Calitzdorp capers

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So we left Montagu. I wasn’t that sad. It was scenic and there were places close by to visit including its famous hot springs but it was all a bit small for me. Turns out, Calitzdorp was even smaller but hey they had port distilleries and guess what despite the quite long drive between the two, we arrived with half an hour to spare before the distilleries closed.

We hotfooted it to De Krans and in their rather modest, motel like reception, we tasted some wine and port, bought a bottle of each, and figured we best go find where we were staying for the night. And what a surprise!

The small self catering cottage we had (part of Spekboom cottages ) proved size isn’t everything. It had been lovingly furnished to give a real rustic country feel and its original features of high beamed ceilings and lived in terracotta tiles amplified its charm. Outside was a spacious patio, braai area,splash pool and even an outdoor bath and shower open to the stars (a bit worse for wear, we stuck with the pool).

This was one of those travelling moments where the place you stay can make all the difference to how you enjoy the place. We were ready for a night in, to cook for ourselves and enjoy the quiet country ambience of our home for the night. We made no effort to see anything of the town, it’s no looker despite an active tourist organisation that does its best to convince, but we could have stayed in the cottage for at least a week. It was great value and a good place to base yourself if you do want to explore that part of the world.

That we couldn’t get the braai going for love nor money (our ineptitude) is a point we’ll skip over quickly. Luckily, the oven worked…

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