Hi Leony,
Here is the promised more detailed “evaluation”. Yesterday I already thanked you for the wonderful organisation of our honeymoon, but I'd gladly do so again. Everything was arranged to perfection, (special) hotel rooms, restaurant reservations, and in every hotel/guesthouse we visited, they knew it was our honeymoon and often we received an upgrade or a bottle of something nice or both!! And it all started with the bottle we received from Wouter (from car rental) on your behalf. Very kind of you! The car was excellent, by the way, brand new. If I must be critical: it had a CD player and not the announced cassette player 😉
And then the hotels/guesthouses. You might come across “most beautiful room ever seen” a few times, but that was so up until that point. They just kept getting more beautiful!! And actually, for all the accommodations, everyone was extremely friendly and helpful, so I won't be mentioning that every time!
River Manor in Stellenbosch is very well located. Peaceful, yet a 5-minute walk from the centre. We were immediately given an upgrade and a bottle of wine. Stellenbosch is, of course, the perfect base for the wine regions; we also had a lovely lunch at Bosch en Dal. The restaurant Terroir was nice, the food tasty, but not exceptional.
Afterwards to Rothman Manor in Swellendam. The weather was a bit poorer, so we saw little of all the activities Swellendam has to offer. The room was truly beautiful, the most beautiful that..... It was an upgrade to a suite by the pond.
Next was Oudtshoorn, where we stayed at La Plume. Again, an upgrade to a suite. Very beautiful. The first evening we ate with the hosts and, as this is a working ostrich farm, we had ostrich steak. Tastier than what we’ve had in restaurants since, absolutely recommended! And of course, the second evening we ate at Jemima's. We think that's also a top spot, a nice owner who goes the extra mile.
We spent one night in Knysna at the Falcons View Manor. Unfortunately, we arrived in Knysna on Saturday afternoon and most of the shops were closed, making it very quiet. So, we went to your recommendation earlier (Phantom Forest) and enjoyed the view, the sunset, and the food there. And it was good that you booked in advance, otherwise we would have gone for nothing!
Kariega Game Reserve was actually a bit of a disappointment, but then again, we chose it ourselves ;-). The reception and information beforehand from Kariega could have been better. After a long drive, we arrived at 3:15 PM and the first question was whether we still wanted to join the 3:30 PM game drive. You don't really feel like it then (we certainly didn't), but these are things that are included in the (not low) price. Furthermore, they present themselves as a very luxurious lodge, and we were even in the Ukhozi lodge. Although they are incredibly large, we understand something different by “luxury”. For example, no heating (and you can certainly need it), no TV, radio or CD.
The game drives were really fantastic (in an open jeep, so if it rains…). Our Ranger (Leonard) really did his best to provide some unforgettable moments, and he succeeded quite well!! The park is a bit small, but all in all a fun few days. The meals are communal, very cosy. And when Esther wasn't feeling great one evening, a 3-course dinner was brought to the room without any problem.
After that, 2 minutes or more of stops. The first, Cycads on Sea, is a lovely guesthouse with a very friendly owner. In the evening, he brought a bottle of bubbly. He also gave us 2 brochures for you, but he actually hoped you would visit sometime. However, I wouldn't recommend the village. At most for surfers, but otherwise there is little or nothing to do. The second was the Lily Pond Lodge in Nature's Valley, run by 2 Dutch people who do a great job. A magnificent lodge (which they are expanding) in a very beautiful area (near Tsitsikamma). Depending on the size of the group, they have communal meals (which were also excellent). A very friendly, welcoming, and personal approach!!
A slight disappointment was the Auberge Burgundy in Hermanus. Perhaps our expectations were too high, but especially because of their brochure, it seemed as if you were right on the sea and could see the whales from your bed. Well, you could, provided you moved the bed onto the French balcony 😉 The bed and shower were only suitable for people up to 1.70m tall and the highly praised restaurant was fine, but no more than that! The suite we had was very large though.
Everything was made up for by our stay at Constantia Uitsig!! Here too, we received an upgrade, but it was straight to a whole cottage. This meant we could properly dump all our belongings in a separate room and fully enjoy the already not-small room with a fireplace. The bathroom was also more than spacious. Upon entering the room, a large fruit bowl with champagne was waiting. The reservations at both restaurants were also extremely well spent (and necessary, as the restaurants are popular). Another small tip for people going there, if a wine tour is suggested, don't do it. Just drive yourself and spit out the wine!! You'd be better off spending your money on a few bottles!
Finally, the Floreal Guesthouse in Cape Town. Here too, I can compliment you again, Leony. You had booked a beautiful room for us with a fantastic view. The guesthouse is very nice, with a kind manager and a very nice and helpful guard (Jean-Marie). Good location, at the foot of Table Mountain and a 10-15 minute drive from the Waterfront. It was truly a fantastic trip and our high expectations have been more than met. Leony, our thanks again for all the arrangements, bookings and suggestions. We enjoyed ourselves and you certainly played your part in that!
Greetings,
E. & H.
Amsterdam
Dutch 
English