Thursday, March 12, 2009

Bonnievale

Location
Bonnievale is an approximate two hours drive from Cape Town. Travel along the N1 towards Worcester and take the Robertson turn off. Take the R317 into Robertson then 10min on to Bonnievale.

About the destination
Bonnievale is situated on the banks of the Breede River, surrounded by the Langeberg Mountain Range in the north-east, and the Riviersonderend mountains in the south-west. The town is approximately 180km from Cape Town and 100km from the southernmost tip of Africa at Cape
Agulhus. The roadside is lined with a variety of beautiful flowers and bushes, all planted by the farmers to demarcate their vineyards. There are two cheese factories in Bonnievale, Parmalat and Mooivallei Suiwel.


What to see and do
We all went for the Wine on the River Festival which is held annually towards the end of October. All the local Cheese and Wine farms bring their wares to the beautiful Goudmyn Farm situated on the river. A complementary shuttle service is available all day to shuttle you there and back. So no one has to drink and drive.

There are two festivals in the area, which are a real treat. “The Wine on the River Festival” in late October and “The Wacky Wine Weekend” in early June. I enjoyed playing golf at the
Bonnievale Golf Club and enjoyed a hearty breakfast at the club house. The course is maintained in top condition and the layout is level and very user-friendly. Golfers used to playing on very busy courses are particularly struck by the relaxed and unhurried atmosphere to be found there.

Food and entertainment

We did most of our eating and drinking at the festival but also had a self catering place that we cooked our own food at. We did have breakfast at “Into Africa” and it was delicious.

Where to stay
We stayed in a very well appointed self catering double story house that we hired for the whole weekend. It was spotless and could sleep 10 people (5 rooms – 2 queen and 6 single beds) 4 bathrooms (2 en-suite) there was a Large LCD TV with satellite and surround sound, outdoor fireplace and huge garden with rolling lawns. We paid R140.00 per person per night

General
The whole area is stunning and Montague, Ashton and Robertson are a stones throw away and also deserve a visit!


This Sneaky Weekender was recommended by: Mark Boonzaier

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the Sneaky Weekender articles on this website, do not necessarily reflect the views of Finding Africa http://findingafrica.com/.

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