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Cindy recently enjoyed a wonderful weekend stay at Marshden Estate in Stellenbosch with her family.
What better way to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life than driving a mere 40 minutes away from Cape Town and spending two nights at Marshden Estate? Located on Cordorba Road (just off the R44), Marshden Estate is close to both Stellenbosch and Somerset West, which offer endless opportunities for fun and adventure.
The cottages themselves overlook paddocks, farmlands and a dam which really give you the feeling of living out in the country. We took our three kids along and they spent hours just running around on the lawn, dancing in the leaves and rolling down the hills.
On arrival we were greeted by the owners who immediately made us feel right at home, making sure that we had everything we needed in order to have a comfortable stay. We settled in to the River Cottage which has two large rooms (with King sized beds in each), 2 bathrooms (one en-suite), a kitchen (with 2 plate stove) and lounge area. The facilities include DSTV, washing machine and Wi-Fi.
Having arrived quite late in the evening, we headed straight back out again to the closest mall (which was thankfully only about 5 minutes away), stocked up on supplies and filled our bellies before heading back for a peaceful night's sleep.
In the morning we piled on our jackets and wellingtons before exploring the farm a bit more. The three resident dogs were very friendly and accompanied us on our walk around the dam to the paddocks. After warming up with a cup of coffee on the porch overlooking the field, we headed next door to Avontuur for our complimentary breakfast. Seated next to a hearty fire we indulged in hot chocolates and a good old fry up while overlooking the farm lands. How I wish I could start every morning like this!
Once our hunger had been satisfied we spent the rest of the day out in Stellenbosch. After visiting the sleepy lions at the Drakenstein Lion Park we ended up at Babylonstoren which was the perfect way to spend the afternoon. It’s a working farm focused mainly on fruit and vegetables and it has two restaurants that only serve the farm fresh food. A definite experience worth having the next time you're in the area.
We headed back to our cottage and the kids had a lovely, long hot bath. They were so excited to be dried afterwards with pre-warmed towels (heated towelling racks are just the best aren't they?).
The next morning we sadly had to leave the peace and quiet that we had so enjoyed and get ready to head home, but on the way we stumbled upon Vergelegen which is in Somerset West. It's another working farm in the area with so much to do and see - from a delicious breakfast at The Stables, to wandering through a maze, to reading up on the slave house that had been excavated in the area. Our kids enjoyed exploring with us and it was the perfect way to wrap up a truly wonderful stay.
