Cape Town accommodation is best in Riebeek West - By: Robert Thomson, Posted on: 2008-10-04

Spring is officially here. Enough with rain clouds dampening our spirit! Cape Town is not a city that looks best when drenched in rainfall. That moniker falls to New York or London. When I picture Cape Town, I see a bright sun heating us as we walk to work and a fresh breeze cooling the sweat on our backs. Cape Town is about fun, exploration and lazy days spent on the beach. We know this, the world knows this but the seasons are not aware of this important fact yet. As I write these words, the wind is chilly and the sun hides behind gray clouds of rain. I look forward to spring every year and the eventual development of summer. Yet there was a fantastic vacation I took before the winter season ended.

The pre-Spring tour I embarked on was a trip with my family to Riebeek-West. Situated in the Swartland, where the air is fresh, the people are friendly and the wine is tasty (and cheap). My girlfriend and I had the delight of staying at a lovely bed and biscuit. It was a very cheap one night stay at some old dear’s country home. With no uncertainty I can attest to the most relaxing night’s sleep I have had in years. Preceding our overnight stay, we travelled onwards and sampled many indigenous wines from the area. Allesverloren, Riebeek Cellars, Kloovenburg and Pulpit Rock were some of the amazing wine estates we visited in our quest for the perfect bottle of wine.

The restaurants were no slouch either. We ended up driving around for two hours, getting directions from friends on our mobile phones for the best restaurant. In the end, we chose a restaurant where they specialised in wood frying everything. The pizza, the lamb shanks and even the calamari steaks are fried to perfection in a blazing hot oven (the chef noted that the temperature was at a constant 750°) which cooks all the food at microwave speeds. I can attest to the food being nothing short of fantastic. The lamb shank my cousin ordered had a delicious oven baked taste and my girlfriend’s calamari was outstanding, tender and juicy. I played it safe and had the pizza. The best pizza ever. As I rewrite these words, the taste of the cheese, feta and chilli comes rushing back into my mouth, as if it never left me.

At the same time, an Afrikaans festival was kicking off in the town closest to us [Malmesbury] called the Molfest. This was the largest Afrikaans festival known to man, with its tendrils reaching into every facet of this small, country town. We arrived the morning before it had begun and the town was already a hive of activity. The townsfolk skittered around the tight street corners, making arrangements and readying their shops for the influx of the eventual tourist explosion. We left Malmesbury centre early in the afternoon and the morning after we returned was a sight to behold. It was as if the town had become a ghost town. The only sound was of a dry sucking that a homeless man made as he pulled the last drop of methylated spirits out of his bottle. Some events are too large for small towns it seems.

I will never forget my time in Riebeek West. It also marked the last time my cousin and I had a holiday together, as he left for Ireland a short time afterwards. The best times of your life are also the most fleeting. I heartily recommend this particular self-tour to anyone remotely interested in Cape Town. It showcases our out -of this world wines and the lush countryside scenery the Western Cape is famous for.

Article Source: http://articlevally.com

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated