I’ve been thinking about how I could bring you fantastic posts featuring honeymoon ideas. Apart from an interesting or unusual looking hotel that I can rave about just from looking at the images on the internet, I can’t really tell you about a place unless I’ve been myself. So I’ve decided to ask others! And not just any others… photographer others!
The images photographers can provide will be just as good (if not better) than the brochure but have much more meaning behind them :) I asked Steph Oakes, a photographer and friend, if she wouldn’t mind sharing her’s and husband Andy’s honeymoon with us.
Steph sent back such a detailed report and so many amazing images that the post is so much better than I could ever have done through web research alone! It’s rather long because it features 4 areas to visit in South Africa and I had to feature pretty much every photo she sent to me! But if you’re looking for a honeymoon or holiday idea then this one’s for you…
Honeymoon locations
Situated at the foot of Table Mountain, Cape Town’s setting is simply stunning. There’s an abundance of activities to choose from to suit every visitor. From action-packed adventures such as abseiliing or paragliding, immersing yourself in the culture taking in many museums & galleries, visiting the vineyards of Constantia or just lazing away the day on one of the many beaches…
Where to stay
The Bay Hotel: overlooking Camps Bay Beach, The Bay Hotel is a great base to explore Cape Town and surrounding areas. The hotel itself is really lovely, with an amazing pool/sunbathing deck, gorgeous rooms and a fabulous bar which is the perfect place for Sundowners whilst watching those magical African sunsets.
Other recommendations
The Grand Daddy – purely because it has seven airstream trailers on the roof that have been converted into guest suites! (I actually wrote a post on this awesome place here! A perfect example of me sharing a place based purely on looks without actually having been myself!)
Cape Grace
Mount Nelson
Kensington Place
What to do
There are soooooo many different things to do in Cape Town, it could keep you occupied for weeks on end, but as you will probably only have a few days to explore, some of the more ‘well known’ things to see/do are listed below:
Beaches: the best beaches are Camps Bay, Llandudno and Clifton. Camps Bay is a huge palm-tree lined beach backed by some very cool bars and restaurants. Sandy Bay Beach in Llandudno is a naked one, but gorgeous {and always good for a giggle!} Clifton is made up of four beaches; First beach is for everyone, second beach for couples, third beach for the muscly people and fourth beach for families and the beautiful crowd!
Robben Island: for more than 400 years Robben Island was a notorious prison, incarcerating numerous anti-apartheid fighters including Nelson Mandela. Today it is a World Heritage Site with a fascinating tour of the island and the prison. Interestingly the tour guides are actually ex-prisoners and ex-warders that have come together to share their experiences with you.
Cape of Good Hope: the drive down to the Cape of Good Hope is just stunning. We drove from Cape Town via the infamous Chapman’s Peak Drive (gorgeous scenery, be prepared to stop every 5 mins in awe!) and back along the False Bay Seaboard taking in the penguins at Boulders Beach and the colourful beach huts of Muizenberg. The Cape is a beautiful place to while away a good few hours, whale spotting and walking.
Bo Kaap: hidden away at the foot of Signal Hill, the ‘Cape Malay Quarter’ is full of character, and very colourful houses, and is one of the more interesting areas of Cape Town to explore on foot.
Table Mountain: depending on how fit you are feeling you can hop on the rotating cable car that will whisk you to the top in minutes whilst offering stunning views over Cape Town {the unfit/lazy choice – this was us by the way!} or you can follow one of the walking tracks and schlep up the mountain! Apparently this gives you a greater sense of achievement once you reach the top {!}, although they do recommend to go on a guided walk for safety reasons. On a clear day, you can see for miles and the views are breathtaking. There are numerous walks around the top of the mountain too should the ‘lazy cable-car people’ feel ashamed once they arrive at the top as fresh as a daisy and notice others looking rather puce and sweaty!
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens: a really beautiful walk and they have fantastic concerts in the gardens during the summer.
V & A Waterfront: the waterfront is the most popular spot in the city for shopping, eating and drinking.
Lions Head: known for its spectacular views over Cape Town (and Table Mountain), the hour long walk up to the top is well worth it. Take a bottle of wine and join the masses as you watch the sun set over one of the most diverse cities in the world.
‘French Corner’ in Afrikaans, Franschhoek has become the gourmet capital of South Africa, with award-winning wines, world-class restaurants and stunning hotels. Located only 70km from Cape Town, Franschoek is a must-visit destination on your South African adventure.
Where to stay
La Petite Ferme: We stayed in the ‘deluxe vineyard suite’ for 2 nights whilst on our honeymoon and it was gorgeous. With its own private pool overlooking the vineyards and valley beyond, our french-inspired suite was perfect in every way. Oh and if you do stay, don’t forget to sign up to their cellar tour and have lunch here. The food is incredible and the cellar tour was fascinating {and we got to drink copious amounts of award-winning wine afterwards which is always a bonus!}
Other recommendations:
Le Quartier Francais
Mont Rochelle
Akademie Street Boutique Hotel
La Residence
What to do
Wine tasting, wine tasting and more wine tasting! There are so many vineyards to choose from the list is endless, but the more ‘famous’ ones include Boschendal, Boekenhoutskloof and Solms Delta Farm. For the animal lovers amongst you, you can experience wine tasting on horseback departing from the Mont Rochelle equestrian centre which lasts about 3 hours and takes in two or three wineries or you can visit the Cheetah Outreach programme at the Spiers vineyard where you can engage with and walk a cheetah!
Whale watching: Along The Garden Route, Hermanus is South Africa’s premier whale watching destination and a great base from which to endulge in a spot of shark-diving in nearby Gansbaai.
Where to stay
Birkenhead House
Quite simply one of the best hotels we have ever stayed in. I can’t praise this hotel enough and everything from the staff, the food, the rooms and the location perched on the cliffs is just perfect. Room 5, with our very own little plunge pool was our home for the few days we stayed here and it was just divine! The hotel is also all inclusive – which conjurs up horrendous images of cheap food and alcohol, but here it is anything but. The food is cooked to perfection by award-winning chefs and you can fill your boots with the alcohol on offer! This has been called the ‘best hotel in South Africa’ by some travel writers and I can see why, rather pricey but well worth it for a few days of pure indulgence.
Other recommendations:
The Marine Hermanus
Quarters Hermanus
What to do
Whale watching, by boat and on land along the gorgeous coastal walkways is the number one reason for visiting Hermanus, but there are plenty of other activities on offer to suit everybody including shark cage diving, golf, tours of both local vineyards and/or townships, deep-sea fishing and yoga!
The Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve (located just next door to Kruger) offers stunning scenery and fantastic game viewing.
Where to stay:
Leopard Hills: nominated as one of Tatler’s Top 101 hotels in the world, Leopard Hills is just stunning. As you will be visiting primarily for the game drives, its re-assuring to know that Leopard Hills employs the best rangers and trackers in the business. Quite how they ‘track’ is beyond me, but it meant that we saw the big 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo & rhino) within the first few hours of being on our drive and we were able to find leopards, cheetahs and lions all over the show!
Other recommendations:
Ulusaba
Exeter River Lodge
Singita Boulders Lodge
Dulini Lodge
Lion Sands
What to do
Leopard Hills offers early morning and late afternoon game drives for you to spot the big 5, which also incorporate a coffee/sundowner stop {respectively} in the middle of the bush. The sundowner stop can be slightly unnerving as you are standing in the pitch black drinking your G & T surrounded by lions/leopards/cheetahs/elephants/wild dogs etc etc… but with the measures they give you, you soon forget your worries!
You can also enjoy spa treatments, bush walks, work up a sweat in the gym or just laze around on your deck sunbathing. Just remember to NOT fall asleep on your sunbed as leopards have been known in the past to come and join you! Thankfully we didn’t have such an encounter but we did have an elephant that came a little too close for comfort as it began to drink out of our plunge pool!
How incredible were those images?! More than enough to make me desperate to go to South Africa! I hope anybody who had South Africa in mind for their honeymoon is now off to a fantastic start with their research as to where to go and what to see. And anybody who’s amazed by the images Steph took, be sure to check out her brand new website; she’s also a fantastic wedding photographer!
A huge thank you to Steph for providing me with this fab post and to everybody else… happy honeymoon! :D
Debs & Steph
Photographer Details:
Stephanie Oakes website
Stephanie Oakes blog
Contact
Phone: 07919 340 152
Any photographers out there willing to share their honeymoon or holiday pics, I’d love to hear from you? And you don’t need to be a pro, just able to take a good pic :)
Debs & Anna
