First off, we’d just like to thank you SO MUCH for putting together an truly unforgettable adventure for us. We could not have had a better time. Also, thank you for all the messages for my birthday and also for the card at the Leeu House, we really appreciated it. As for some details on the trip, here are some memorable items from each place we stayed:
Cape Town:
– MannaBay: The hotel is beautiful. We loved the intimate nature of the hotel since it only has 8 rooms, it made the stay extra special. The service was top-notch. We loved their high-tea, which every day had different and delicious food. It was such a unique property having views of both Table Mountain and downtown Cape Town from the breakfast area. Although we used Uber most days, the hotel offered a shuttle service at night from 5PM-12PM, which was very convenient and made us feel extra safe. We would highly recommend this property.
– Food Tour: We LOVED the food tour. Catherine, our tour guide, was our favorite guide of the entire trip. We loved that she brought us to diverse and interesting places. For example, we made samosas in a house in Bo-Kaap, we tried Senegalese coffee on Long Street, we had a wonderful Gin tasting, and explored numerous areas of the city which we would never have found on our own. She practiced responsible tourism by bringing us to stores where the items were made in South Africa by South African artists. We felt like Catherine gave us a genuine feel and understanding of Cape Town and would highly recommend this tour.
– Cape Point: This was our favorite day (not only because it was my birthday). We thought the drive to Cape Point was particularly memorable and exceptionally beautiful. We stopped at a few suburbs to take pictures and use the restroom, but each one was prettier than the next. Our guide – Graham – was so knowledgeable and knew all the best places for pictures, which we appreciated. He was a pleasure to be around and we enjoyed spending multiple days with him.
– Food: Thank you for recommending Short Market Club, we had an absolutely fantastic meal there. We loved all of our dinners in Cape Town but of particular note we would highly recommend Black Sheep and Kloof Street House as our other favorite dinner spots. Also, drinks at Bilboa for the sunset was incredible.
Franschhoek:
– Leeu House: A stunning property, which was also wonderful because of the intimate nature of the hotel. We thought this was the the most luxurious room we had on the trip. The service was spectacular and we would highly recommend the spa. Our favorite wine tastings were: Fairview and Die La Graff, both had amazing properties and wine.
Zimbabwe:
– Old Drift: It is hard to give this a review since the safari experience is so unique, we can’t compare it to any other place we have been. However, we loved our stay. The service was excellent. Our visit to Victoria Falls was magical, we got there for the sunrise and watched it rise over the falls and turn into a rainbow. We did go during the dry season so not all falls were flowing, but it was still beautiful. As for the safaris, we loved our guide and saw so many amazing animals. We saw elephants, warthogs, giraffes, zebras, buffalo, monkeys, hippos, crocodiles and numerous birds. Of particular note was the Elephant Encounter. We absolutely loved that excursion and are so glad we did it.
Again, we loved everything so much and thank you for creating an unforgettable experience for us. If you have any particular questions that would help you plan for future trips, please do not hesitate to ask, we would gladly answer.
Best regards,
Mike and Rebecca (October 2019)
