South Africa - Grand Dèdale Country House, my insights!

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South Africa - Grand Dèdale Country House, my insights for you!

Grand Dédale Country House, Wellington. 

Hey guys,

today I write about our stay at the wonderful Grand Dèdale Country House in Wellington.

Nestled at the end of a tranquil valley below the historic Bainskloof Pass, Grand Dédale is set within an award winning Wine Estate, offering sweeping views of the valley as well as the Groenberg, Limietberge and Hawekwa mountains. The picturesque town of Wellington is a short drive away, Cape Town can be reached within 50 minutes.

The exclusive and elegantly restored Cape Dutch Manor House, formerly the private residence of the owners of Doolhof Wine Estate, comprises six luxurious and bespoke rooms and suites. A separate thatched cottage is enjoyed by honeymooners or guests seeking additional privacy.

We stayed at the romantic cottage, which I can only recommend to you to do. You have an own cottage for yourself, as you can see in the picture it is nicely decorated and is offering all the luxury you can wish for. It has two levels and an own terrace, which makes it really private and really romantic. A must for honeymooners.  

The exclusive rooms (six) are in the main house, the rooms are all different but all elegant and great styled. Every room has a own story, so it just makes you to wish for come back again soon. We stayed one night at the room "Hawequa", which is right underneath the roof top, an amazing loft room experience. 

The Country House has amazing interior. I just fall in love with it. It combines old and modern in a really inspiring way. For me it was one of the most beautiful decorated country houses I saw during my visit.

They also offer a pool and a nice relaxing outdoor terrace, where you can sip your wine and read a book. After sightseeing and exploring it is nice to come down and relax in this wonderful hideaway for some days.

Dinner and breakfast is taking place at the amazing terrace facing the beautiful nature, vineyard and the romantic cottage. For sunset they prepare a great sun-downer pre-dinner drink on the terrace, followed by an amazing candle light dinner 4-course menu. As they only offer 6 rooms and one cottage it is really a familiar and private atmosphere, which we enjoyed really much. Also light lunch and snacks are served throwout the day.

If your into hiking and enjoying the mountains, they also help you out with a great picnic basket for your adventure. The link is as always included in the headline, if you click on it you will be forwarded to the hotel page.

For more insights about my trip to South Africa, please check below: 
Wine tour insights: http://www.melaines-insights.com/2017/03/south-africa-wine-tour-my-insights.html
Safari insights:

http://www.melaines-insights.com/2017/02/singita-luxury-safari-my-insights-for.html
Cape Town insights:
http://www.melaines-insights.com/2017/02/capetown-one-of-my-favorite-towns.html

Cheers,

Melaines-Insights

www.melaines-insights.com

South Africa Wine Tour - my insights for you!

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Wine is the answer, what was the question? 

Wine Tour in South Africa, my insights for you! 

Hey guys,

I grew up in a wine loving family, which always traveled around the world for the best wine and food places to explore.
So everybody knows me well, I'm a real wine lover. 
Planning on going to South Africa, it was crystal clear that some days have to be dedicated to wine.
For safety reasons we always had a shuttle driver booked, what I would recommend you to do.

Delaire Graff Estate

An avid collector of modern and contemporary art, a world leader within the diamond industry and an equally devoted philanthropist, Laurence Graff opened the doors to Delaire Graff Estate in 2009. Having transformed the Estate into an extraordinary luxury destination.

Where to start, where to end. It is for me one of the most amazing wine estates I have ever been to, one of the world- leading destination for wine. I saw a lot but this wine estate is for a reason called "the jewel of the cape winelands". Speaking about jewels, beside the fantastic art, architecture, wine, food and exclusive lodges they also offer a jewelery store integrated in this amazing estate, enter at your own risk. 

Stepping into this fantastic wine estate, it takes your breath away. The garden is a botanical paradise in a dramatic mountain setting. I captured the ultimate feeling of escape, it was love at first sight. 

Delaire Graff Estate offers a rare chance for art aficionados to view some of Laurence Graff’s personal art collection in an outstanding setting. Frequently named one of the world’s top art collectors, Laurence Graff’s collection at the Estate is a carefully curated showcase of some of South Africa’s finest contemporary artists.

The estate is offering 10 luxury lodges all overlooking the Stellenbosch Valley. Welcome to a place where luxury, tranquillity and service combine. The lodge we stayed was just fantastic, with great light-filled interior and all decorated in neutral contemporary colors. The lodge also offered a private heated plunge pool. 

If you don't want to use your own private pool, they also have a fantastic 22 metre infinity pool with an integrated jacuzzi. The view is unbelievable.

They also offer a great spa, with all the exclusive service you can wish for as a world traveler. 

When your planning a day trip make sure you place a reservation at the terrace restaurant, as it is very popular to sit outside as you are overlooking a sea of vineyards and olive groves planted on the Simonsberg, the views from the terrace span all the way into the Banhoek Valley. It is just an amazing experience, we spend hours there having great food and great wine and enjoying the fantastic view into the Stellenbosch Valley. 

They have a great food philosophy, it is committed to beautiful and local food - which means they offer you the best regional food for each season. The food and the service is unbelievable good.

Come to a place where luxury and service are of the utmost importance, where every day is tailored to be a world-class experience.

Kleine Salze 

We made a lunch break to this award-winning wine estate.
The setting, under ancient oaks, is both refined and relaxed, with a view over the Kleine Zalze golf course and surrounding gardens and vineyards. The serene atmosphere is ideal for the enjoyment of fine food and excellent wine.

The kleine Zalze is a family run wine farm, that has risen to prominence both in South Africa and internationally thanks in particular to its award-winning Chenin Blanc and Shiraz.

The restaurant is called "Terroir" - food from the earth. I think it is food from another world. It was just an amazing experience we had. 

After lunch we took a walk threw the park, a friend of mine told me that once he visited this estate he saw Pierce Brosnan underneath one of these ancient oaks drinking his glass of wine :-) Good choice I would say. 

They offer also a lodge to stay. De Zalze Lodge is the farm’s very own Cape Dutch style country house overlooking the lush vineyards and breathtaking Stellenbosch mountains. Nestled against the first fairway of the Kleine Zalze Golf Course, this luxurious four-star establishment provides relaxed yet pristine accommodation with an array of leisurely pastimes guarantee.ed to unwind the stresses of modern day living.
Peter Falke Wines

Peter Falke is famous in Germany for his socks. What some don't know is that the Falke family was doing business in South Africa since 1969.
One of his big dreams came true, when he acquired Groenvlei estate in 1995.

I can say they did a great job with this estate. 
It is nestled against the majestic slopes of the Helderberg mountains in the heart of Stellenbosch.

His wife, Danièle is French and an interior designer. She is known to have designed Legrand in Paris, Galerie Vivienne, a world reputed wine bar and meeting place for wine makers and connoisseurs. Her taste and talent is expressed in the smallest details at Groenvlei.

The Cape Dutch buildings of the  wine estate a dating back to the 18th century. They estate has a "boutique" winery, contemporary wine tasting room and a luxurious outdoor lounge.

In this luxurious outdoor lodge we tasted the great elegant Peter Falke Wines.

I integrated all the links in the headlines, so by clicking on them you will be forwarded to the pages. 

Cheers,

Melaines-Insights

www.melaines-insights.com

Singita - Luxury Safari, my insights for you!

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You wanna take a walk on the wild side with high end luxury and nature combined? This is the place to be, Singita Lebombo Lodge, my insights!

Hey guys,

I have been around the world and saw many places but I think this is really one of the most magnificent experiences I have ever made in my life. Im really thankful for it and it will always be a special timeless memory. 

Singita evaluated from a single-lodge company to operating 12 lodges and camps in five wilderness regions across three African countries. The focus of Singita is to preserve wilderness areas for future generations. That means fewer guests paying a premium for the privilege of experiencing vast open spaces - exist to sustain these wilderness areas and their resident wildlife, while providing an exclusive safari experience. 

We decided for the Singita Lebombo Lodge, located in the Kruger National Park. They have an exclusive concession, which means no tourism from Kruger Park can enter this land. 

I don't even know where to start, because it is so extraordinary amazing. Speaking about the suites (only 13 offered!), they are all located above the N'Wanetsi River. They are all modern, minimalistic (as you know I just LOVE that) and open designed (glass-walled suites!) which make you're feeling being in an eagles nest while watching the wild life from your own private suite / roof terrace. You may take the opportunity to sleep out with nothing more than mosquito netting between you and the stars. 

The service is simply amazing, you have an own butler which is 24hours available for you. 

The adventure for us started when we flew from Johannesburg with a private airplane to the Lodge. Only 6 persons and we were flying 1 hour to land in a field in pure nature with a bar of fresh juices and some bubbly waiting for us. We got picked up by our lovely host, which drove us 30 minutes threw the wilderness to our Lodge. 

Arriving there and seeing the lodge was an amazing impression. The main lodge is offering a roof terrace viewing area and breakfast/lunch and dining area (if you don't want to choose eating in your own suite), and they have an own luxury wine cellar (in the middle of the wilderness!) and - my personal highlight - 25-metre lap pool.

The food they present and the wine choices are simply amazing and are matching the high level tourism expectations anytime. I would even say, they overmatching the high expectations from everybody, because your in the bush with his service. 

And of course you can also go for some daily game drives with your own personal driver, which will be introduced to you when entering the lodge. They did a great job with us, we saw all the big 5 and explained the wild life perfectly. Every question you have about nature, they will give you an answer to it. I learned a lot while being there. 

Another highlight to mention was our evening game drive. They do an apero in front of a lake in totally wilderness. We watched elephants passing the lake with their little ones, while holding a good glass of South African red wine in our hands. An experience you won't forget in your lifetime. 

Speaking about the best time coming to the lodge - traditionally the dry winter months (April - October) are best for game viewing. We have been in December, so you see that it is a year-round destination.

As I think a video says more then thousand words and to give you an even better impression, besides my photos, please take a look at the video underneath.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMPl2NWsP24

Link: https://singita.com/lodge/singita-lebombo-lodge/

Cheers,

Melaines-Insights

www.melaines-insights.com