Previous known as the Bovley Valley Estate, the beautiful Dunstone Country House should definitely be on your to-do list. Surprisingly it is only a 45 minute drive from Cape Town but when you arrive you feel as if you are completely removed from city life. A get away like this is really what everyone needs. We stayed the night, but you can also just come for dinner, however I would recommend phoning and booking yourself a table. Although, while you’re at it, book yourself in for the night too. It’s an amazing view to wake up to and definitely a breath of fresh air from daily life.

Dunstone Country House is family owned and the vineyard lies on the foothills of the Hawequa and Limiet Mountains. We enjoyed a wine tasting experience with our favourite wine being the Shiraz Rose, which we enjoyed so much we immediately ordered more to drink. I was completely blown away by the staff and owner, who were so friendly and made us feel at home. After a few hours of wine tasting we took a walk around the area and allowed ourselves to finally and fully relax.

After that we settled in for dinner in the very warm restaurant, which was a welcome retreat from the cold winter’s night. I started off with the smoked salmon salad and the husband enjoyed a butternut soup. They were both tasty and light, which is always a good way to begin as I’m not a fan of a heavy starter. We both enjoyed a main of ostrich fillet and vegetables (delicious!) and ended off with a chocolate pudding topped with custard. Yeah, we ditched the diets that night and it was worth every calorie.