Well, we've certainly had an unforgettable trip to South Africa. And we can honestly say that you arranged it all perfectly for us! Everything went off without a hitch. We thoroughly enjoyed all the wildlife and the scenery, and we experienced all sorts of weather, from misty rain to sunny and windy conditions.
We will definitely return to South Africa, as we were very pleased with all the accommodations. The people are very nice and it was clean everywhere! And indeed, the cost of living there is low for us. In short, an ideal holiday destination, and especially during this period, as it wasn't busy almost anywhere.
We will definitely recommend your organisation to everyone.
Greetings, Pascal and Jacqueline T.
Purmerend
Dear Leony,
I've just returned to a dark, cold, and wet Geneva, but I still have the sun and light of South Africa in my heart and head, plus a pair of beautifully tanned arms. We had a fantastic trip, thank you very much for the excellent suggestions and arrangements!
Here is some feedback on the various locations, which might be useful for future visitors.
Floreal House is brilliant! Lovely guesthouse, very nice rooms, delicious breakfast, great staff and good relationships with each other, so a very cosy atmosphere. There's a Dutchman, called
Lyngrove was lovely. We drove all the way via Paarl and the Helshoogte Pass, and had a nice picnic at Delaire winery, on the pass. What landscapes.
Lyngrove is an oasis, we had a lovely room, with a huge bath, and in the evening we went to a nice gourmet pub nearby, Froggies, which belongs to the much fancier Auberge. Nice and tasty. There was a friendly Dutch lady who has been there for about 6 months as a hostess, the owner Barry gave excellent advice about nice wineries to visit for tastings.
From there we drove along the coast to Hermanus. Very quickly we saw whales, and seals, all sorts of things. We really enjoyed Ocean Eleven too! What a place.
We are actually very happy that Auberge Burgundy didn't work out. We were in our suite on top of the cliffs and could also watch whales from the bath (!) which was great. Unfortunately, it was too windy for the boat trip, but this meant we had more time the next day to go to Waterkloof via a very exciting route. We naturally visited Cape Agulhas extensively, in a howling wind, and then drove from Bredasdorp via a gravel road along the De Hoop Nature Reserve (which we visited on our way to Klippe Rivier) and then crossed the Breede River with the hand-operated ferry at Malgas. The river was very wild, with waves, quite scary. Jos actively helped with pulling the ferry across, I'm attaching a photo.
Waterkloof was a delightful place. A hearty couple, Hannes' family has lived on the farm since around 1704, and they both have lots to tell. The farm is a free-range.
On the way to Klippe Rivier, we stopped at De Hoop, where we walked a little by the sea and saw whales again. Beautiful scenery! Unfortunately, it started to rain then, and it kept on raining, harder and harder! It was our only rainy day, and the fireplace in our beautiful room at Klippe Rivier made up for a lot. Funny contrast, by the way, between the Afrikaners telling how the British weren't exactly popular in the past, and the very English atmosphere of Klippe Rivier. Beautiful place, magnificent! The next day, we made a wonderful trip via the Tradouw Pass and then visited several wine estates in the Robertson Wine Valley in lovely weather, having a delicious lunch at Bon Courage, among other places.
Back in Cape Town, we were happy to.
We really enjoyed ourselves, felt completely relaxed there, and both want to go back straight away! It was also lovely together, not least because of the excellent rooms with blissful large beds and baths! I'm adding 2 photos, so you know who you've given this wonderful time to. Many greetings, also on behalf of Jos,
Anna V.
Geneva, Switzerland
Hi Leony,
Everything went brilliantly and we really enjoyed ourselves! We never felt unsafe for a moment and we did and saw a lot. And it all costs nothing there, with that weak Rand… We drove more than 6,000 km!
Greetings,
Louise M.
Pigeons
Hi Leony,
We had a fantastic time in South Africa. It was brilliant being able to pick up the campervan straight from the airport, and they didn’t ask for a copy of our driving licences or anything like that. The campervans had a few minor faults, but nothing too much of a problem, mind you.
The rest of the trip went very well; we made a few minor adjustments to the itinerary to ensure a better balance of rest periods. The campsites we stayed at varied greatly in terms of luxury (from basic to very luxurious); prices also varied considerably, though not in line with the level of luxury.
We thought Kruger National Park was fantastic; I think we were also lucky with the animals we saw, which made it all the more interesting. But you know all about that.
The panoramic route was also well worth the drive. We also found it interesting to drive through Zululand, though we didn’t think much of the capital, Marbane, or its market – we simply saw more beautiful and interesting things along the way. Hluhluwe was nice too, but we’d already been spoilt; we still managed to spot some animals, though.
Then we drove to the coast, to Jeffrey Bay – it was really lovely. Unfortunately, we had wind and rain there (the camper wasn’t really able to keep the rain out properly, so the beds got wet). Handing the campervan back went without a hitch (a lovely, friendly person). The flight to Elisabeth went perfectly, and there too the campervans were all neatly lined up and ready for us.
Addo Park was also lovely; we stayed there for one night, went on a game drive in the morning and then carried on – unfortunately, the weather was still a bit poor.
To be honest, the garden trail was a bit of a let-down – there were some lovely views, but not many flowers (it must have been down to the time of year), and as we’d already seen plenty of views, we weren’t all that impressed by this one.
Ostriches were very funny and the caves were impressive. Also went to Cango Wildlife Ranch.
Took a walk through Stellenbosch and then carried on to Cape Town.
We drove almost all the way round the Cape Peninsula (the road was closed at Hout Bay) and went up Table Mountain the following day.
All in all, a fantastic experience that we wouldn’t have wanted to miss – the flights, campervans and campsite were all very well organised.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have a map or a campsite guide in the motorhomes for the second part of the trip; these had come in very handy during the first part. I bought a map myself, but unfortunately couldn’t find a campsite guide anywhere. Luckily, we came across campsites by chance along the way, so everything worked out fine, and it was quite a surprise to see where we ended up camping.
It was perhaps a bit too much for Grandad and Grandma – they would have liked a bit more peace and quiet, but we didn’t have enough time for that. Still, I’m glad we decided to do it all.
We would also like to thank you for the excellent guidance.
If you would like more information about the affected campsites, I would be happy to assist you.
Kind regards, Jacqueline van S.
Nieuwegein
Dear Leony,
As I said, we’ve had a brilliant week. It was actually far too short, but perhaps it’ll be longer next time.
The welcome and friendliness at Eikendal were second to none. Everything was spotlessly clean and very pleasant. You really felt like a guest, which is no longer a given these days, certainly not in the Netherlands. It’s also in a lovely central location with beautiful views. Highly recommended. The Palmiet was also quite special. It was like stepping back in time. We attended the “Candlelight Dinner” and were very surprised by the table setting, with all the antiques, and the whole table was strewn with rose petals.
Personally, I find the area between Stellenbosch and Somerset a bit more attractive and slightly more interesting for tourists. We also visited Constantia and were quite impressed. Furthermore, we ate brilliantly everywhere and the prices are unbelievably low from our Dutch perspective. That's certainly a nice bonus.
As for the wine, I think we visited and tasted wines from about 20 wineries, with the result that sometime in January a ship in Amsterdam will be carrying two pallets of wine for us. So we’ve bought quite a lot and can’t wait for it to be delivered. We’ve tasted – and consequently bought – some absolutely fantastic wines.
We’ll definitely be going back again before too long because, once again, it was PERFECT. I’m jealous that you’re going back there again in December, but never mind.
Lots of love
Marjan K.
Blaricum
Good morning,
I returned on Sunday from the beautiful towns of Stellenbosch and Paarl in South Africa. I’d like to thank everyone who helped make our trip perfect. A special thanks to Leonie, who gave us some brilliant restaurant recommendations, almost all of which we tried. (Perhaps you could forward this email to her).
We’ve had a fantastic “first impression” of a stunning country and have enjoyed some incredibly delicious wines and meals. We’ll definitely be going back in the near future to enjoy all those beautiful views and the lovely people we’ve met once again.
Thank you very much once again, and we look forward to seeing you soon.
Joost and Marjan K.
Blaricum
Dutch 
English