Tulbagh Western Cape – Small Town, Big Heart

Tulbagh – Small Town, Big Heart

Last week I had the privilege of attending the Tulbagh Tourism AGM. I was invited to do a quick talk on social media to the Tourism Board members during the AGM. Normally I wouldn’t drive just over an hour to do a 15 minute talk BUT I had previous meet 3 of Tulbagh’s residents on one of my Social Media Marketing Courses, and based on their description of Tulbagh I had to see things for myself. So glad I did.

The AGM itself was held at Montpellier, I can’t really comment on the venue as by the time we arrived it was almost dark and we left after the meal and a few glasses of good red. Meting the tourism board members was an absolute pleasure, all the people we spoke to where 
passionate about their town and each had a wonderful offering. 

Our accommodation for the evening was the Tulbagh Hotel who had very kindly provided two rooms for me and my assistant Carol. The Tulbagh Hotel is situated on one of the two main roads and from the outside it has a distinct Dutch feel, however inside there are some big changes on the go. My room was one of the newly renovated bedrooms, called the Proetea Room. The room was very spacious with a king size bed, wood burner, and modern trimmings. There is a dressing area which leads into a huge bathroom area fitted with a shower big enough to throw a party in and a lovely big bath. After lighting said wood burner, Carol and I settled down to some work on our laptops and a glass or two of very yummy red wine from the area … (gift from the one of the AGM members)  

After a great night’s sleep we were treated to a well presented full English breakfast in the dining area, a large fire place was the central focus of the room with an oversized couch “very tempting” But the fine folk of Tulbagh had some treats in store for us. After a brief meeting we were off to Horse About for a morning ride. What a treat, the horses were well turned out ex polo ponies with comfy saddles and good tack. Our guide Jo had infinite patience with my lack of riding skills keeping the group motivated and safe. 

The views were to say the least spectacular, the valley seems to go on for eternity, all too soon we were back where we started and it was off to our next appointment at the one of a kind Readers Restaurant.
 Our host, Silwood trained Cordon Bleu Carol Collins prides herself on offering an international quality dining experience, and she certainly didn’t disappoint. My assistant Carol was smitten with her mussel and sweet potato soup starter, catering to my rather boring and unadventurous pallet for mains Chef Carol whipped up a selection of perfectly cooked and seasoned fillet steak medallions, roast potatoes, lamb filled phyllo parcels, (my favourite) crispy spring rolls and coated, fried  onions.  Chef Carol loves to combine unusual ingredients to produce unique dishes, such as wasabi ice cream and “one I have to try” Rack of lamb with asparagus, pernod and feta. Suddenly I was regretting eating such a large breakfast!

The restaurant has an adjoining gift shop “Curious Cats Gift Shop” which has a wonderful variety of cat themed gifts and local goodies. Readers Restaurant is the oldest building on Church Street and its friendly relaxed atmosphere makes it ideal for a quick lunch time snack or a full blown three course meal from the ample menu.

 All good things come to an end and sadly this was our last stop in Tulbagh before we headed home to Cape Town. But there is one more thing I have to say about Tulbagh, I can honestly say I have never had so many warm hugs from so many genuine people, starting with Heidi, Liana and the wonderful lady at Tulbagh Hotel reception, (sorry didn’t get her name) Jo, Chef Carol and her awesome assistant chef Lisey, not forgetting mutual friend George proud owner of Prima Pizza. I strongly recommend to all of you over stressed South Africans, get down to Tulbagh and experience the warmth for yourself. Will I be back? Silly question - hell yes!

Dam thats good Lamb

Being married into an Afrikaans family has it's advantages. Last Sunday our wonderful brother in law took hubby and I to a little treasure of a restaurant called  "Die Dam Huis" in Melkbosstrand.Our table was booked right next to the open fire which was awesome as it was a rainy cold day... However I did notice that there were plenty of patio and gas heaters around. My brother in law had already convinced us to try the lamb rib roll and mash so for hubby and I it was a no brainier - An added bonus was the lovely authentic Afrikaans setting and the great choice of Laborie Red on the menu.

 To say the lamb was good is an understatement. It was awesome! Hubby and I were well and truly stuffed, and couldn't finish our plates. This didn't stop our brother in law from having his lamb, part of his wife's his carrot cake followed by half his daughters chocolate cake.

 There is a smoking area in the bar which is also comfy. Our host (sorry didn't get her name) ensured we were well taken care of without any hovering inexperienced waiter embarrassing moments type stuff.  She was attentive and informative only at the very last did she mess up by saying (oh you live together!!! to hubby and I ) But hy ho hubby does look very young at the moment - lol So we will forgive her.

The combination of traditional Afrikaans cooking and hospitality proved irresistible, lets face it one thing Afrikaners know how to do is cook. Washed down with the most heavenly red wine, Sunday nap was only a blink away (So glad I wasn't driving)

At just 15 minutes from the Northern Suburbs "Die Dam Huis" is a wonderful Sunday lunch option. Price are not cheap, but neither is the level of service or quality of food. Well worth a visit ...

See you soon - Die Dam Huis

I believe I can fly...

Last week I was invited to try out Para - Motoring, what's that you may well ask? Well the official explanation of Para-Motoring by my new friends at Parapax is "It’s a James-bond like, amazing way to paraglide. Foot launching from the ground, or by trike. Tandem flights on a PPG mean we can takeoff and fly nearly anytime and from a lot of great places. The bonus of Powered flight is the fact that we are much surer we can spend time in the air. It takes us 5 – 10mins to get ready to launch, and even less to pack up again afterwards. Powered paragliding (ppg) is the most incredible way to fly!" Ok; so that's the expert take on it, now not being much of a James Bond type myself I really wasn't that sure if this was for me, but hy ho you only live once so what the hell ...

Arriving at the Chucker Sports field, Stef the owner of Parapax was already in the air on a solo flight. Watching him from the ground it all looked very easy. On spotting us arrive he finished off his flight and made a graceful landing. Stef has an uncanny way of relaxing a person with his quick humor and obvious experience.  He also moves at the speed of light. Before I could find a sensible reason to chicken out I was harnessed up and ready to fly. (P.S I found out afterwards he is also a hypnotist ) - maybe that explains how I found myself standing inside a small frame with Stef yelling "run forest run" - lol.

Stef Checking my harness

Once all the kit was checked by Stef he explained to me how we were going to take off. Not the most elegant of maneuvers I might add, and hellish on the legs as we had little to no wind. But after three attempts and plenty of hard work by Stef, my feet left the ground and we were airborne. Now the cool thing about para motoring is that with an experienced pilot like Stef at the controls you can pretty much direct exactly where and how high you want to fly. Nice! Within minutes I found myself relaxing and enjoying the view, its the strangest thing, my sensible mind was screaming "what the ... your not a bird woman" but there was another little voice saying " this is awesome! don't land"

High as a kite!

After about 10 minutes of buzzing around Stef switched off the engine to give me a taste of what Paragliding feels like. It was very different, the only sound I could hear was the light wind (and my own heart pounding like a sledge hammer) If I had to compare the two, I would say Para-Motoring was the more controlled but noisy experience and Paragliding the more natural experience, if that makes any sense.

All too soon we were heading for our landing, which I must say I was dreading. I had nothing to worry about as we came to a soft, pain free stop on Terra Firma.

The grin on my face was now wrapping round my ears and I felt like I could run a marathon, however my legs had the consistency of jelly so that wasn't going to happen any time soon. I felt a mixture of relief and exhilaration, but mostly I felt very alive.

Will I do it again - hell yes, in fact I am going the whole hog next time with a Paragliding experience off of Lions Head. To answer Stef's question "Wanna get high?" Ah yes please, see you on Lions Head dude.

Thanks Stef and Parapax for an awesome experience 

Quay 4 A Cape Town Tradition

Today I discovered a new side to Quay 4 at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Instead of opting for our usual spot in the Tavern, we ventured upstairs to the more formal restaurant setting. A delicious blast of air conditioning greeted us, very welcome on a steaming hot Cape Town Sunday. We opted to sit inside to take in a little more air conditioning (there is a balcony for those who wish to sit outside and smoke)

We were greeted by our friendly and professional host who showed us to our table. Starched white table clothes greeted us, as well as a well presented table setting. Our waitress was soon at the table taking our drinks order, she also saw how hot and bothered we were and suggested some iced water whilst we waited for the drinks (very appreciated)

The atmosphere is far more laid back and sophisticated then the bustling, vibrant Tavern just down the stairs. That is not the only difference. The menu is far more sophisticated then the Tavern and bonus, it also has Sushi.

Hubby opted for a grilled Kingklip, my son choose the smaller of the two seafood platters and I predictably had a Sushi Platter.

Our meals arrived in good time, all where beautifully presented and the portion size was good. (P.S the pricing is not hugely different from the Tavern downstairs) My Sushi was excellent, hubby was very impressed with his Kingklip and my son did very well with his not so small platter.

Another lovely touch was the glass of gorgeous champers we were brought by our smiling waitress, completely out of the blue. All in all I can say we thoroughly enjoyed our meals. After two years of going to the Tavern I cant believe we hadn't tried upstairs sooner. If it's a more sophisticated laid back venue your looking for then upstairs is the place to be. But lets not forget what put Quay 4 on the map in the first place, if your looking for a trendy, vibrant value for money place to eat, the Tavern is the place to be.

Not often you get such variety in one venue. We will be back that's for sure ...