What a wonderful stay we had at De Hoop Collection! Situated in the De Hoop Nature Reserve in the Overberg region of the Western Cape, and a member of Cape Country Routes, De Hoop Collection is a short, three hours drive from Cape Town along with the world-renowned Garden and Whale Routes.

A perfect holiday destination for families, groups, couples and honeymooners, it is also an ideal stopover en route from the Cape Winelands to Plettenberg Bay. Just going by the scenically beautiful drive to get to our accommodation at De Hoop Collection, we knew without a doubt, that we were going to have a wonderful stay. On arrival, we were shown to our room at the Opstal Manor House. A spectacular room with beautiful views, gorgeous décor with a fireplace to keep us warm at night. De Hoop Collection offers a wide range of accommodation designed to suit all budgets, ranging from luxury modern with a hint of vintage to self-catering units, and even a backpacker’s unit for those who simply want to be at one with nature. Basically, the range of accommodation is designed to match the experience that you’d love to have.

Overlooking the beautiful Vlei with its spectacular birdlife, De Hoop Collection’s dining staple, The Fig Tree Restaurant is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For our dinner we had a butternut and orange soup served with De Hoop health bread as a starter,  the main course was a delicious chicken roulade with paw-paw, red onion and pineapple salsa, and dessert was a most delectable vanilla pannacotta. An exceptional variety of wines were also available from the Silo Wine Cellar. Our dining experience was truly a treat, beautifully presented and totally delicious.

To end the day – a day that had been filled with varied and wonderful experiences – we cracked open an excellent bottle of Vilafonte from the Silo Wine Cellar and enjoyed a great evening with wonderful conversations around the cosy fireplace, well into the early hours of the next day.

A World Heritage site, De Hoop offers world-class whale-watching, a top attraction for tourists of course, and with its more than 260 species of birds, including the endangered Cape Vultures it is also a mecca for bird enthusiasts. Activities are aplenty at De Hoop – exciting viewing opportunities at the Potberg Mountains, home to a colony of almost 200 vultures; hiking and mountain biking trails, eco boat cruises on the Vlei, Nature drives, tennis or boules and interpretive marine walks to mention just a few.

Our marine walk was such a spectacular experience – observing the marine life, feeling the water between our toes, the ocean waves crashing on the shore as we walked and taking in the beauty of nature. From our qualified and knowledgeable guide, we learned a lot about the sea, its life forms and how we can preserve it. All nature lovers would enjoy this wide range of outdoor activities that give an experience like no other.

Special events to look out for include the Wine Whales & Music Weekend – 15 – 17 October 2021 – a fabulous profusion of wine tastings, high tea, gourmet dinners and special performances by jazz duo ‘Hanna and Bram and the world-class ensemble Whale Time Serenade, and the hands-on ‘From Dough to Delicious’ Weekend 27 – 29 August 2021.

To sum it up, De Hoop is untouched and well preserved – a nature lover’s paradise with unparalleled peace and tranquillity in what may well be one of the Cape’s last unspoiled gems – and definitely a piece of paradise that one has to experience at least once in your lifetime.