Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2024 i Cape Etc

NOURISH / Hidden Gems FAMILY FARM FARE Food and family go hand in hand during a laid-back lunch at a farm table in Muldersvlei It's always the family-run places that have the most heart. The Kraal Restaurant, just a 40-minute drive from Cape Town, welcomes visitors for farm-style lunches inspired by the humble homemade cooking of Ouma Majorie, the omniscient matriarch of the Myburgh family. In an ode to generations past and the roots that run deep through this private pocket of land, the Myburgh siblings have transformed their childhood home into a country eatery at Joostenberg Wine Estate, a family business built by five generations. I had booked a table for 1 pm on a Friday and brought my brother along as my guest. It's widely accepted that food…

ROAD TRIP / The Karoo Countless drives between Kimberley and Cape Town have taught me quite a bit about the Karoo. It's beautiful but big and can get a bit much, especially the 200 km stretch between Beaufort West and Laingsburg – a part of the world I know very well but that my fiancée has never experienced. Many hours driving to visit her family in the Eastern Cape have taught us a lot about each other. We only really get into arguments when she is behind the wheel, which is all the time. She says I drive like a little old lady, and it makes her too nervous to navigate. As a result, we have reached an agreement. Her job is to put the pedal to the metal. Mine…

OPENING FEATURE Like any well-oiled machine, it doesn't take long to get the wheels in motion once someone starts the engine. When a member of the public spots smoke on the mountain and calls it in, the City's firefighting operations kick into gear. For members of the Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS), that means getting a WhatsApp message. ‘I know most people have loud sirens and ear-splitting bells and/or whistles as their alert tone for fire call-outs,’ says VWS crew leader Alica Soderlund. ‘But I have the “Puddles” ringtone. It's a sweet little melody, so at 3.30 am or whatever time Mother Nature decides to set fire to something, instead of scaring the bejesus out of me, it gently wakes me up, and after a few nano seconds, the heart starts…

CHECK IN / By The Sea SEASIDE SANCTUARY Tintswalo Atlantic offers oceanside opulence without being chichi. Lisa Abdellah checked it out You park your car midway up Chapman's Peak Drive, and a shuttle transports you down a winding road that cuts into the side of the mountain and meanders to the rocky shoreline below. The view of The Sentinel and Hout Bay has got to be the clincher; it's paradisical, and you anticipate the sunset later that evening. Can a lodge match this panorama? The property has survived two devastating fires, one veld, one kitchen, a staff member explains as you walk to your room, pointing out the charred remains of a hammock that serves as a reminder that it's not only still standing, but going from strength to strength. You walk…

BETWEEN TWO SLICES That would be a sandwich, and almost anything you imagine can be the filling Stellenbosch has its fair share of fine dining establishments, but it has some (very popular) quirky ones, too. Take Toebroodjie, for instance. It's the Afrikaans word for ‘sandwich’, and true to form, sarmies are the stars of the menu, though there are other things as well. It's in the heart of old Stellenbosch, occupying the space that was once Restaurant Jardine. It also shares Hilde-Lee Olivier, the former head chef at Jardine and now powerhouse behind Toebroodjie. At her new venture, she makes Afrikaans traditions the heroes, executing them with Asian flair. Many of the dishes are named in Afrikaans with descriptions in English. And who doesn't enjoy a good sandwich? It's like…

STEP OUTSIDE Welcome to Cape Town, now get out! No, no, no. Not like that. We've been called a cliquey bunch, but we aren't rude. No, we meant get outside, get out there and do something crazy. There's so much to do, you see. From snorkelling with seals to jumping off mountains, sandboarding and helicopter rides, Cape Town offers you a little bit of everything. We've picked a top 10. Trust us, it's not easy narrowing it down to just 10. Many other things could make this list: abseiling, cage diving with sharks or, for the really adventurous, wearing an Australian cricket jersey on Long Street at night – that's not adventurous, that's just asking for trouble. But for those who struggle to make decisions, here are our top picks.…

Stories of lions’ roars echoing in the night and my gran legging it back to camp after encountering a stealthy herd of elephants did it for me. Malawi, a tiny country – 840 km from north to south – is where I went to escape the Cape (just for a moment) and add to my own chamber of travel memories. Flying with Malawi Airlines, you'll be there in about three hours after leaving Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport. Flights operate daily from Cape Town. When you arrive in Lilongwe, the capital city, you'll first notice the heat and then feel the warmth. The country has earned its title as ‘the warm heart of Africa’ thanks to the weather and its beautiful community. It's a long day of travel, so overnighting…

THE HOOD / Kalk Bay Kalk Bay is my preferred haunt during warmer months – getting there is part of the joy. Each time I travel over Boyes Drive, my inner child comes alive, along with that holiday feeling fuelled by salt-scented air. The 7 km route winds along Muizenberg Peak, where you will probably spot hikers popping out of the bushes after completing one of the various trails, or people filling containers with fresh water that trickles down the rocks. The mountain is on one side of the road and the Atlantic Ocean is on the other. You can spot more surfers than you can count painting the waves black with their wetsuits below at Muizenberg Beach. Summer down south is chock-full of people: in the sea, on the…

Once upon a time, you'd enter a children's playground at your peril. Bigger kids would wait for you to mount the seesaw, then slam their weight down on the opposite end, catapulting you skyward like a fairground high striker. And there were no fences back then. So, while Mom and Dad sipped tots at a wine estate, you, their tot, would totter, giggling as you went, to the edge of a rocky outcrop overlooking a prickly vineyard below or, worse still, directly into the path of a combine harvester in motion. After arguing over whose turn it was, Dad would begrudgingly rescue you from the harvester's jaws and plonk you down next to Mom in the posh restaurant. You'd soon grow bored, squirm and declare – not in an inside…

Wine Country Hannes Myburgh wears the mantle of history with grace. From where he stands, he looks back at seven generations of Myburghs at Meerlust, but he must also face the future. Now is not the time to rest. It began with Henning Huising, who saw the beauty and potential of the piece of land, and settled here in 1693. He called it Meerlust, which means pleasure of the sea, because the Manor House sits on a granite outcrop only 5 km from False Bay. Meerlust passed to Myburgh hands in 1756, and it is still the family home. Nearly 200 years later, in the early ‘60s, the elegant Manor House was restored by renowned Cape Town Architect Revel Fox. The Cape Dutch Rubicon cellar was built in 1776, part…