We travelled through the day and arrived, exhausted, in Cape Town at midnight. We stayed at a forgettable hotel the first night, but were grateful for the clean room fresh sheets and wifi anyway.
The next morning, we had a lie-in and late breakfast. We could see through the mist, just as far as the churning shoreline pounding against the rocks, throwing spray upwards as the rain poured down.
After an extremely leisurely morning, it was time for lunch. Ellerman House is a Boutique hotel and Cape Edwardian Mansion, once home to Sir John and Lady Ellerman and now one of the most beautiful hotels in Camps Bay. Before lunch, an incredible tour had been organised for us to see the rooms and grounds of the hotel as well as the stunning villas and wine cellar.
If you want a romantic stay for two people, any of the rooms in the main house are perfect.
From the main house, you can take a dip in the pool, relax on the sun loungers or for a little more culture, have a walk around the art gallery or even visit the shop to buy some South African free-dived diamonds (yes, there are actually diamonds floating around in the sea – you still scared of sharks?)
If luxury accommodation is what you want, the Deluxe Spa Rooms are on another level. With a private pool, access to all the spa facilities from your room and an incredible lounge area, these rooms are made for the most relaxing of getaways.
For even more privacy and seclusion, the Villas overlook the Bay for those Whale-watching sunsets with a cocktail from your infinity pool.
When the sun has set, a wine tasting in the bespoke Wine Gallery is exactly where I would be. Everywhere you look is functional art designed and created by just a handful of selected sculptures and artists. It’s beautiful.
Of course, we still had the daylight and our stomachs were reminding us that it was very definitely lunch time.
Just before we made it into the dining room, we snuck into the pantry and ate every single piece of cake… well we thought about it at least, but knew what was waiting for us!
Of course, when in South Africa we had to have wine – if this starts to get boring, just assume we had wine with every meal, because we did and it was sooo good.
Starter arrived in the form of pumpkin soup for me and a beautiful floral parma ham salad for Ben. We shared every course, naturally.
Roasted fillet of beef smothered in red wine sauce and buttermilk marinated fried chicken in thyme sauce both served with deliciously al dente vegetables and sautéed potatoes.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so happy.
The puddings were probably the most consistently pretty sweets I’ve ever eaten and my beetroot and chocolate masterpiece was genius.
After lunch and yummy teas and coffees, we decided to walk it off in the stunning hallways in Ellerman House. Sad to leave, but looking forward to our next adventure, we waved off the delightful staff and thanked them for a fabulous day before making the incredibly short journey around the corner to Cape View Clifton.
