South Africa Holiday in Somerset West | Guest House in Somerset West

Flowers in Darling (West Coast)

2009-10-01T23:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (01/10/2009) was a full day - we decided to take a drive up to Darling (near the West Coast) to go and see the wild flowers as everyone we had spoken to had said that the show of flowers was the best in years. So by 10am after all the guests had checked out of the Guest House we set off in the Direction of Darling - parents, us and the kids.

We drove through Stellenbosch and then on to Malmesbury. Here we searched briefly for a nice outdoor venue to sit and have coffee but found nothing so drove on to Darling. It was roughly 11:30 by the time we had reached darling and with dry mouths we went in search of our coffee. We first drove past the Dirk Uys restaurant and station but having already been there on a previous occasion we decided to try somewhere new so just around the corner (at the intersection of Main Road and Station Road) we found a quaint corner coffee shop with niknacks and small nursery and bookshop - The Mantis Mall .

The name sounds impressive but in reality it was just a small converted cottage, but very, very quaint. Whilst waiting for the coffee we all browsed through the nooks and crannies within the house and eventually landed up buying a Vygie shrub.

With coffee over we set off to see the flowers. Our first stop was at the Malmesbury Information Bureau which we found housed within the Malmesbury Museum in Pastorie Road which in fact was the old Town Hall. Here we were handed a map informing us where all the flower locations were and so off we headed to the Darling Renosterveld Reserve as our first stop.

(Just a brief history of the Malmesbury Museum - Founded in 1978 by the Darling Women's Agricultural Association as a Butter Museum, one section contains a unique collection of artifacts depicting the beginnings of the buttermaking industry in Darling which was famous for its creamery. In 1989 the Museum was moved to its present home in the old Town Hall (1899) in Pastorie Street and expanded to reflect the lifestyle and growth of the village over the century and a half since its beginnings in 1853. The Museum recreates life in a bygone era with fascinating displays of Victorian clothing, china and household furniture. A traditional kitchen complete with hearth contains many ingenious gadgets intended to make the life of a Victorian housewife easier).

NOW BACK TO THE RENOSTERVELD RESERVE

We first thought we could through the reserve but when we arrived we saw the reserve was fenced in and we had to go on foot.
This certainly did not appeal to my mother and I was more concerned about having an encounter with a slithery reptile as this was sure to be a snake's haven.

Anyway, we ventured through the gate of the Reserve and were sadly disappointed at the show of flowers – we had missed it by a few weeks. Nevertheless we continued walking up along the footpath and eventually after not seeing many flowers decided to return to the car. We then headed off towards another reserve – here we found what we were looking for – fields and fields of colour – yellow, orange, purple and white with dashed of blue inbetween.

AND WE COULD DRIVE THE CAR THROUGH THE RESERVE - stopping every now and then for the kids to pose for a picture.

We toured around the reserve for roughly a half an hour and then headed off to the Cloof Winery for Lunch. Much to our disgust it was a dirt road of roughly 8km so it was a very dusty approach to the winery - we had to turn off by the Darling Winery and then continue towards Cloof Winery.

We were shown to our table outsie on the lawns and once we had placed our food order we set off intot he cool winery to taste the samples. They were all good and landed up buying a few bottles too many. Lunch was good and so was the wine - we even saw flowers - so it was a good day and set off back to the Guest House - MOORING HOUSE.

Thembalitsha | Guest House base in Somerset West

2008-04-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

Thembalitsha, which means “new hope,” reaches out to the poorest of the poor in South Africa.
In a nation that has the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS in the world, ThembaCare cares for infants and children who have been diagnosed as terminally ill with AIDS.

Somerset West is the closest large towns near Grabouw (Themba Care) and volunteers working on the Thembalitsha Project in Grabouw can consider Mooring House Guest Lodge as their base for accommodation purposes whilst assisting with the project. With affordable rates the guest house offer 8 rooms all with own entrance and private en-suite bathrooms and is therefore suitable for teams or small groups helping at ThembaCare Grabouw.

During June 2008, Mooring House Guest Lodge in Somerset West hosted 2 teams from the Dallas Trinty Church in Texas (USA). The 1st team stayed for 2 weeks and the 2nd team for a week, both teams consisting of 7 volunteers each who assisted with the outreach programmes in the Thembalitsha Project. Mooring House offers reduced rates for groups involved in volunteer mission work offering suitable and spacious accommodation for the volunteers during their stay. By offering reduced rates, the guest house ensures it's contribution to the programme ensuring more funds are available for the actual cause rather than spent on accomodation.

What the team had to say:

"Our team of 7 ladies spent 2 weeks at Mooring House. The rooms were so spacious and daily cleaned excellently. We had plenty of hot water for all of us to shower at once. The view and grounds are beautiful and located very conveniently to sites, mall, etc. Garry and Miriam prepared wonderful breakfasts for us and coordinated with our schedule just as we needed. The hosts also gave us excellent recommendations for shopping, laundry, eating out and they personally aided us when two of our group became ill. Their service to us went beyond the "call of duty". They provided help and answers for our every need. I hesitate making this review only because I hope Mooring House won't become so popular that I won't be able to get a reservation in the future. I would not stay anywhere else when visiting the Cape Town area. We all hope to return."

Accommodation in Somerset West for Cape Epic mountain bike riders

2008-04-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

5th May 2008, Mooring House again provided accommodation to 5 Cape Epic Mountain Bikers, (and their families) after the off track race from Knysna which finishined at Lourensford Estate in Somerset West. Mooring House Guest House is roughly 6 minutes away from the entrance to the Lourensford Estate and provides tasteful accommodation and tranquility mixed with smiling hospitality - a much needed therepy after the grueling and tiresom race. Although the weather conditions during the first 2 days were hot, the final day was a lot cooler and the competitors seemed to arrive at the Guest House later than the previous year - last year they were all lounging by the pool. This year when they left the guest house around 8am, the heavens opened and water cascaded from above and bikes were being loaded on vehicles in the pouring rain.

A nice thing about the guest house is that there is adequate on-site parking for vehicles, bikes and trailers and the rooms are spacious so equipment (bikes) can be taken into the room for safe keeping and there is still more than enough space to enjoy relaxing accommodation.

Email Feedback received from Kevin Record - Cape Epic Mountain Biker 2008
"Just a quick note to thank you for making our very brief stay such a nice and pleasant one."

Mfuleni Township Project | Accommodation in Somerset West | Guest House stay close to Mfuleni

2008-04-10T06:02:00.000-07:00

Mooring House, Guest House in Somerset West provides suitable accommodation for volunteers assisting with the Mfuleni Township Project. Easy access to and from the N2 route to the Township roughly a 20 minute drive away.Just off the N2 and cllose to Blue Downs.

The build will take place in Mfuleni which is a relatively new township about 40 kilometres from Cape Town, South Africa (about 1 hour by bus). It is a predominantly "Black" (African) township, although there are also some "Coloured" members of the community. [Wikipedia]The area got its name from the Xhosa word meaning “by the river”. People started to settle there in the 1960s. In the beginning it was a transit area for migrant labourers.The first houses were built in 1976 and most of the dwellings are houses or brick structures with a yard (44%), however, there are also many informal shacks without water and electricity supply (36%).Founded by Irish property developer and philanthropist Niall Mellon in 2002, the charity began building houses in its first township, Imizamo Yethu in Hout Bay, in 2003.Since then, Mellon's volunteers have built over 600 quality homes in Imizamo Yethu and a second township, Netreg off Cape Town's N2, where the organisation started work in April 2006Every year the charity organises a building blitz where Irish volunteers are asked to raise €4 000 each and travel to Cape Town for a week-long intensive build.As the 350 men and women prepare for the 2006 volunteer blitz in Mfuleni, NMTI's third township, the organisation has already started recruiting what it hopes will be a massive 1 000 volunteers for "the largest ever exodus of Irish people to a charity event overseas" in November 2007

Harold Porter Botanical Gardens and Kleinmond Harbour

2008-03-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

Kirstenbosch

2008-03-24T14:35:00.000-07:00

It was the last day of the Easter long weekend and we were taking my daughter and a few of her friends the the Kenilworth race course to be dropped off at the MY COKE FEST (set to be the biggest rock festival in SA).

As we were already almost on the foot of Table Mountain, we decided to take our boys to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens - a place my wife and I had last visited some 8 years ago. We forgot how busy the place could be (especially considering it was a public holiday) and we had to queue to pay before entering the gates. Both my wife and myself had bladders that were about to burst so as soon as we were through the entrance gates we made a dash for the toilets.

Feeling much relieved, we made our way to the restaurant for lunch. The service was appaling and advice to those ordering a hot chocolate - please don't - it was a bitter and dark thick syrup drink and for a tourist attraction, the menu itself was nothing out of the ordinary and have frequented coffee shops with a wider range to choose from. Nevertheless, we ate and then began strolling the massive estate.

The lush green gardens are still as majestically beautiful as I can remember but the public facilities had definitely changed. Kirtenbosch is now a main venue for evening concerts where you sit on the lawns with your picnic and enjoy whatever concert is arranged for a particular day. More parking has been designated, the garden nursery is much bigger and there is another restaurant at the bottom of the estate - the one we discovered towards the end of our walk. This particular restaurant is less crowded, there is more space by the outside tables and the indoor venue is divided into 2 portions - the al-la-carte side and the self service side, the latter side also provides patrons with the option to buy a picnic selection and take it to the gardens and enjoy your own old fashioned picnic on a blanket ( bring your own).

Anyway, our roaming around the estate took us right up under Castle Rock and tot he entrance of Skeleton Gorge ( from here you can climb Table Mountain by foot on the footpath).

The views from beneath Castle Rock over a portion of the Cape Peninsula was absolutely wonderful.

Eventaully our little one was complaining that his legs were tired so we sat down on the nearest lawn for a rest and just absorbed the wonders around. It was on this piece of lawn that my kids tucked in their shirts and did rolly-polly down the grass slopes. My wife thought this was great fun and decided to do it aswell and then dad had to have his turn too. I'm just sorry I had no more space on my camera to take a video of my wife rolling down the embankment, but managed to capture the kids.

Mooring House Guest Lodge on outing to Robertson and the Kolgans River Restaurant

2008-03-19T03:01:00.000-07:00

We left the Guest House in Somerset West on Tuesday (01/03/2008) shortly after morning breakfast was finished, taking Barclay and Kathleen (our Scottish guests) on an outing to the Kolgans River Restaurant in Robertson. We had never done this before so it would be a new experience for all - not to mention, the weather was not the best, it was a wet and rainy day we had chosen for this outdoor South African experience. Nevertheless, we (our Scottish guests or should I say friends, my wife, my parents and myself ) and off we headed along the N2 over Sir Lowry's Pass. The route we were taking would be along the N2 from Somerset West, driving through the apple orchards in Elgin and then past the Theewaterskloof dam (the largest dam in the region and main source of water to Cape Town), through Villiersdorp and on into Robertson.

After roughly just under an hours drive we reached the town of Villiersdorp and on the outer outskirts of the town we stopped at the Kelkiewyn coffee shop and enjoyed a quick cup of coffee and scones.

The remainder of our drive was spent hoping for the skies to clear but on reaching Robertson it seemed to get progressively worse. It took a little time finding the right turn off to the River Restaurant as the road markings were not particularly clear, but eventually landed up at Nerina Guest Farm in Robertson, the entrance to the Kolgans River Restaurant.

We drove down a short dirt road, my parents car in the lead resulting in my mother having to get out of the their car to open the farm access gate. With rain drops still falling she was not impressed with this exercise and we all had a good chuckle at her expense - the looks say it all.

Nevertheless, we got to the river, parked our cars and boarded the somewhat primitive resmblance of a river raft - it was floating and offered a canopy to shelter us from the rain and that was all that mattered so on we climbed.

The engine started, the rain was pouring and off we set for a river cruise. The table was already set so it wasn't long before we started eating - we first tucked into the home baked bread with butter whilst sipping our wine and enjoying the scenary (despite the rain). The remainder of the luncheon consisted of pumkin soup (which I found a little sweet bit the others all loved it) chicken pie, spinach quiche, roast potato's, pumpkin pie, salad and chocolate pudding with custard was served on the way back. The cruise lasted for roughly 2 hours and despite the weather it still proved to be an enjoyable experience - well. taking the weather into account, it definitely beat spending time in a shopping mall.

With the river trip over and having paid our fare for the event, we thanked our "Captain" and decided to visit van Louvern wine estate (also situated in Robertson), their rose bottled under the Four Cousins label is an all time favourite of my wife. So the slight back-tracking through the town of Robertson was more to satisfy her curiosity. The wine tasting area was humming with people tasting wines but we found a spot a sampled a few of their wines. With wine tasting over, it was back in the car and time to depart for home, stopping briefly in at the Affie Plaas farm stall (a shop on hte road-side selling odds and sods and curios, small gifts and food. The weatehr was still miserable and so as a last stop we decided to have a coffee break at the Rooiberg Winery (Bodega de Vinho restaurant) just outside Robertson.

We left after coffee and took the wrong turnoff and landed up driving through Worcester and then backtracking a little.

It was another long, but enjoyable day.

A trip to the Southern tip of Africa

2008-03-13T07:03:00.000-07:00

Struisbaai and Cape Agulhas

(THE SOUTHERN TIP OF AFRICA)

DAY TRIP FROM MOORING HOUSE GUEST HOUSE IN SOMERSET WEST 01/03/2008

We served breakfast as per the morning ritual to those of our guests who were not self catering and were at the Guest House on a B&B basis. As soon as the breakfast run had been attended too, my wife, kids and myself together with a Scottish couple (Kathleen and Barclay who have been visiting our guest house in Somerset West for the past 3 consecutive years and have become family rather than guests) clambered into my car and we set off for the Southern tip of Africa. Cape Agulhas is roughly one hour and 45 minutes from Somerset West and the drive would take us along the N2 over Sir Lowry's Pass on to the town of Caledon. Leaving the N2 highway, we would drive through the town of Caledon, pass Napier then Bredasdorp where one would have the choice of either going straight on to Arniston or veering off right and going to Struisbaai and a little further Cape Agulhas.

Our first stop was at the Moerse Farmstall found just as one enters Napier. We have on occassions stopped here for coffee whilst en-route to Struisbaai, but this time it was purely a toilet stop and to buy cooldrinks for the kids.

From there we headed off to Bredasdorp and had coffee and toated sandwiches at another one of our favourites - a guest house and coffee shop at Bredasdorp Square Guest House

Here we lingered a little, the ladies browsed through the gift shop and clothing shop within the Guest House until the food arrived. We walked back to our car and headed for Struisbaai.

On entering the town of Struisbaai we found it to be a hive of activity and only later found out that it was the 2008 Yellowtail Festival. Whe we reached the boardwalk and the Nostra Restuarant we were amazed at all the cars in the parking area.

We found parking on the sidewalk and walked towards the restuarant hoping there would be a table. The deck of the restuarant was filling up quickly but we managed to find a table. Unfortuantely it was a hot day and our table had no umbrella. We ordered drinks, watching the many people and the beautiful sea and beach scenery, but our eyes were constantly scouting for a table with an umbrella who's patrons were ready to leave and as luck would have it, such a table became available about 30 minutes later.

With the warm weather, the calling of the ocean and the vibey beat of music and atmosphere at hte restuarant, Barclay (our adopted Scottish guests/family) could not resist the temptation to go swimming in the sea. He took Vaughn (our youngest) with him and Cameron (2nd eldest son) joined them shortly afterwards.

We ordered lunch and after that we had ice cream with chocolate flake in cones and then headed towards Cape Agullas - the southern most tip of Africa where the 2 oceans meet ( Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean). It was windy as usual at the point, but Kathleen and Barclay could now say that they had stood on the tip of Africa.

We left the chilly southern point (which is thanks to the Benguela Current) and headed back home. We past the Cape Agulhas Light House, but having already climbed to the top on a previous occassion, we decided to give this a skip.

En-route home we made a slight detour into the Caledon Hotel and Casino where we had a leisurely coffee and the kids went to play coin operated game machines. Having had a full daywe finally reached Somerset West and the Guest House where the beds looked so inviting.

What to do in Somerset West and surrounds

2007-12-31T14:24:00.000-08:00

Welcome to this blog page which we trust will be of help. Please have patience with us as we regularly update the contents on this page. We will only be posting those places we have personally visited so that we can give you an accurate account and description of the venue

EIKENDAL WINE ESTATE - Roughly a 6 minute drive from Mooring House Guesthouse along the R44 one finds the pleasant outdoor luncheon venue at Eikendal. The Estate is open for wine tasting, lunch and dinner and patrons have the option of sitting outside in a garden type setting or indoors. In the last 12 months we have enjoyed both luncheons and dinners on at least 8 occassions.

Although service on the last 2 occassions have been rather poor, the setting and food has made up for the lack of service and we still enjoy ourselves whenever we visit.

VERGELEGEN An Estate steeped in history and elegance. Also only minutes away from Mooring House Guest Lodge, the venue at Vergelegen is one not to be missed and adequate parking is available. Enjoy a tour through the vineyard and wine cellars and end up tasting or buying some really super wines or buying a gift at the adjacent curio shop. If that doesn't interest you then stroll through the gardens on this vast estate and visit the historical buildings of a past era. There is a restaurant on site aswell as a coffee shop which overlooks the rose garden. And lastly, the real treat at Vergelegen is the picnic venue. Set in a treed (almost forest like) environment this event should be enjoyed by most. Table are set under the trees and waiters supply food baskets to the various tables and if there are children involved, then there is a treasure hunt surprise for them. The picnic ends with a dessert and coffee or tea. We have been visiting Vergelegen for picnics on an annual basis for the past 5 years and have found 2 negative factors. Firstly, there is an entrance fee payable at the main entrance gate to Vergelegen. Although it is only a small fee, it is in my opinion that one is still spending money inside the Estate - either buying wine, picnic or lunch etc and on doing so one should be refunded the entrance fee. The second complaint is that although the ladies are always satisfied with the quantity of food provided, the men still feel they have room for a little more. If you can overlook these two issues, then Vergelegen should not be missed. 24hour advance booking is required for the picnic and due to the outdoor venue it is only held during the summer months.

ST GEORGES MALL, LONG STREET, THE CITY GARDENS OF CAPE TOWN AND THE CAPE TOWN MUSEUM

The Family took a trip into Cape Town last Friday (28 December 2007) and parked at the bottom of Long Street. From there we walked up through St Georges Mall (pointing out the Cape Times Building (where our newspapers are printed) and up to Green Market Square where we spent some time browsing through the arts and crafts stalls ( actually the children did the browsing). From there we walked through the City Gardens (or originally known as the Kompanje Gardens" ) and showed the children the Houses of Parliment and then strolled on through the gardens to the Cape Town museum and the Planetarium. We spent a good 2 hours walking through the museum and watching a 30 min show inside the planetarium. Even our little one (aged 6) was mesmerised and totally overjoyed at seeing the dinasour skeleton display in the one section. From there we had lunch. We could have had lunch at the restaurant inside the Gardens but decided to sit down at one of the side street cafe's - there are numerous to choose from. After lunch we strolled down Long Street browsing in almost every shop we passed. By the time we reached our car it was past 5pm - an exhausting day, but thoroughly enjoyed.

RIVERSIDE RESTUARANT AND PICNIC SPOT IN FRANSCHOEK 09/01/2008

Today we decided to drive the long route to Franschoek via the winelands of Stellenboch and Paarl. Once in Paarl we back-tracked into Franschoek. The pavements of Franschoek (mind you Paarl aswell) was lined with coffee shops and small bistro's all occupied with both tourists and locals. Once in Franschoek, our first stop was the renown Franschoek chocolate factory. Quite decieving as it is actually a small shop tucked away on the main street of Franschoek. So small one could easily just drive past it. The front of the shop has the display goods (chocolates, chocolates and more chocolates) and in the background behind glass panes is where the actual chocolates are made. For an exquisite chocolate it is well worth visitng this venue. Although I must add that the chocolates are very expensive - but the taste well worth it.

MOORING HOUSE GUEST LODGE | B&B or Selfcatering Guest House in Somerset West

2007-12-15T09:47:00.000-08:00

Whether it`s a Golfing Holiday in Somerset West, touring the numerous wine estates, visiting historical sites at Vergelegen, a time by the beach or just business in the Helderberg region - consider Mooring House Guest Lodge as your accommodation provider in Somerset West with private entrance, en-suite bathroom, daily house-keeping and on-site parking.

Just 20 minutes from Cape Town International Airport and 30 minutes from Cape Town Centre, Mooring House Guest Lodge is the perfect base for your stay in the Western Cape area of South Africa.

Set on over 4000sqm of property on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain, and more personal than a Holiday Inn, the Guest House offers spacious and tasteful bed and breakfast or self catering accomodation in Somerset West. With views of the Mountain as a backdrop and sea views in the foreground the setting is both pleasant and tranquil.

In total the Guest House can accommodate a maximum of 20 guests. Each room has own private entrance and en-suite bathroom, TV reception (satellite option for certain rooms or bring your own card), sitting area and our garden facing units have private outside patio’s. Apart from additional equipment in the Self Catering units, all rooms have coffee/tea hospitality trays, fridges and microwaves for acomodation convenience. Breakfast is served either on the individual private patio`s, around the pool or brought to your room if the weather is poor.

We are situated at the gateway to the numerous wine estate, are in close proximity to various golf courses (Erinvale Golf Estate, Somerset West Country Club, Helderberg Village, de Zalza and Stellenbosch) and the Historical sites found at Vergelegen wine estate. The Whale Coast drive up to Hermanus starts from Gordon's Bay which is roughly 15 minutes away.

The Strand Beach front and the Somerset Mall (for all your shopping requirements) is only a few minutes drive away as well as recreational activities such as hiking trails. A supermarket, hair salon, dry-cleaner and restaurant is within an even closer proximity.Adequate and on-site parking is available within the premises, behind electronic gates.A sparkling and refreshing pool is also available to our guests who would prefer to "cool-off " rather than go sight-seeing.Light meals can be arranged for lunch or supper.

The Lord Charles Hotel is only minutes away for those businemen/ladies attending conferences there. 24hr ADSL connection or laptop / internet access is available as well as faxing facilities. We can also arrange a shuttle service to and from Cape Town International airport, assistance with car hire, restaurant reservations and Golf T-off times , all just part of the hospitality services we offer. Mooring House Guest Lodge – your acommodation provider in South Africa (Western Cape). We are here to ensure that you have both a memorable and enjoyable stay.

For more information visit the Mooring House Guest Lodge website and pop off an email to Garry by using the "CONTACT US" form on the webpage.