Starry nights and golden silence

Published May 21, 2013

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Cape Town - When my 12-year-old daughter heard we would be spending a weekend without electricity she shouted: “What! What about BBM? The laptop? The tablet? What am I going to do all weekend? You're ruining my life.”

After much negotiation we set off for our girls' weekend away.

A four hour drive through some of the Western Cape's scenic routes brought us to the gates of the reserve. Immediately, we encountered the first bontebokke and ostriches and my querulous pre-teen was spell-bound.

Set on 360km2, the reserve is home to 1 500 plant species and 260 bird species as well as an abundance of marine life.

During a quick stop at the office to pick up our key, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that we would be spending the weekend on the opposite side of the vlei, with no other guests in sight.

For a person whose idea of bliss is seeing nobody for an entire day, this was perfect.

Off we went to our cottage, expecting the usual bare minimum of equipment and rudimentary plumbing.

The Melkkamer Vlei Cottage surpassed even the most critical member of our group's expectations. It is steeped in history, having been built in 1872, and perfectly situated on the vlei.

Inside, the six-seater dining room table was stylishly set for dinner and the well-equipped kitchen with its gas refrigerator and stove made my mom's fears of meals on the quick melt away.

Each of the four bedrooms are beautifully furnished and luxuriously appointed with white linen and gorgeously fluffy towels.

A quick shower in the stylish bathroom with its Charlotte Rhys shower gel, soaps and lotions revived us for the traditional first night braai.

Mindful of the caretaker's advice that the baboons would not hesitate to take chances with a party of women, we stuck close to the cottage. In fact they gave us a wide berth and probably felt more threatened by us than we ever felt about them.

As the sun went down over the vlei, the truly special feeling of being alone in the universe started enveloping us like a soft cloak. The play of colours over the water is a sight to behold.

Nights in De Hoop are sheer magic. The silence is so intense, it's at once peaceful and powerful. The silence is absolute. In fact, my mother, who is a born and bred city girl, initially felt rather unnerved by the absolute lack of noise. Later, she could not stop marvelling at the fact that there was not even the sound of a cricket to interfere with the peace and quiet.

The next morning dawned bright and beautiful. The weather at De Hoop seems to be fabulous most of the year. My daughter spent the greater part of the day marvelling at the eland and bontebokke grazing peacefully just a stone's throw from our cottage.

We walked down to the vlei to take pictures of the magnificent variety of birds which gather there, and sat on the jetty just marvelling at the tranquillity of our surroundings.

Our resident fitness buff had decided this was her weekend off, so the four off us spent a little time exploring the area around the manor, the foreman's cottage and the barn.

Lunch was a relaxed affair at the reserve's excellent restaurant, The Fig Tree. The staff is exceptionally friendly and very eager to make each guest's dining experience special.

The restaurant also caters for people who prefer a fully catered holiday over the standard self-catering option.

My mom and daughter opted for the chicken tramazini, which was very tasty and looked absolutely yummy. Sam's springbok carpaccio salad not only looked good, but judging from her appreciative sighs, tasted great too. I sampled the homemade burger with onion marmalade, which was well done and perfectly balanced in terms of flavour and texture.

There's no shortage of entertainment when dining outdoors either. As we basked in the afternoon sun, a two bontebokke locked horns and entertained diners with their antics.

As a wedding venue, the area is unique as it offers breathtaking photo opportunities throughout the reserve, beautifully restored buildings and great attention to detail. A wedding planner is available to help the bride ensure that her special day will be remembered by everyone.

For a family holiday or a mixed bag of friends, there is more than enough to keep everyone busy.

Children can spend time playing in the rock pools, watching game, swimming or playing on the playground, while teenagers and adults get down to some serious fun.

The guided bird and fynbos walk (one to three hours) is a pleasant way to while away a few hours while really learning about the diversity of the flora and fauna.

For the more adventurous there are quad bike trails and mountain bikes to explore with.

On our next visit we will definitely do the marine interpretive walk (two hours).

There is a self-guided hiking trail which has ample signage and gives a great overview of the resort's highlights.

Our second night threatened to be cold and we were all set to light a fire in the dining room fire place, but the thick stone walls made it unnecessary.

We spent the evening lazing around the lounge, moaning about going home before we had seen every part of the reserve (an impossible task for a weekend), and promising to come back soon to quad bike, hike, fish or just mooch around some more.

What we are all determined to do is return during winter (June to November) to see the Southern Right whales. They come so close to the beach that you can watch them frolicking from the shore.

The beautiful dunes are a marvel and well worth a visit to explore.

In short, there is just so much to do at De Hoop that a weekend could not possibly be long enough. There's always a reason to come back to this little slice of heaven.

Some of the exciting events De Hoop has lined up for the rest of 2013:

* The southern right Whales have started arriving at De Hoop. Having swum thousands of kilometres from their summer feeding grounds in icy Antarctica, the first of this year's Southern Right whale visitors have arrived at the De Hoop marine reserve, in the Western Cape.

* The De Hoop Stretton’s Stanford Bird Fair Photographic Competition - This competition is now open to serious and amateur photographers,both locally and internationally. The subject matter is Birds of Southern Africa and there are three categories - professional, serious, and open category/blue crane. Entries close on 31 August 2013

* De Hoop Stretton’s Stanford Bird Fair 2013 – this will take place from 2nd to 6th October in the Stanford and surrounds in the Overberg.

Website: www.capenature.co.za/reserves.htm?reserve=De+Hoop+Nature+Reserve - IOL

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