Platbos- a slice of heaven.
I made an error this weekend when it came to booking our flights for one of my fabulous friends’ wedding. I booked the 5am flight outgoing and the 9am incoming on Sunday morning. That would have been fine, if the drive from the airport to the wedding had not been around 5 hours. It was entertaining though and throughout the whole wedding we had people watching out for us and giving us the countdown to 3am (the time we needed to depart to get to our flight on time). But, at 2:45am, the three of us were one of the few wedding party members left on the dancefloor, swaying to the last song. As the music cut, we said our farewells and headed towards our matchstick hired car, that had very little power, but some great character. So with an increase in volume and a final push, we drove the last leg of our journey towards PE. I tried to help with the driving at one point, but my eyes were determined to shut, so resililent Bryce took the lead and took us to our final destination. Luckily, we made it with enough time for a swim and a breakfast on PE’s beachfront.
Therefore we were both exhausted and the next leg of our trip was taking us to a tranquil and beautiful setting in the heart of Slanghoek, where we could kick back and relax. That road to Paarl and Worcester is nothing short of beautiful, with the winding roads being overshadowed by the undulating mountainscapes and endless vineyards. Suddenly, my exhaustation vanished and the power of nature swiftly took over. The turn towards Rawsonville came and suddenly we were in an unbelievably pictauresque valley, with boutique wine farms on either side and rolling mountains every which way we looked. So many familliar wine farm names were coming up, Origin, Du Toitskloof; I guess that is the beauty of living in Cape Town, the options for activities are endless. The approach to Slanghoek is equally beautiful and we got so excited as we spotted our cabins far off in the distance. They were beautiful.
Nestled in the peace and quiet of the valley, three log cabins stand isolated and proud on the edge of a sizeable dam. The drive up to them is through the Slanghoek vineyards and takes at least ten to fifteen minutes to get there. There are no other houses around. There is nothing interrupting the view. Quite simply, there is a 360 degree panaromic view of mountains & vineyards. It was probably the most romantic getaway spot I had ever seen. In winter I can imagine, that the dam would be high enough, for you to sit on the balcony, wrapped in blankets, sipping on tea and rusks and have the water lapping underneath you.
The cabin is beautiful and made simply, yet elegantly. with the attention to nature being the key. It has no electricity and is run off of solar power, but that doesn’t stop it from being incredibly comfortable and luxurious. You walk into the cabin and there is a lovely lounge area, which opens up into a very well-equipped kitchen and a granite topped dinner table. The fridge is large and cold enough for you to stock up for a week and not have to leave the house (which i would advise- its possible to just hibernate there). They have all the right pots, pans, whistling kettles and crockery that you need to whip up some delicious kitchen masterpieces. And then of course, they supply a weber, like any good South African getaway spot should. I have to go back in Winter, because there is a beautiful fireplace that I can only imagine enhances the ambiance to the nth degree.
The bedrooms and the bathroom have beautiful big windows that open up and show off the glorious views, from every angle from every window, there is just an awesome display of magnificent mountains, waiting to be explored, photographed and enjoyed. If it weren’t for the views, I could have quite happily have spent all day in the very comfortable beds! The cabin sleeps 6, with two double bedrooms and one loft area upstairs.
And so the tired factor dissipated, as the dam called our name. Being a clay dam and all, it was only necessary to try make our own clay facials. It was a hilarious exercise and one I would like to pretend benefited my skin. I am glad I only found out later that a previous guest had seen a cape cobra in the dam, because we spent a fair amount of time cooling off from the baking summer heat. The highlight of my stay there though, was when we made an outside bed and did some star gazing. The stars were sensational. Populating the sky like someone was putting on a show for us. I obviously got over excited every time a shooting star lept across the sky.
And when you can wake up at sunrise and see the sun creeping over the mountains just in front of you, giving the entire valley a golden hue, you really do just feel like you never want to leave. And so, if you need a break and you want to be fully immersed in nature, without unnatural sounds breaking nature’s song, then take a trip down there. it is beautiful, It is serene and I can highly recommend it. It made me realise that travel does not have to include jumping on a plane,with great company and good music, a roadtrip in Western Cape can be equally enjoyable and memorable.
I do have more pics that I will include in a gallery, just struggling to download them for now..So hopefully my words can paint the picture for now.
Just incase you need more convincing here is the website….
http://www.platboslogcabins.co.za/
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