A Weekend at Stellies

Part of my morning ritual now includes checking up on all the latest group-buying deals available. Thanks to a couple of gmail rules im able to aggregate them quite comfortably into a label: Deals. Its bright red and it beckons me every morning. Tempting me to indulge in goods and services I would never look at twice had they not carried the tag "x% off!". If x hundred people have bought this artificially intelligent toaster that even makes your bed in the morning, surely I am definitely missing out if I don't!

Am I missing any sites? PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!

I resist it most days but sometimes there comes a deal just too good not take advantage of. Which brings me to my great weekend escape to Stellies.

I saw a deal for an night stay for 2 to Alluvia Wine Estate. I needed a bit of a breather from the humdrum of work life but couldn't afford to take too many days off or travel too far. Alluvia just 45min away from Cape Town would be the perfect bit of respite.

Despite escaping work a little earlier than usual, the traffic was abysmal. It didn't help that we had chosen a dreary, rainy Friday either. Alas, we endured and were welcomed to a homely and thankfully warm little cottage in the heart of wine country.

Oakleaf bathroom

Oakleaf bedroom

To add to the wonderful atmosphere we discovered 2 bottles of wine; white and red, and a little pitcher of sherry with nougat on the side. But we all know how disastrous having a drink on an empty stomach can be. We sought sustenance at Stellenbosch central. We had heard about the famous Tannie Tandoorie pizza at Sgt Pepper and wow it did not disappoint! Wafer-thin base, cream cheese and spiced morsels of chicken nomnomnom. There was something really strange about my Hunters Dry though... it tasted uhmm "flat" or "stale"..

Tannie Tandoorie pizza

The problem with only being in Stellies for the night is that there's so much to try but so little time. But there's ALWAYS time for desert! 15 steps away from Sgt Pepper we found a busy but relaxed Manouche. Had some delicious cheesecake and cappuccino.

The next day we rose early and as promised by Alluvia a full continental breakfast consisting of muesli, dried fruit, yogurt, muffins, croissants, and fresh orange juice was waiting for us packed neatly in a picnic basket outside the door.

With the promise of returning in the summer we left Alluvia, hail and hearty, to explore the winelands. Funneh story: I was awoken by the roar of engine revving too high and too long. Peering sneakily outside I saw that our neighbours, in their ahem happy state the previous night, parked at a precarious angle along a steep bank. Couldn't help but chuckle to myself as the wife cheered the husband on as he held on to dear life as he was being towed out by a 4x4.

I consulted a wine-expert friend of mine and she recommended we try out Chocolate and Wine Tasting at Bilton. I had never done it before nor had Meesh. Adventure was out there!


We made our way there slowly hoping the GPS wouldn't have us tasting anything less. As we entered Bilton the horrible weather outside evaporated instantly as we were greeted by a roaring fireplace, smiling wine hostesses and a cosy confine.

Bilton restaurant

Bilton fireplace

I'm sure you have heard of cheese and wine pairing but really have you heard of choc and wine tasting before. Now it may have just been the result of wine tasting, but there came a point when i truly believed that the chocolate enhanced the flavour of the wine. My favourite combo is the Shiraz 2008 and Cape Malay chocolate. I bought one of each and will be hosting a wine and choc pairing evening at my place. Tickets cost R30. JK  For you... just R25. :P

Choc and wine pairing

We relaxed at bilton for about 2 hours, until our tummys started rumbling again. There were some locals there and we trusted their late lunch recommendation. We headed to De Volkskombuis. To be honest, the decor looked a bit drab and dreary, but that couldve just been the miserable weather outside coupled with the growing hole in my belly.

I tried the sample of 3 cape malay dishes: Homemade chicken pie, lamskerrie, and bobotie. I was pleasantly surprised that despite the appearance of the portions I was propvol (reeally full).

Last cappuccino for the road and we head home.

Stellies really feels like 1000s of kms away and I highly recommend it as a weekend escape, or even a nights retreat. I can't wait for the next groupon that allows me a repeat trip!