What does luxury mean to you?  A quick Google search defines it as “the state of great comfort and extravagant living”.  Why do we love and even covet luxury so much?  That is simple: It makes us feel good.

We are on a never ending quest to find the ultimate luxurious indulgence in accommodation.  One of those “last minute” discounted websites offered an excellent rate on a night at the Taj Hotel; a group of highly acclaimed, 5 star hotels described as “breath taking” with “legendary hospitality” on their websites. More

Anticipation is a double edged sword: the deliciously long wait before you finally reach your goal, being giddy with joy when you take that last step and then…the fear that you will be let down, that you’ve waiting so long that your expectations cannot possibly be fulfilled.

We’ve been waiting for an opportunity to visit Aubergine for a few years, somehow either the lack of time or the lack of a positive bank balance interfered with this particular item on our “restaurant bucket list”.

Aubergine and its owner, Harald Bresselschmidt, have attained an almost mythical quality: his restaurant has been open since 1996 (on its own not a small feat!), we hear whispers that he shuns restaurant competitions,  his wine collection is wine lover’s wet dream and his food and wine pairing skills border on alchemy. More

The Great Wine Capitals is a Network of nine major global cities in both the northern and southern hemispheres, which share a key economic and cultural asset: their internationally renowned wine regions. The Global Network’s mission is to encourage the economic, academic and cultural development in each of the cities via exchanges and joint projects, especially in the area of wine tourism.

One of the cornerstones of the Network’s activities is the development of wine tourism in and across the Network. To promote wine tourism and award excellence, the Network established an international wine tourism awards program in 2003, called the “Best Of”.

The first stage of the contest takes place in each wine region (Bilbao-Rioja, Bordeaux, Cape Town, Christchurch-South Island, Florence, Mainz, Mendoza, Porto, and San Francisco-Napa Valley) where local prizes are awarded.

A local jury is set up in each city in order to organise the local contest and to proceed to the selection of the application files in the different categories. According to their own criteria each local jury will judge the applications among the different proposed categories according to:

• the quality of services and facilities offered
• the quality and original features of tourism offer
• the customer service (this one is always fun)
• the degree of commitment to developing global wine tourism

The initial motivation to offer the Best Of Tours (or farm trips) to Best Of Wine Tourism Awards entrants was twofold: firstly, to reach a different audience as opposed to traditional media in order to create awareness of the Best Of and Great Wine Capitals; secondly, to alert wineries to the existence of this initiative, and to the value and promotional opportunities it offers, not only through possibly winning a category, but also the extended exposure via social media.

Last year was the first time a Best Of ‘Bloggers’ Tour was operated, and we had great fun visiting the various wineries.  We visited Seidelberg, Plaisir de Merle, Backsberg and Glen Carlou.

 This year we visited Villiera, Warwick, Glenelly, Tokara, Boschendal and Solms-Delta.

One thing that was glaringly obvious from our visits to all 6 of the farms was that the staff (on duty on the day) had no idea that the farm had entered the Great Wine Capitals best of Wine Tourism competition.  The staff (in all instances) had to be prodded to get the relevant information (mostly about sustainable farming practices and tourism services) out of them.

Izak pouring us fabulous Villiera bubbly   &    Warwick Estate’s trademark red

All the tasting room staff could wax lyrical about the wine and gave us excellent service, but had little knowledge of the goings-on outside the tasting room or had to be lead along to give us the information we needed.  Except Solms-Delta – Hilton was such an enthusiastic host, giving us a lot of  information about the farm, the Workers’ Trust and how he has personally benefitted from it, the colourful history of the farm and of course, the wine.

Boschendal style wine tasting & Hilton from Solms-Delta

We’ve come up with a handy guide to these 6 farms:

My pick of the day?  Tokara’s restaurant with the innovative Richard Carstens – picture a starter of salmon topped with soft meringue and a ball of smoked salmon ice cream…  The man is clearly a genius!  The service at Villiera, Warwick, Solms-Delta and Glenelly was excellent and we enjoyed our time there.  Boschendal is a bit of a tourist trap, with a self-read-about-the-wines system and buses full of unsuspecting people stopping by every few minutes.  The very capable Avril from the Green Cab company transported us safely and in good conscience during the day – a handy way to travel!

French elegance at Glenelly & genius on a plate at Tokara with Richard Carstens

We had a fabulous day, travelling from one wine farm to the next and we were blown away by nearly all of the farms.  If this is the state of South African wine farms, we will have no trouble producing another overall winner like Steenberg Estate did last year.

www.greatwinecapitals.com

www.villiera.com

www.warwickwine.com

www.tokara.com

www.glenellyestate.com

www.boschendal.com

www.solms-delta.co.za

The Mount Nelson: A place where British tourists retire to for a summer-in-Africa holiday.  Reliving a bygone era of colonialism; staying in the same room year after year and eating the same menu surrounded by reminders of the days when arriving without your hunting rifle was frowned upon…Not anymore!

The revamp of the old Cape Colony Restaurant earlier this year was more of a transformation; a step into the 21^st century with a fresh, modern, elegant look linking the theme of the Planet Bar to the new Planet Restaurant.  Think classy, with a theme.

The re-invention of the restaurant must surely have given Chef Rudi Liebenberg some creative inspiration as the menu has been completely overhauled as well.  A separate tasting menu for vegans with the a la carte menu clearly defining vegetarian and vegan options reflect the change in demand by patrons.

A spur-of-the-moment decision led us to the Planet Restaurant for dinner and we were not disappointed. Upon arrival we were spoilt with a complimentary glass of Genevieve MCC (R60 per glass) that set the tone for quite an elegant evening. The new décor allows you to sit back, relax and breathe…quite important when ordering a 4 course tasting menu paired with wine!

Compilation of salmon trout: spice cured, smoked, tartare & parfait

The charming sommelier, Carl Habel immediately upgraded our 4 courses to 6 after explaining that this will better showcase Chef Rudi’s food and the wines that he (Carl) had in mind to show us.  Note to everybody out there who’ve ever thought they don’t need a sommelier – visit the Planet Restaurant and listen to this guy speak; he explains everything in such detail: how the oiliness of the salmon (prepared 4 ways: spice cured, smoked, tartare & parfait) and the creamy sauce with lemon were taken into account when choosing the wine (Constantia Uitsig unwooded Chardonnay).

Cured springbok with !nabas, pickled jerusalem artichoke & springbok bitterballen

The food was simply fabulous: beautifully presented and well prepared.    This is a chef who is comfortable in his own skin; his ego is not being served on a plate; this good food made with good ingredients.  Go taste for yourself, you won’t be disappointed.

Beef fillet withe exotic mushrooms, potato foam & mini fondants

The one thing that hasn’t been thrown out with the old piano and Cape Dutch mural is the incredibly high standard of service.  Communication between the sommelier, waiters and head waiter was seamless and almost unnoticeable.  Everybody knew exactly what was on each plate served to us and could explain in detail the processes behind the dish.  While the service exceeded 5 star expectations, none of the staff were the stiff-upper-lip-let’s-intimidate-the-guests-with-our-knowledge-types. They were all friendly, seemed intelligent with a sense of humour and had personality.  I cannot commend the service enough; these guys should be the industry standard in any restaurant, in any country.

Hey Apple! Chef Rudi Liebenberg's take on the humble apple

Back to basics:  The Journey Tasting Menu can be ordered in 4 courses (R220pp) or 6 courses (R300pp) with an optional wine pairing (prices per glass but on average R40 per glass).  An a la carte menu is available with some recommendations by the chef on the first page.

The Planet Restaurant is the place where all aspiring restauranteurs, chefs, sommeliers and waiters should have a meal before embarking on their respective careers and endeavours in the world of hospitality.  This is how it’s done; being perfect is not impossible.

Planet Bar & Restaurant

www.planetbarandrestaurant.co.za (for reservations and the full menu)

Mount Nelson Hotel, 76 Orange Street

021 – 483 1000

Nestled below Table Mountain, between Tamboerskloof and Oranjezicht, lies the leafy old suburb area of Gardens, and in a tranquil cul-de-sac, you will find Welgelegen Guest House.  When entering Welgelegen, you take a deep breath…and feel the peace invade your whole being.

The Guest House could so easily have fallen in the “tourist trap” category, with its proximity to all the usual tourist sights, but it does not.  Welgelegen exudes a charm that comes from the old buildings, the elegant furnishings or the friendly staff; a house at peace…the main building previously housed a professional psychiatric practice but now only provides rest for weary souls.

Welgelegen consists of two houses linked by lavender and rose lined court yard with plunge pool.  There are a total of 13 bedrooms each individually decorated.  Each room has air-conditioning, bar fridges, satellite television and cute dressing gowns.  There is even a therapy room where you can be pampered, massaged and dolled up for an evening on the town.

Small touches show care and just plain common sense: fresh fruit on a plate in every room with a sharp knife, a decent cork screw for the wine in the mini-bar (Waterford Chardonnay and not at re-mortgage-your-house-prices either) and a little note with the next day’s weather with your bedtime chocolates.

Welgelegen provides a delicious breakfast and you can even order French toast (yes they have maple syrup).  My stamp of approval comes after noticing they have Bovril and Marmite on offer!

The beds were comfortable (and huge), rooms large enough to relax in while still feeling intimate.  There’s water pressure and hot water galore and the bathroom products are actually usable – so often these are after thoughts and pretty bottles are refilled with some strip-the-skin-off-your-face soap and oily body cream – this is not the case at Welgelegen.  The public areas are large and there are private areas so you’re not forced to spend your time reading the morning paper with unwanted attention from someone who wants you to translate the latest Malema headline.

The Navigator and I were privileged to stay here twice (and we had a different room every time) after receiving complimentary stay vouchers from the owner.  Our second stay this week was a forced one as we had some plumbing done at our humble abode – thank you, Peter!

You don’t have to go to the moon to experience the Sea of Tranquility and you don’t have to be a tourist to enjoy your own city – just take a short trip up the road to Gardens and be enveloped in a elegant bubble of luxury.

www.welgelegen.co.za

Rates: R850 – R2,250 per room, depending on season & type of room, full breakfast included.

6 Stephen Street, Gardens, Cape Town

021 – 426 2373

Spending an evening in a boutique hotel situated in the old National Party Headquarters may not seem like the best idea if you believe in the ghosts-of-apartheid-past, but we braved it anyway.  Entering the ancient lift that zooms upwards and stops so abruptly it makes your stomach drop does remind you that this is a historic building and some things just cannot be modernised.

The Glam is a new hotel situated in Burg Street, Cape Town (yes, it is across from the Argus distribution point and yes, it is noisy in the rooms facing the street).  Queue historic old buildings (some better restored than others), an old church as a neighbour,  Green Market Square, some rowdy street vendors and you get the picture.

The interior of the Glam is elegantly done in black and white with beautiful screen printed pictures of Hollywood’s original glamour queens (and kings): Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean and Natalie Wood follow you everywhere you go.  The owner of the Glam says she is focussing on “glampackers”: backpacking tourists with a little more money and style and of course, visiting business people.

The hotel as it is now (they are expanding to the upper floors soon with some family-friendly rooms) gives two options: room with bed, shower and basin (other bathroom facilities are communal) for R600 per night or superior rooms that include the usual bathroom amenities for R700 per night.

We found the hotel to be strictly a two-nighter (at the most):  the bathroom in the room is not private at all (yes even the loo has no screen or door) and the facilities are a tad basic: there are no fridges in the rooms and the electrical socket set-up for people wanting to plug in laptops, cell phone chargers and so forth is tenuous at best.  There is space to unpack your clothes, but not really enough.  They have no dining space yet, so breakfast is served in your room (but can be served in the lounge area).

On the plus side: the bed was very comfortable, linen and towels were good quality and the (ever important) water pressure in the shower was only surpassed by the instant heated water it blasted me with.  The rooms are not standard sized at all, and are very spacious (given the good pricing) with large overstuffed chairs to lounge in (or just stick your backpack/suitcase on).  A flat screen TV was available in our room, with the usual limited DSTV package for viewing.

The communal lounge is beautifully done in white leather, chrome and glass: everything is reflected everywhere.  The bar is well stocked and prices are not the usual astronomical mark-ups you see in hotels worldwide – R80 for a bottle of KWV Roodeberg for instance.  Breakfast is ordered the previous evening and you can choose from a wide range of goodies – it arrived at the time requested and was delicious.

Another huge plus: the Wi-Fi works!  It’s free too, if you are a guest at the hotel – a must for any traveller (business or leisure, in todays connected world).

Having only opened a few months before we visited, there were some hiccups:  Our reception was not the friendliest with a “new” staff member who clearly had no idea what she was doing;  put us in the wrong room and not accepting that we’ve already confirmed and paid for our stay in full.  The staff issue was dealt with immediately upon arrival of the owner and we had the option to move to our appointed room (we declined).  All the other staff members were extremely friendly and professional.

The off-street parking (a steal at R60 at Cape Town rates) is probably the scariest parking garage I’ve ever had to negotiate (even in my small car) and I cannot recommend it for people driving SUV’s or anything wider than my Peugeot.  Directions to The Glam from the parking garage are non-existent and we had to wander down stairs hoping we’ll eventually get to where we need to be. There are, however, plans afoot to connect the parking garage directly with the hotel.

Although we’re not “glampackers” we did feel quite glamorous after staying at The Glam for one night.  The owner is hands-on and for a first-time foray into the hospitality industry, has created a unique gem in the inner city.  There will be small hiccups, but she is addressing them immediately and with a certain elegance that explains the classiness of The Glam.  We cannot wait for her expansion plans to come into fruition.

Live a little; be a tourist in your own city.  Have a romantic getaway in the company of old school glamour.

www.theglam.co.za

021 – 424 1006

40 Burg Street, Cape Town