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Michael-John recently went to the wonderful winelands town of Paarl at the charming Rodeberg Lodge.
The Cape Winelands might lie only 45 minutes to an hour from Cape Town, but sometimes we can forget about the great world that lies inland. On a beautiful sunny Saturday we went out to Paarl to stay at Rodeberg Lodge.
Centrally located on Paarl's Main Street, Rodeberg Lodge offers a homely atmosphere. With rocking horses in the wooden corridors and a collection of hundreds of spoons proudly displayed on the wall, Rodeberg typifies the welcoming feel a good B&B should have.
We checked in and got settled into our room which was cool and inviting with windows that opened onto Main Street. The decor is simple and pretty with decorative plates and paintings of a bygone era on the wall. Floral pattern chairs add a touch of colour and freshness to the room. I'm quite a big fan of wooden floors, and the four-poster bed and wooden dresser really added to the feeling of a quaint country B&B.
Rodeberg Lodge was built in 1899 and is now a National Monument. It's run and owned by former attorneys Willem and Minnie Engelbrecht who helped to make us feel welcome and offered us some good advice on what to see and where to go in Paarl.
After we'd gotten settled in our room we headed off to explore Paarl. My fiancée had never been to Paarl Rock so we decided to head up the rock for an afternoon walk. Somehow she had misunderstood the extent of this walk and had chosen to wear flip flops, which turned out not to be the best apparel for the slightly arduous hike. This wasn't helped by my rather haphazard route up the rocks, and failure to follow a basic path.
Despite this we managed to walk up the rock unscathed. There's a really beautiful vista from the top, and this is definitely a must if you're in Paarl. If you're looking for a place to braai and somewhere for the kids to run around, there's a park area that is perfect for families.
After clambering back down we decided to head through to the nearby Taal Monument. I'd never been and was quite keen to visit, not because I'm a proficient speaker of the 'taal' (although I can hold my own thanks to 4 years in Stellenbosch), but purely as a landmark of South African culture, I was quite intrigued.
One of the things that most surprised me about visiting the monument was the amount of English speaking South Africans who were also there. I'd thought it was going to be a distinctly Afrikaans monument, but it seemed to attract people from all over. At the entrance they give you a leaflet about the monument which is really great, and explains what the different parts of the monument stand for. I was pleasantly surprised to see how a range of cultures were honoured in the sculpture.
Once we finished up at the Taal Monument we headed back to Rodeberg Lodge where we spent the rest of the day relaxing. The following morning we had breakfast in the conservatory. It's probably their most unique feature with glass walls and a glass roof making you feel like you're outside in their beautiful garden.
Eskom had organised a loadshedding for breakfast, but Willem and Minnie were up to the challenge and prepared a wonderful meal for us. Before we checked out, Willem showed us around the garden and pointed out the many interesting and beautiful plants they have. At check out, we were given a small jar of marmalade to take with us, which was a really thoughtful treat.
Once we'd checked out we decided to visit nearby Spice Route for some wine tasting. Spice Route is one of my favourite estates in the Cape Winelands because there's really something for everyone. You can enjoy a beer at CBC, have a meal at Barley & Biltong, taste some grappa, or enjoy some single origin chocolate at De Villiers'. We decided to browse some art at the Barn Artist's Gallery and ended up buying a piece. After our art purchasing, we headed down to taste some of the Spice Route's wines. There's a variety of tasting options including one paired with four Richard Bosman Quality Cured Meats.
Then, it was time to head home having spent a great break away in the Cape Winelands. Hopefully we'll visit again soon.
To find out more about Rodeberg Lodge and to book a weekend away in Paarl, click here.
