BEACHES, BRAAIS & BUSHVELD

On arrival into Cape Town, your first port of call will be the iconic Cape Grace, which is found on the bustling Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. Setting up base at this prestigious address, go exploring the sights and sounds that the Mother City is most famed for; enjoy a cable car right to the top of Table Mountain, visit the famous light house at Cape Point – where you can admire the magnificent sight of two oceans meeting - or sun yourself on the beaches of Camps Bay and Clifton Beach. By night, indulge in Cape Town’s abundant restaurant scene, making sure to visit Long Street, Green Point and the Malay quarter, Bo-Kaap. During your stay, you and the children will be taken on a half-day tour to see the African penguins at Boulders Beach and also take part in a scavenger hunt, where you’ll explore the city on foot, meeting people, making crafts, eating delicacies and learning about the city’s history as you go.

In Cape Town, you’ll collect your rental car and head for the open roads of the stunning Garden Route. You’ll travel through quaint South African towns, past the whale-watching capital of the world, Hermanus, and circle around Walker Bay to rest at the five-star, Grootbos, a remote lodge with breath-taking landscapes, surrounded by ancient Milkwood forests. Home to the Marine Big Five (whales, sharks, dolphins, seals and penguins), walk along the pristine beaches and keep a sharp eye out as you can spot these great creatures from the coast. Sitting high above the bay, the contemporary suites are set amidst the area’s natural splendours, and with natural textures, neutral colours and large windows, feel yourself warmly enveloped by this luxury eco-reserve.

Make time to stop at Cape Agulhas - the southernmost point in Africa- as you follow the coast to Plettenberg Bay. Set in the pristine countryside near to the picturesque bay, Kurland Hotel is an intimate retreat, with beautiful suites scattered between the original Cape Dutch homestead and fragrant rose gardens. With exquisite rooms and dramatic views, image long, lazy days in the gardens sipping cooling drinks, or in the swimming pool playing a game with the children. You can have someone watch the little ones while you have a massage in the spa or if you prefer to stay active, you can walk, bike or quad around the 700-hectare estate. With so much space on the property, the owners have built a tennis court and stables, so you can practice your serve before jumping on a horse for a riding lesson or even to try your hand at polo. Further afield, you and the children can go to the lovely beach at Keurboomstrand or go zip-lining through the treetops in the Tsitsikamma Nature Park.

Continuing along the Garden Route, you’ll make your way through Jeffrey’s Bay, one of the most popular surfing addresses on the continent, and past Port Elizabeth, the ‘Windy City’, to Kwandwe Private Game Reserve. For your final three nights, you’ll be raised above Big Five-filled bush at the funky yet child-friendly Kwandwe Ecca Lodge. Offering a malari-free safari, spend your mornings and evenings watching elephants take dust baths, lions laze in the morning sun, leopards on an evening hunt and large eagles soar overhead. Break up the game drives with a dose of spa bliss, some leisure time spent lounging around the pool or by tracking rhinos with a specialist ranger for an up close encounter that you’ll never forget (please note the rhino tracking is only suitable for children 16 years and older).