We were lucky enough to go away for a weekend at De Hoop Nature Reserve, a good three hours’ drive from Cape Town. It’s a beautiful and serene place to go, especially if you’re just looking ‘to get away from it all for a while’. The wide open spaces make you feel as if you can breathe again and the scenery looks as though it rolls on for ever and ever. The De Hoop Nature Reserve is situated east of Bredasdorp. The reserve is about 260km by road from Cape Town and may be reached via either Bredasdorp or Swellendam. Bring your camera, your book, and leave your troubles behind.

For the most part we went the self-catering route and with the fully equipped kitchen we were able to make our own meals with ingredients that we had brought with. We did, however, choose to go and enjoy a lunch at their restaurant. With both an inside and outside section we chose to be outside and to soak up as much of the sun and scenery as possible.

The Fig Tree restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as for snacks and picnic hampers. We enjoyed a long lazy lunch in the sun, with hubby choosing the Traditional Bobotie with Rice and Poppadoms, and myself choosing the Roast Vegetable Cous Cous with Harissa Paste. It was delicious and I even considered buying a second serving so that I could eat the same thing for dinner that night. For drinks I chose an orange juice while hubby went for a cold beer.

When life gets a little too much for me and you wonder where I’ve gone, you’ll probably find me at De Hoop Nature Reserve, enjoying a glass of wine at The Fig Tree Restaurant.