Relaxation Only A Short Drive Away

Getting away is such a mission, right? There is never time to relax, right?
Wrong...

Cape Town offers so much to it's residents in the way of relaxing getaways. This past weekend I took her up on one such offer. To celebrate 3 glorious months with my better half, and also our first official dinner date, I could think of nothing better than a night away from the city and a nice meal.

The beautiful town of Franschhoek was the destination. We had booked a gorgeous room at the Protea Hotel Franschhoek, one of my favourite out-of-town hotels. Seriously, if you haven't stayed there yet, what are you waiting for? Next Weekend is the Bastille Festival, so if you haven't booked yet, you might want to sort that out. But Franschhoek is so beautiful, you don't need to use an event as an excuse to visit.

We decided to have a cheese and wine afternoon while watching the rugby (I know, right! I got to watch the rugby on a romantic getaway..this one is a keeper!). We opened an absolutely stunning De Grendel 2007 Merlot (another wine estate in our backyard that I must make time to visit) and this went very well with the mini cheese platter which the hotel had provided.

With Compliments

We also brought along a piece of Marisch which we had spotted at the Checkers Cheese Festival in April.
Thankfully, Anura Vineyards have made this cheese available at Woolworths. It is such a delicious cheese and pairs well with fig and melon preserve.

This wine region offers such quality with regards to Wine Estates as well as restaurant options. Part of the charm of Franschhoek is that you won't find a Spur or Mugg & Bean (yes, there is a Col'cacchio, but that's still better on the franchise scale than a , say, Panarottis). To this end, we decided to book a table at Dutch East Restaurant. This came highly recommended by my brother-in-law, and I can see why.

We managed to secure a table close to the fireplace, which came in handy, as Franschhoek in winter can get rather chilly. The restaurant has such a relaxed atmosphere and the service is fantastic. Nelly was very courteous and friendly. They also have a decent wine selection. I spotted the Ernst Gouws & Co 2011 Shiraz on the menu, which I am dying to try (nudge, nudge, wink, wink Ernst Gouws), but ultimately settled on a bottle of The Wolftrap Red.

Wine Time

Nice and Warm

Dinner consisted of the Ladies Sirloin (for the lady) and the Rump Steak (for me), served with veg and fries.
And the only way the meal could be made better, was by adding coffee and Chocolate Fondant..

Dinner

Dessert

The thing about Franschhoek in winter, is that things tend to quieten down fairly early. Which isn't a bad thing when you're planning a relaxing time away. After an early night and then a bit of a lie in, we woke to a rainy Franschhoek. The perfect end to a relaxing time away.

Lazy Rainy Morning

We live in a beautiful part of the world. I think it's time you got out there and explored it for yourself..

N

*Thanks to LJ for the use of her Instagram pics..