Ten Days in South Africa — a route with room for surprise
TL;DR Traveling to SA and need ideas? Bookmark this. Scroll to the end for an easy-to-copy list of everywhere we went.
—
I’m writing this at 35,000 feet, somewhere between Addis Ababa and the Alps, thinking about horizons.
Merano is beautiful. But in autumn the mountains steal the sun by mid-afternoon. Every few weeks I need a long line of sky to reset. So we flew south for ten days, celebrated our wedding anniversary, and tested a simple travel rule we love: build uncertainty in on purpose. We booked only the flights and two nights at a farm stay (more on that next week).
Everything else? Decide on the way. Leave doors open so luck can walk through.
Oct 8–9: Milan → Cape Town → Hout Bay & Kommetjie
We landed and made a beeline for the coast south of Cape Town. Kommetjie gave us exactly what we came for: surfers turning into cut-outs at dusk, the sun setting into the ocean, and that salty end-of-day air that lets your shoulders drop.
Thirteen years ago, when we lived in Pretoria and visited Cape Town once, the atmosphere felt tighter. Now it feels more open. Stay aware, yes—but the vibe has softened since back then.
The sun slipped behind the mountain at the mouth of the bay and it felt like the trip started right there.
The hotel for the first night, The Last Word Long Beach, we booked mid-layover in Addis. It turned out perfect: sand for a front yard, a pre-dinner walk up the shoreline to the lighthouse, windows cracked at night so the Atlantic could do its thing. If someone sold that sound, I’d subscribe.
Beach walk in Komeetjie
Oct 10–12: Stellenbosch and dinner that plays with soap
Morning light and a ribbon of mountain road back to Cape Town and further east.
We slid into Stellenbosch for a slow wander. Coffee at SEAM (Joburg roastery); I went for my usual—filter or a flat white—and admired their clean, milk-carton-simple packaging. Then Kristen’s Kick-Ass Ice Cream—good branding deserves good ice cream (and it delivers). On the way back to the car I stopped to photograph a wall with BLANKBOTTLE’sorigin story and a few labels that make you want to drink the design. (South African wineries treat labels like tiny manifestos. I also collected a pile of potential name ideas in my ‘startup names’ Apple note—one highlight: “Allesverloren”.)
Then we rolled to the most impressive farm-stay I’ve ever experienced—more farm than hotel, more feeling than features. We fed water-buffalo calves in wellies, braided flower crowns for South African Garden Day, rode bikes, hiked to a natural pool, and ate a breakfast that bent the tables.
I will write about it separately soon because it was so dense with moments.
On the evening of our first night there, we drove back into town for DUSK in Stellenbosch: playful, technique-forward, zero tuxedo energy. We did the Odyssey menu and its vegetarian twin. One “course” is an edible soap to reset your palate—a little joke that actually works. We walked out grinning and filed it under meals we’ll talk about later.
Oct 12–13: The burger-patty detour and a gentle arrival at Kogelberg
We left Stellenbosch feeling full and pointed the Jimny toward Kogelberg Nature Reserve, stopping for a braai run. Everything in the basket… except burger patties. We noticed back in the car with a tight schedule. The nature reserve’s gate closed at 16:00; our ETA said 16:13. Quick call, friendly “no stress,” keys left with security. We grabbed patties en route, exhaled, carried on.
Oudebosch Eco Cabins sit in pristine fynbos with glass and timber framing the peaks—the kind of place where photos do tell the truth. We made our burgers and stepped outside for a night sky we’ve rarely seen somewhere else.
Morning hike: two soft hours to a viewpoint where the ocean shows up like a prize. On the drive in we’d seen baboons; on the trail we saw… proof. No close encounters (probably for the best). Back for toast and coffee, then onward.
Oct 13–16: Hermanus: Wi-Fi for work, whales for wonder
We like anchoring trips with open space between bookings; this was one of those wins. Sina needed reliable Wi-Fi for two morning workshops; I needed a window worth staring at. Mosselberg on Grotto Beach gave us both. Two minutes to the sand. A big, generous common room for breakfast. A heated pool I kept promising I’d use “after one more look outside”—and then never did. The manager, Barend, has that quiet sixth sense for good dinner recommendations (the list is at the end). The Cliff Path is an easy, rewarding walk; best of all, the whales. I don’t know if we were lucky or if this is standard in October, but they were visible from our room all day.
Oct 16–18: Kloof Street orbit: roastery chats, markets, and a small souvenir ritual
For the last two nights we tucked into InAweStays, a minute off Kloof Street. It feels like visiting family, minus the politics.
I’d pinned Cedar Coffee some time ago. The café isn’t open yet, so we ended up in the roastery talking with Winston, one of the founders, about beans and the hard parts of making a place feel human. We left with bags for home and that good “people are building things” buzz. If you’re into knitting (I’m not, but Sina is), make sure to stop by cowgirlblues, the best yarn store (and workshop) we’ve ever been to.
Old Biscuit Mill on Friday is calmer than the Saturday crush, still great for a studio crawl and Espresso Lab. On Saturday we did Oranjezicht Market properly. The Local Bakery first (and then again), followed by an Eritrean/Ethiopian breakfast from Mesob Cape Town built on teff—fermented for two days, tangy, perfect with spiced beef. I wish we had a market like this in Merano.
On the way to the airport we swung by AKJP and picked up a fragrance from APARTMENT. (Joburg brand). We like bringing home good smells from places we love—tiny time machines you can spray.
The aftertaste
Our only fixed points were the flights and this ‘farm-stay’; everything else was deliberate white space. Into that space walked a sunset we didn’t plan, a roastery and a knitting store tour we didn’t expect, and whales we never thought we’d see from bed. Built-in uncertainty did what it always does: it let the trip breathe.
It was good coming back after living in this magical country 13 years ago. South Africa is rough and warm at once. Lots of people who try things instead of theorizing them. Kind humans everywhere. We have to go back soon!
Places we visited (and recommendations by locals)
Sleep
The Last Word Long Beach — Kommetjie
Oudebosch Eco Cabins — Kogelberg Nature Reserve
Mosselberg on Grotto Beach — Hermanus
InAweStays — just off Kloof Street, Cape Town
Oakhurst Farm Cottages — along Garden Route
Eat & Drink
DUSK — Stellenbosch
Oranjezicht City Farm Market — V&A/Granger Bay
Kristen’s Kick-Ass Ice Cream — Stellenbosch
Sunday Brunch - Boschendal
Inverroche Distillery
La Pentola — Hermanus
Char’d Grill — (best steak) Hermanus
Fishermans Cottage — Hermanus
Hemelhuijs — Cape Town
Yours Truly — Cape Town
Club Kloof — Cape Town
Black Sheep Restaurant — Cape Town
Coffee
Cedar Coffee (roastery visit; café coming) — Woodstock
Espresso Lab — Old Biscuit Mill, Cape Town
SEAM Coffee — Stellenbosch stop (Joburg roastery)
Shops & Bits
AKJP Studio — Cape Town
Old Biscuit Mill — Woodstock
cowgirlblues — (When I travel with Sina, we pop into every yarn store we pass. And this one tops the list—easily—and that’s after having been to knitting shops on five continents.)
Pot Plant Club — Cape Town
Duck Duck Goose — Cape Town (both Bree St)
Walks & Water
Kommetjie shoreline → Slangkop Lighthouse
Hermanus Cliff Path (during Aug-Dec you’ll almost guaranteed see whales)
Kogelberg day-hike viewpoint
