Ms Paula Bee

Let me tell you about my day with The Stellenbosch Experience, and how it was absolutely breathtaking. Lorenzo and I got to enjoy a day filled with adventure, great food and pampering, which I’ll explain in a second. First of all, I cannot believe that I’ve been living in Cape Town for over 14 years and had never come across all of the beauty and heritage that Stellenbosch has to offer. Not to mention how romantic it is for couples!

Morning

The morning started out at around 09:10, where we met up at Adventure Shop in The Blackhorse Centre. We were warmly welcomed by the tour guide, Tuis and his co-workers, who gave us a quick run-down of how the bicycle tour that was about to take place. Please keep in mind that I hadn’t cycled in over a year, so my little body was both excited and terribly nervous for the unexpected. We set off on our bicycles in and around the town, often stopping to hear about monumental buildings in Stellenbosch like the Paul Roos Gymnasium and Lanzerac wine estate. After about a two hour cycle, we ended up at the stunning Starke Condé. I was told that I will be blown by this estate, and to be quite honest, that very thing happened. Starke Condé was our little treat to some of the estate’s finest wines, ranging from white to red wines (my absolute favorite was a yummy sweet white wine). From the gorgeous venue, the spectacular scenery and friendly staff, this HAD to be the best part of the trip thus far, right? Like how could anything else get better? To my surprise, I was wrong. And boy oh boy, I was glad I was wrong.

Afternoon

Around 12:15, we arrived back at Lanzerac Wine Estate where we were greeted with bubbly upon arrival by the lovely host, Jo-Anna. She offered to give us a tour of the estate, which showcases an amazing view of some of the mountains in Stellenbosch. Jo-Anna also gave us a little breakdown of how the day would pan out, which got us even more excited and eager to get started! We were shown to the newly opened spa, where I had a quick shower and slapped on some minimal makeup and headed over to the terrace for a three-course lunch. I’ll actually allow the images to speak for themselves – No need to describe anything over here, except that the quality of each dish was fresh and tasty. For starters, I decided to have a light salad with rice, spicy chicken and sesame coated avocado. Lorenzo opted for a slightly more daring choice – salmon, cucumber, and a strikingly pink sauce! Both of us decided to have steak for the main course, which we were both excited about. If you know us well, you’ll know that we both love a great steak! For desert, I opted for a trio of sorbet whilst Lo decided to have a yummy dish of malva pudding (his favorite!). While we’re on the topic of food, I’d just like to add that Lanzerac catered for my dietary requirements, as I’m lactose intolerant. Our friendly waiter, Bheki, did such an amazing job at recommending the greatest dishes that would be tasty but still sticking to my needs.

Early Evening

After an amazing lunch, we were escorted to the newly renovated spa where we were treated to a full body massage, whilst listening to the most relaxing music to put our minds at ease. I must admit, I had the giggles whenever the masseuse would massage my feet or my toes! Haha! After a relaxing hour of being massaged, Lo and I had a moment to explore the rest of the spa. We didn’t even know that there were four sauna rooms, a pool, and a full gym until we started to explore.

Lorenzo and I are not just a couple, but we work as a team for the blog, all fashion shoots, business opportunities and so on, which made it perfect for us to enjoy a romantic day together but also to work thereafter. We decided after a while to get dressed and head out to shoot a look post for my blog. Lanzerac has the most stunning locations to shoot look posts around the estate, as it showcases stunning trees, wide-framed doors, and white walls – perfect for any fashion blog post! Below you’ll find some of the images that we shot around the estate that came out really nicely. Just before leaving, our curiosity of the Manor House was calling us. We just needed to know what the hype was all about!

After a truly amazing day filled with adventure, tasty food, and relaxation, we decided to head home. It was around 18:00, so it was really a jam-packed day! Thank you Stellenbosch Experience, Adventure Shop, Starke Condé, and Lanzerac Wine Estate for a romantic day! We were blown away!