The Western Cape has a lot to offer the visitor and resident alike. Within an hour or two from Cape Town are a multitude of quaint, homey small towns that offer stunning scenery, beautiful natural features and relaxation.

Travel an hour up the east coast and you’ll find Hermanus, a small coastal town, famous for the migration of the whales in autumn. Flanked on one side by the tiny seaside town Onrus, and on the other the by the smaller farming town of Stanford, the Hermanus area is a great spot for a weekend or even a day out, offering great eating out, art, craft markets, and even a movie screening on Friday nights.

In the town of Hermanus there is a variety of brilliant local restaurants, such as Savannah café, an owner-run café, serving delicious light lunches and delectable cakes. Just outside Hermanus, on the Stanford road is a local microbrewery, the Birkenhead, where visitors can sit and sample all the beer in the weak afternoon sunshine, while enjoying the tranquil views of the valley.

Over the hills and far away…well, through the mountains and about a two and a half hours drive, lies the tiny town of Montagu. In the Robertson valley, this area has become popular over the years for the amazing quality of wines, particularly sweet muscadel and red wines.

Another draw card for the area is the Hot Springs. Visitors to the Montagu area can go the hot springs, just out of town, for R60 for a day pass, or you can stay in the Avalon Springs resort and have unlimited access to the healing hot waters. Even if you don’t believe they’re as magical as the website would have you believe, you can’t deny that wallowing in hot pools isn’t relaxing.

The town of Montagu is a study in old world charm. From the Victorian era farmhouses, Cape Dutch gabled homes and the art deco Montagu Country Hotel, the town is a beautiful mix of architecture and natural beauty. Dispersed among the houses are vineyards and orchards, intensifying the country feel of the town.

Food in Montagu is homey and old-fashioned; accommodation in the guesthouses is personal and friendly, making this a short holiday to remember. The landscape offers much in the way of photo opportunities, with dramatic mountainous backdrops and orderly vineyards, stretching away into the distance.

So next time you have itchy feet and need to get away, think closer to home, within a few hours any side of Cape Town, you can find a beautiful little town, delicious wines and food, and come back rested and relaxed.

Article by Sigi

I wish I could explain what chaos yesterday had been. It was a bit of a “Human Traffic” type situation. Like the British movie about club culture. (An absolute must see if you a secret stash of white gloves somewhere…or well if not)

Anyway. Yesterday went something like this. I was one really disappointed puppy when I found out that, because of my own idiocy I didn’t get hold of tickets to go see one of my all time favourite Djs. Global dance brand, Godskitchen and Urban Wave brought Armin van Buuren to SA to come wow the crowds. To make it a double whammy; the tickets were all sold out. (what a surprise…Note hint of sarcasm)All of my ‘chosen family’ (watch the movie) were set. With about 12 hours before the party I set out on the very unlikely quest to find two tickets.

I must admit that I became quite worried when I saw that it seemed that everybody else had left it last-minute-dot-com too. And the entrepreneurs were laughing all the way to the bank. Tickets were selling for up to 2800 smackaroos…Yes I couldn’t believe it was possible either. Were there really people with that much money and that little sense? (Well I guess it is a situation of supply and demand) I think it must have been fate. With a few hours to spare an angel of a woman happen to find herself in a situation, knowing people that couldn’t go anymore. She organised me not one,…not two, but three tickets. I wanted to drop dead at that exact spot I was that happy.

We proceeded to start the evening with 100% Agave…Enough about my tequila drinking habits though. Point being, we were suited-up and ready to party. The drizzle and the gale force winds did not deter the eager house/dance/rave (whatever you want to call it) enthusiast and they weren’t disappointed. The Bellville Velodro was packed.

**The ZestCulture team found it odd that we were told no cameras were allowed when nearly every single mobile phone on the market now has a camera in it? Seriously?!**

Godskitchen showcased their ‘Boombox Concept’ to South Africa. It is a unique architectural, multimedia, visual and music concept. The structure that stands at 16m wide, 8m high and  6m deep, combines projection technology, hidden lighting and special effects to create this amazing visual show. Adding a whole new dimension to the performance.

Dean Fuel had a good set. Proving that South African DJs can give the international ones a run for their money. But anticipation was building and all the crowd wanted was the man they all came for…they all started calling Armin’s name.

The second Armin stepped on stage and started his set the crowd went ballistic. I was blown away by the Boombox structure. Talk about sensory overload! The crowd lapped up every element of his performance. Wow. He put most other live performances of its kind in South Africa to shame. Definitely an evening to remember!

Here is the preview to Human Traffic. The Milky Bars are on me!

So is anyone else loving winter?! I don’t mean to sound like one of the crazies, but have you noticed that the weather has been delightfully spring-like lately AND we have a proliferation of incredible winter specials.

Note: winter specials and NO winter weather! SCORE!

Alright, here are a few I have personally tried out. It is by no means an exhaustive list, but it might get you started. For a proper, really good, very inspirational list go to Relax With Dax. That is where I go when I need inspiration.

Okay. To be begin.

Last Saturday I went to Sinn’s Restaurant, and had their special. This special offers 2 courses for R125 and 3 courses for R135, both with a glass of wine. Very good value people. Very good.

They change the specials menu daily, I think, but we had, between three of us, Thai fishcakes, potato and leek soup, and French onion soup, for starters. For mains we had chicken tikka and angelfish, and malva pudding for desert. The wine left a bit to be desired, especially the chardonnay, which was woody, but the red was palatable. The food was beautifully presented, and tasted great. The service was attentive, and decent, though there was a moment (eating chicken tikka) when I could have killed for a glass of water, and could not locate a waiter. But nevertheless, this comes highly recommended.

Next (the same weekend, yes I do cook, but I like to eat out on weekends!), we went to the Hussar Grill, in Camps Bay for their Sunday lunch special. This is a 3 course meal for R89! And they have cocktails! W

ho’d’ve guessed?! It was lovely, old-fashioned, hit the spot like your mom used to food. For starters we had a delicious veggie soup, with grilled French loaf slices, for mains there was roast beef with Yorkshire pud, roast potatoes, spinach and butternut. Delicious! And desert was bread and butter pudding, which I haven’t had since I was a child. You cannot go wrong with such lovely, old-fashioned food!

Lastly, for a special occasion, my boyfriend and I went to Aubergine, to take advantage of their special, since they are a fine dining, delicious and usually expensive place. Well, the special is great for a fine dining place. It’s not special if you’re after something cheap. Cheap it is not. It is very good value for money especially for such fine food. Back before the recession, before I graduated and found a real job, back when I was a student and a waiter and could afford dinners like this, we used to go to fine dining establishments often. Well, how things changed.

It would be impossible to describe the wealth of flavours that Harald Bresselschmidt, cuisinier of Aubergine manages to work into his food. I have not got enough words to describe the divine quail starter, the mussel and swordfish broth, or the blesbok. I won’t even try. If you have a small special occasion, a friend in town, anniversary, have nothing to eat tonight. GO. Go now. It is very, very worth the money you spend. But a word to the wise. Stay away from the exorbitantly priced wine list. It’s not that it isn’t good wine, I just think R265 is a bit steep for a nice, but ordinary shiraz. That’s just my opinion, use it, don’t use it.

So, for more specials, a very exhaustive list, go see Relax with Dax. And if, like me for the rest of the month, you have to stay home from over-indulgence in specials, go see What on Earth’s for Dinner? for some inspiration for the eternal question.

Article by Sigrid

Yes, in case you live under a rock, today it is exactly one year, that’s 365 days to kick off of the FIFA 2010 World Cup South Africa!

If you’re walking or driving around Cape Town today, you’ll notice a certain feverishness in the air. An Arial advert together with a Cape Town Topless Tours bus driving around, with revellers blowing vuvuzela’s (how do you DO that?!), waving streamers and generally celebrating a milestone in SA history.

It is said that the President, our Premier and the Fifa President are celebrating in style at the Greenpoint Stadium today. I wonder how that party will go?

In exactly a year, South Africa will play host to one of the biggest sporting events in the world.

Soccer is immensely popular in South Africa, more so even than rugby, and the imminent arrival of thousands of soccer fans is only heightening that excitement. More than 630 000 of three million have already been sold, just a hint of the immense excitement building for next year’s games.

Restaurants, clubs, guesthouses, lodges and spas, all businesses are feverishly preparing themselves to handle the influx of tourists; people are renting out their homes close to the stadia to foreign fans eager to be close to the action.

Cape Town alone will play host to more than 150 000 sports fans, travelling from far and wide. So far over 30 000 Germans alone are coming. Sheesh. That’s a LOT of people. Where will we put them? They’ll be eating out, going out,

partying and celebrating!

Well people, prepare yourselves, rent your house, buy your tickets, prep your friends, and Zestify your attitude, ‘cause the World Cup is hitting SA, and we’ll be ready for it!

Article by Sigi

So the time has come to announce the winner of the the Swellengrebel Weekend Getaway competition. The winner will get full paid weekend for 2 in the heart of the overberg at the Swellengrebel Hotel. The lucky readers will be be spending the time in the hotel’s Honeymoon suite. This prize also includes breakfast with all the trimmings. During their stay in Swellendam there are many activities to keep them busy out and about such as Two feathers horse trails and the Continent of Sulina

Enough about all that. Now who is the lucky person……?

We would like to congratulate Esti Strydom for winning the weekend getaway & hope she enjoys her stay at the Swellengrebel Hotel.

Just a reminder that today is the last day to enter the weekend getaway for 2 valued at R7000 at Swellengrebel Hotel in Swellendam. We will be announcing the winner next week Monday.

This weekend saw the Good Food & Wine show at the Cape Town International Convention Center and as usual the show didn’t disappoint. The ZestCulture team having their passion for food, just had to have a stroll-about and sample some of the delicacies. Saying the place was packed is a slight understatement. Which proves that wine combined with food is always a sure fire winner. Especially when the all exhibitors encourage you to fully experience their brand with generous helpings of their wines.

We made our way to the press launch at the Cockspur stand where a tropical party was in full swing. Barbados style. With a full Steel Drum band playing and one very inviting  ice louge keeping the vibe going. Here show guests could also have a chance to dig in the treasure chest and win one of three solid 24 carat  gold Cockspur coins.

Through the course of the show, the South African Bartenders Association kept the crowd entertained. They held the South African Mixology Championship (this is the sophisticated art of making cocktails. Well more along the lines of liquid culinary so to speak) and they also hosted the National Flaring Competition at the festival. The guys mixed, bounced and juggled their stuff with Travis Kuhn of Pure taking the championship, Anil Shaberwal of Shaker SA taking second place & coming in with the bronze at third place was Riaan Strydom from Buena Vista. The rookie flair was taken by Cubana’s Pieter Oosthuizen. CONGRATS guys! You were all AMAZING!

One of my favourite stands was the HoneyWood Farm stand. Here I had a discussion about bees that was quite enlightening. It seems that our bees are under threat & without them no plants can be polinated. No polination means no fruit or veggies but there will be more about this later.

There were a couple a cooking theaters showing people how to bring fine cuisine into their homes. Spier wine farm’s famous restaurant, Moyo was one of the stands with the most informative demonstrations. And if you just couldn’t be bothered to get your hands dirty then you could simply plonk down at one of their table and be served their amazingly innovation African cuisine. Even have their signature face painting done by one of their staff.

Then for dessert we visited the Kahlua stand where Darren Hoffman showed the guests some de-lick-table drinks that could be made using Kahlua to smooshzzz the ladies as he called it. The recipes were defnitely drawing the crowd. Male crowd that is, but I think that also had something to do with the beautiful promoters.

Like with the Cheese & Wine Festival at Bien Donné, once again we came home with bags and bags full of goodies. Well i guess that is the point. And now Henry (the basil plant) has a playmate; William the Rosemary plant…Bless ‘em!

Dune Tours have the adrenalin junkies in Cape Town covered. Here is a far more placid and relaxing experience for you ZestCulture readers that might be traveling to the East Coast. Between the end of May and the first weeks of December the annual Humpback Whale Migration takes place along the East Coast of Africa. Particularly along the coast of St Lucia. Here permitted operator Danie Bennett  has been operating Advantage Charters since the inception of whale watching in South Africa.

Danie is one in a million. Respected amongst scientists for his accurate interpretation and ability to identify species. In 2008 Danie was chosen to be part of a team of scientists from Marine and Coastal Management, the regulatory body for permitted boat based whale watching in South Africa.

Imagine coming face to face with one of the largest animals on earth…this is made possible when going on an tour aboard the Advantage Charters. No experience could be more satisfying  than the sight of a beautiful 40 tonne mammal, launching it’s enormous body clear out of the ocean a mere 50meters from the vessel. Or tail slapping with a majestic tail of about 5 meters. These creatures are huge, yet gentle. Mysterious and as curious about you as you are of them.

Early morning sea temperatures of around 21 degrees are surprisingly warm for those not accustomed to the warm Elephant Coast weather from this sub tropical region. It is for this reason why the Humpback Whale migrate along this coast on their way to Mozambique and Madagascar to breed and calf. A new born calf would not survive the icy waters of the Antarctic. Mothers give birth to their calfs which weighs in at around 700kg and are about 4-7 meters long. The little newborn drinks up to 600 liters of milk per day to be able to build up enough blubber to protect it’s body for the journey back to the Antarctic.

Humpback Whales are the singing whales. The males serenade potential mates with haunting songs that can last up to half an hour. When viewed underwater, their long graceful flippers invoke an incredible sense of weightlessness.

Recent surveys have shown a significant population recovery of Humpback and Southern Right Whales since the termination of whaling. We hope their continued protection will ensure that this extraordinary species will be seen on our coasts in greater numbers.

The St Lucia coastline also regularly has sightings of Southern Right-, Bryde-, Sperm- and  Minky Whales. Dolphins, sea turtles, whale sharks and a variety of  sharks can also be seen.

Whale Watching should be one of the activities on your to-do list. A soul stirring experience never to be forgotten.

Last year the Sexpo saw 35, 000 inquisitive guests walk through their doors. This year organisers were preparing to welcome 45, 000 visitors. On Saturday neither the weather nor any protesters could dampen the mood or mischievous twinkle in anyone’s eye. Let the adventure begin…

Well…yes that was my first thought as I walked in and I was faced with Mount Peni. The world largest inflatable penis. The guys from Gay Travel just laughed at me.

After spending an hour doing some hardcore journalism (*giggle* I was buzzed a few times by some of the stalls sales representatives with various funny looking thingees) we decided to go chill in VIP and take in a show. (on main stage)
ZestCulture was very excited to speak to UK Pole Dancing Champion, Tracey Simmonds after seeing her perform/’wow us’ on main stage. Seems the original idea for her coming to South Africa was to act as judge for the Sexpo’s South African version of the Competition. Tracy has been teaching the techniques of pole dancing fulltime since she has won her title. And her visit to South Africa gave her the opportunity to launch her instructional DVD’s (by the looks of it, this is actually an exercise regime that this ZestCulture journalist wouldn’t mind following)

The Bell of the Ball on the day was definitely South Africa’s first ever Miss Nude SA, Bella Anderson. The twenty one year old has an enthusiasm for her work that is only matched by her zest for life.

No blushing brides in sight, but I must admit I had a blushing editor on my hands at some point. But I don’t think he is willing to let me elaborate. All and all a very interesting and informative day. Went home with lots of goodies – *big naughty grin.*

When I was living in the east you would see it everywhere. No argument was too big for ‘it’ to end it. Children & grownups alike would play it. If you didn’t see it daily, something was wrong. What am I talking about? Why Rock, Paper, Scissors.

On Thursday night Neighbourhood launched their first ever Rock, Paper,  Scissors Grand National Tournament with the help of Red Bull and Grolsch. These guys put a lot of effort into this event. All was organised by managers Adam Klein, Joel Kline and Jonathan Cline. Paul Snodgrass was there to MC the evening & blew the audience away with his knowledge of Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Now this game, although it might seem to be a game kids usually play, can be compared to the likes of chess. For this game is all about strategy. Knowing your opponent and reading what their next choice will be, is what it’s about. Strategy, strategy, strategy.  As the evening progressed it seemed that the gutsy blond named Ricci had the strategy down on this game & was cleaning house.

In the final, the force that is Ricci clashed with likes of RPS machine, Gotti. After an adrenalin fueled match, Gotti walked away with the title of Grand National Champion and of course the R1000 cash prize. Ricci didn’t walk away empty handed though. She won a complimentory meal to spend at Neighbourhood. As you know, according to “The Tarts in Tiaras,” they have the Best Chilli Poppers in Cape Town

The entire event was recorded & will soon be out on Youtube for you guys to check out.