day packages on offer there. I can’t speak about the food or the accommodation as we did our own detox and stayed at home.
There is a full salon and we had the works. Body scrub, facials, manicures, pedicures, massages, like I said the lot. What we saved on eating and sleeping out, we spent on pampering. The staff were thoroughly professional. We still pop in there for the odd special.
My Internet Service Provider – Mweb, and ADSL Provider – Telkom, let me down badly. I have been without access to the Internet for longer than I think is fair or reasonable. Nine days.
I am back up for now and will do a quick post linking you to some travel tips. There are 20 tips for visitors to Cape Town, 20 health and safety tips with regard to a stay in South Africa, 20 money saving tips and 20 travel packing tips.
For the tourist tips follow this link – Travel tips
I hope my service providers don’t drop me again so I can complete the last two posts on the Southern African camping trip I did.
Go to – My Holidays and Trips – at the top of this page to read about other places we have visited. Or just click on – this link.
