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S.African Culinary Luxury
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This is not just a South African gastronomic extravaganza. It is a five star tour with depth. It blends food, wine and culture. It will show you where we have come from and where we are going as a nation. You will meet people, some famous, some not so famous, but all passionate about what they do and where they do it. You will experience places of such beauty that you will feel you are living a dream. You will interact with wildlife in a way that will put this brief experience we call life, in total perspective. A culinary celebration of south africa’s diverse roots. At the southern tip of Africa, where two oceans meet in the shadow of landmark Table Mountain, lies the fairest Cape. Known locally as the Mother City, Cape Town is the gateway to our breathtakingly beautiful Winelands and one of the great wine capitals of the world. With its proud culinary history and winemaking tradition, it seems fitting that the Cape was once a refreshment station, where the ships of the Dutch East India Company stopped to stock up on fresh water and victuals on their long voyages to and from the East. In the Cape, the cultures of Africa, Europe and the East have met and mingled for over three centuries, shaping a region both old and new, rich in colourful history and culturally diverse. This melting pot of influences is evident in both our cuisine and wines. Our dishes are as diverse as our people while retaining a uniquely South African flavour. With gastronomy hitting new highs in the Cape, in the city and on the various wine routes you’ll find some of the best restaurants in the country. Using the abundance of superb quality seasonal fruit and vegetables and other local ingredients available – ostrich, venison, perlemoen, crayfish, salmon trout – our chefs create cuisine at the cutting edge of global trends while remaining true to our heritage. Seamless fusion fare blends Europe with the East and Africa. Exotic Malay spices touch base with typically African mielie meal, samp and stews. South African wines are the perfect complement to our cuisine. With a winemaking history dating back more than 300 years, our wines reflect Old World classicism but are also influenced by the New World’s fruit –driven styles. This rare combination makes for wines which are complex yet accessible, refined yet powerful, eloquently expressing the unique terrier and people of the Cape. In the Cape, eating and drinking play an integral part in our daily lives. Come and experience the warmth of our people, taste the sunshine in our wines and celebrate our rainbow cuisine… |
Holiday Details
| Duration |
9 Nights |
From |
01-05-2008 to 30-09-2008 |
Accomodation
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4 * Hotels |
Depart
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Dublin
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Bedroom
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Twin |
Prices From
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€ 3,786 per person sharing
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| Includes |
Flights • Transportation in Luxury air con mini van •Qualified Gourmet guide • 4 x nights at the Table Bay Hotel Hotel • 2 x nights at le Quartier Francais • 2 x nights at Bartholomeus Klip Farm House • 2 x nights at the Steenberg Hotel • All meals & half a bottle of wine with lunches and dinners (exc lunch on day s 1,4 & 10) • Day tours and excursions as mentioned * Taxes and ins are extra. |
Itinerary
Day 1
On arrival at Cape Town International Airport, your gourmet guide will meet and assist the group with their luggage. On route to your hotel, we enjoy a brief stop for champagne and fresh oysters on Signal Hill, which overlooks the city
Check in at the Table Bay Hotel, which holds a commanding position within the vibrant Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. We then descend and return to the Table Bay Hotel. Tonight we start our culinary experience of South Africa, with treasures created by the chef Grant Cullinworth in the elegant, Atlantic Restaurant within the hotel.
Overnight at the Table Bay Hotel
Day 2
Breakfast at leisure in the hotel. After breakfast, we head out for the day, down the Cape Peninsula to visit the “Fairest Cape”. This tour offers the very best of the Cape’s natural and historical heritage. Lunch will be a seafood bar-b-que served at a private home on the Atlantic coastline with, consultant chef Peter Goffe-Wood. After our first hand experience of the natural vegetation of the Cape, it is time to see how it fares on the menu! In the evenign we visit Azure Restaurant and experience “Cooking with Fynbos” After dinner, enjoy a nightcap in the Leopard Lounge before returning to the hotel.
Overnight at the Table Bay Hotel
Day 3
Breakfast at leisure in the hotel. Today we take an enlightening and interactive tour, where we see another side of Cape Town and experience township living. We depart the hotel and proceed through Bo kaap while being given an overview of South Africa's cultural and slave history. Let me stress that this tour is conducted from a positive and progressive point of view. At this township restaurant and cookery school, friendly chef Eric Bingo dish out delicious homemade ginger beer, traditional fare and ubuntu in generous portions. After lunch, return to the hotel and enjoy the rest of the afternoon at leisure.
Day 3 Part ii
This evening we dine at the Chef’s Table, in the kitchen, the heart of the famed Mount Nelson, the grand old dame of Cape Town, affectionately referred to as the Pink Lady.
Mp>Nestling at the foot of Table Mountain and set in nine acres of lush gardens, the Mount Nelson Hotel is one of Cape Town's most elegant hotels offering unparalleled tradition, history and luxury.
Overnight at the Table Bay Hotel
Day 4
Optional Morning Activities:
· Robben Island Tour/Kirstenbosch Botanican Gardens/Golf/Spa treatments
This evening we start with a sunset champagne cruise, out into Table Bay for approximately one hour. For dinner we step into the city and visit three of the hippest restaurants on offer in the form of a “progressive” dinner. After dinner, perhaps visit one of the many upmarket clubs in the city centre for a nightcap, before returning to the hotel.
Overnight at the Table Bay Hotel
Day 5
The Cape Grace is rated one of the best hotels in the world. Flavour combinations are the antithesis of the expected at its sophisticated restaurant with an earth-toned interior back-dropped by incredible views of the yacht marina and Table Mountain. We then bid the Cape Grace and Cape Town farewell and head north en route to the Cape Winelands
With wine tourism one of our top attractions, the Cape Winelands offer a wide diversity. The road north takes us to Franschhoek , which is billed as the food and wine capital of the country - a claim that's easily demonstrated.
Overnight at the le Quartier Francais
Day 6
After breakfast, we explore the wine region of Stellenbosch
On route to Stellenbosch, enjoy a cellar tour and thereafter winetasting with the cellar master, at one of the many wine estates in the region. After a walk through central Stellenbosch, we travel a short distance to Spier Wine Estate, where we have the opportunity to experience the legendary Cape Malay Buffet of Jonkershuis Restaurant.
After lunch, a chnce to explore the estate before returning to Franschhoek in the late afternoon.
Dinner this evening will be a short drive away, in the cellar restaurant of Haute Cabriere on the slopes of the Franschhoek Mountain pass.
Overnight at le Quartier Francais
Day 7
Check out of the le Quartier Francais and continue to Paarl. Paarl, situated on the banks of the Berg River, is overlooked by a huge granite dome at the summit of the adjoining mountain. No culinary tour would be complete without a visit to Bosman’s Restaurant. Bosman’s ranks among the world’s greatest for its superb gourmet cuisine and service. Bosman’s international team of chefs, restaurant staff and sommeliers offer a most memorable dining experience. From Paarl we travel north for Bartholomeus Klip Farmhouse, set in the beautiful Riebbeck Valley. Bartholomeus Klip is an historic wheat and sheep farm and is combined with thousands of hectares of private nature reserve.
Day 8
Breakfast at leisure
For the early birds:
7:30 am: Early morning coffee, tea & muffins.
8:00 am: Visit the buffalo breeding project and get up close to one of the big five.
For those that would like to sleep in, this is your chance!
10:00 am: A full country brunch will be set out.
At leisure for the rest of the day
3:00 pm: Enjoy tea in the boathouse overlooking the large dam
4:00 pm: Go for a bicycle ride in the reserve or take advantage of another game drive to see a different part of the reserve.
8:00 pm: A traditional South African braai ( bar-b-que ) with a gourmet twist will be enjoyed under the stars.
Overnight at the Bartholomeus Klip Farm House
Day 9
Breakfast at leisure
Check out of the Bartholomeus Klip Farmhouse
From the fertile Riebeeck Valley, we return to Cape Town via the arid Swartland and the West Coast. Arrive and check in at the Steenberg Hotel in Constantia. A light lunch will be served on arrival.
Dinner this evening will be at Buitenverwachting ( meaning beyond expectation), an idyllic winelands setting in the historic Constantia valley on a working wine farm. Overnight at the Steenberg Hotel
Day 10
Breakfast at leisure
Morning at leisure
Excursion to a local supermarket in order to purchase ingredients for the evening Potjie Kos cooking competition.
Lunch at leisure
Return to Steenberg for an afternoon siasta in preperation for this evenings gala “cook off” !!
Gala Event - Potjie Kos Cook Off on the estate. Here the skills and accumulated knowledge of all participants will be tested to the full. A traditional method of cooking in a tree legged cast iron pot over an open fire will be used. May the best team wine. May the force be with you!
Prizegiving followed by closing speeches and thank you’s.
Overnight at the Steenberg Hotel
Day 11
Breakfast at leisure
Check out of the Steenberg Hotel. Last but not least, a fitting salute to the Cape and South Africa, will be lunch served at the ever popular Constantia Uitsig. Imaginative food, distinguished wines and world-class service in a sublime setting make a visit to this working wine farm an unforgettable experience. The vineyards of the fertile and historic valley of Constantia, with its maritime climate, benefit from near-perfect conditions. After lunch, those in the group who are returning home today, continue to Cape Town International Airport.
Assistance with check in on arrival.
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