With a string of long weekends and school term breaks approaching, many families are contemplating last minute Easter travels.
Cape Country Routes (CCR) is a collection of owner-managed accommodation and activity establishments located along South Africa’s popular road travel routes. While remaining water conscious during the dry year, the group – all water-sufficient due to strategic, pro-active saving methods – continues to offer individuals and families character-rich city escapes that benchmark great holidays.
Here are four recommendations to make your Easter one for the books:
1. Take Your Easter Adventure to the Great Outdoors:
Cape Country Routes (CCR) is a collection of owner-managed accommodation and activity establishments located along South Africa’s popular road travel routes. While remaining water conscious during the dry year, the group – all water-sufficient due to strategic, pro-active saving methods – continues to offer individuals and families character-rich city escapes that benchmark great holidays.
Here are four recommendations to make your Easter one for the books:
1. Take Your Easter Adventure to the Great Outdoors:
Start your long weekend (30 March to 2 April) with a hike along one of the Overberg’s most picturesque trails at De Hoop Nature Reserve just outside Bredasdorp. You can look forward to a full outdoor excursion in this Marine Protected Area featuring rolling hills, unspoiled sand dunes, panoramic ocean views (you might even spot a few dolphin pods!), diverse indigenous fauna and flora and small game. In terms of accommodation, the Nature Reserve offers something for every family’s budget: from self-catering chalets and more luxurious self-catering cottages, to five-star fully catered lodges. In addition to the daily planned group activities, sign the kids up for an Easter egg-making class and egg hunt on the weekend.
2. Take it Down a Notch with a Spa Treatment:
For something that focuses slightly more on the ‘indoor’ spoil (although you’ll find yourself at the ocean’s edge), settle for a weekend of pampering at Arniston Spa Hotel and its Ginkgo Spa, approximately an hour’s drive from De Hoop Nature Reserve in the direction of Cape Town. Choose from one of the hotel’s sixty rooms including VIP, luxury, sea and pool facing suites according to what best suits your pocket. The restaurant will also cater for your culinary needs to a tee with its delectable seafood menu – a trademark of the restaurant revered among locals and visitors alike.
3. Aim a Tad Further, to the Southern-most Tip of Africa:
A short driving distance from Arniston, also towards Cape Town, you’ll find Agulhas Country Lodge, where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans crisscross. An idyllic destination to unwind and take a break from long work weeks and the school term’s hustle and bustle, the quaint lodge, built from natural limestone, has eight en-suite sea-viewing rooms. After experiencing the restaurant’s fine dining options, head toward the classic cigar lounge, which is a post-meal favourite for those who enjoy cognac and top quality cigars.
4. In the Mood for a Longer Distance Trip:
Although a popular destination among tourists, Zuurberg Mountain Village in the Addo Elephant National Park (Eastern Cape), a mountain-top Edwardian Village set in 160 hectares of indigenous vegetation, offers a sought-after Easter experience within easy reach for locals. Or, if you’re outside the province, and keen for the ‘long haul’, surprise the family with a long distance road trip to Addo. The village cottages make for the perfect accommodation for young families and larger groups, with more than enough indoor/outdoor space to roam, giving you peace mind when it comes to your little ones’ wanderings. The range of activities include game drives, hiking trails and spa treatments.
This holiday, tuck in with Zuurberg’s annual Easter Sunday buffet on Sunday 1 April. Think creamy soups and home-baked bread for the entrée, crisp salads to hot and cold sea fare, a delicious carvery, seasonal vegetables and a dessert spread that is seldom found at your everyday eatery. For a humble finish to a well-rounded meal, guests receive the floor manager’s personal thank you and a little something to tame the palate from his antique liquor trolley.
Pictures:Supplied