Mountains and beach here we come!!

Yes April, this posting is about another traveling adventure! Next week we will have a pre-Easter or Fall vacation, I have no clue what they call it, but the girls have off from school 13-21 of March. So as usual we don't stay home when the girls are off. There is too much to see and explore here in amazing Africa!

This time it will be a trip with a combination of mountains and beach.

First we drive to Clarens, which is called the jewel of the Eastern Free State.
The village of Clarens is situated in the foothills of the Maluti Mountains in close proximity to the Golden Gate National Park and the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. Clarens is an Artists haven with many well known artists either living in or frequenting the village on a regular basis with many art galleries scattered around the village square. Since I love arts we will have plenty to see and do. We will be staying at Millpond House for 1 night, so time enough to browse around the art galleries and have a delicious lunch in one of the pitoresk cafes. And Clarens has a castle with a Cinderella tower, so the girls will love this fact!


After a day in the mountains it is time for the beach, so we are heading towards the Wild Coast, Eastern Cape which is South Africa’s most spectacular & yet least touristy region with it’s rocky coastline, indigenous forests, secluded coves and many river mouths. We will be staying for 3 nights at Umngazi River Bungalows. This is according to Dirk's colleague Pat a magnificent place, he recommended it to us and supposedly this place is always fully booked months in advance. The location is really spectacular!! Well, we will see... I am looking forward being pampered there, since it is also a SPA!! YEAH, that is what a girl wants ;-) There are plenty of activities to do for children, so the girls won't be bored while I am being spoiled with a hot-stone massage!




After that we will stay 2 days at Willowdale lodge, a classic country lodge. Set on a historic working farm in the heart of the East Griqualand Highlands, our relaxed environment and historic lodgings combine perfectly to ensure a memorable stay. With 10 spacious en-suite rooms, large country fireplaces, huge rambling gardens and a sumptuous selection of food in our Coffee Shop, Deli and Dining room, your stay is sure to be a sensual and gastronomic delight. In keeping with the country philosophy, we make our own yogurts and bread, get our milk and eggs from the farm, grow our own vegetables and herbs and take pride in their passage from the farm to your plate.



The girls did some growing veggies at school, so they can explore the vegetable and herb garden here, we can go mountain biking and hiking, so a bit of activities after lounging at the beach for 3 days. We need to move our buds a bit as well!! LOL



Then to end our trip we will be heading towards Tenahead Mountain lodge. In a remote region of South Africa where three mountain ranges meet - the Drakensberg, the Witteberg and the Maluti - lies a very special place where the hand of man has brushed it but lightly, beautiful San rock art being the only sign of its former inhabitants. Tenahead is 3 500 hectares of unspoilt mountains, valleys and streams. Situated approximately 2500m above sea level Tenahead Lodge is the highest up- market lodge in South Africa.



The girls can try-out some horse back riding while we are sipping a vino by the fire place and relax from the fresh mountain air, these last 3 days will be just about reading a good book and relaxing!! Can't wait!

LIFE IS GOOD!!

This will be our last trip before we are heading to Thailand.... Did I tell you already that me and the girls will be for 2 months in Thailand during the World Soccer Cup here in SA? June and July the girls and me will be on Koh Samui for 6 weeks, then Dirk will join us in our beach house for a few days before we are heading to travel throughout Thailand for 2 weeks. But I will tell you more about this trip in another posting!!

I told you we like traveling :-)
Have a good day!
Mireille