Real Postcards

Accommodation

The Vineyard Hotel and Spa, and Ellerman House in Cape Town; Makanyane Safari Lodge in Madikwe Game Reserve; and The Palace of the Lost City in Sun City

Favourite activity

In Cape Town we enjoyed visiting the Franschhoek winery region for lunch at La Petite Ferme, and also going Shark Diving in Kleinbaai Harbour. The drives through Madikwe early in the morning and at dusk in the reserve’s open vehicles were incredible, and we loved visiting the Valley of the Waves in Sun City

Best thing about your accommodation

The Vineyard Hotel had a wonderful view of Table Mountain and provided great rooms for a reasonable price. Ellerman House was more expensive but was absolutely beautiful - it was a private house before being turned into a hotel, and the view of over Bantry Bay was spectacular, as was the service there.

The food at Madikwe was amazing and the service was also fabulous! The villas overlooked a river so we got to see a lot of game during the day just outside our room, however always felt extremely safe as there were large glass windows to separate us if need be.

Tips or advice

In Cape Town, set aside time to visit Camps Bay for a beautiful sunset dinner.

Madikwe Game Reserve is not as commercial as Kruger National Park, so the whole experience much more intimate; we got to see 4 of the big 5 species plus many more animals. There is no malaria problem here either which makes everything a lot easier!

The rooms at Palace of the Lost City are not fabulous however the whole experience is wonderful there. Make sure you keep your balcony doors locked, as we saw first-hand how the baboons can get into a room very quickly when this rule is not obeyed!