We love that part of the country - it's nice and warm in the day with just a bite of chill at night in April, even though it's already cold here in Jhb.
I'd registered on Safarinow.com (which has nothing to do with safaris since I'm not a safari person in the least) and none of the places quoting me were suitable for our needs - many for safety reasons (stairs and no baby gates, for instance).
We then convinced ourselves that staying home would be better and of course that's exactly when things fell into place.
One day I got a note, looked at the place, looked at the prices, looked at the place again and sent to D.
"I know we said we weren't going on holiday but this is SUCH a good deal..."
He came back and said, "let's do it" and so we did.
I like to phone up the place personally in the week before we travel because I've discovered over the years that self-catering does not mean the same to all people. Some places keep very basic things like salt and pepper, a sponge, dishwashing liquid, tea towels and toilet rolls and some keep exactly NOTHING.
In my conversation with the management, she wanted to know if the directions looked okay and I told her that we know the area well as we'd been often before for our anniversary and this was that same weekend again.
When I told her "17 years" she got very excited because "these days people don't last that long" :)
By the way, the place is Eagle Creek Resorts and it gets my full, 100% blessing. There's even a testimonial on the site from me :)
Great service, lots of space for toddlers to run around and explore and yes, they had dishwashing liquid, etc. :)
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spontaneous sibling love...
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| My little K was feeling a little sick from all the driving |
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| this is what they did for me and D - we felt like honeymooners! So fantastic :) |
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| view from the patio of our chalet |
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| running around in the morning while we finished getting ready. They are SO cute the way they explore together :) |
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| ladybug, also practising my low f-stop pics |
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| fascinated! |
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| just outside the resort - just look at the gorgeous hills |
We decided to go to Graskop on our very first full day because I didn't want to miss out on the famous Harrie's pancakes.
I've since decided that I should just follow my heart and have the apple and ice-cream ones (last time I had one I was 6 weeks pregnant with the babies) and not try to "make it a meal" by bothering with a savoury pancake. It was good but never as good as a sweet filling. I had shredded pork and a sweet chilli sauce, D had chicken and the kids shared a mince and cheese one.
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| Kendra didn't eat her pancake. No surprise since she looked like this |
Kendra was not doing well so we ate and went back to Sabie so she could rest and Connor could run around.
When was the last time you had a good holiday experience?
PS Just a thought, don't tell your kids you're going on holiday - they will hound you for days and days.....
My mom is always saying I don't need to tell the girls things ahead of time...they ask neverending questions and want to do it NOW! : )
ReplyDeleteGORGEOUS pictures!! Seriously. I love that picture right outside the resort, with the mountains. Poor K looks about like my girls do this week in that last picture. Silly colds!
Pics are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWe unfortunately MUST tell Joshua that we are going on holiday. That one THRIVES on knowing what to expect and doesn't do surprises so well. I suspect we are going to have to do the same for Joel.
I have never EVER ordered myself a savoury pancake from somewhere. Life is just WAY too short for that. I would soooo have gone with the apple and ice cream. LOVE what they did for you and D. Such a nice touch.
x
Harrie's chicken liver pancake is stunning BTW and did you knwo we have one in Pretoria? And I lve what they did for you- a very special touch.
ReplyDeleteOh and I do tell mine - we count down on the calender
ReplyDeleteI just requested a quote for D and I but they require a min 4 night stay in June/July :(
ReplyDeleteIt looks so lovely there and I am desperate to get to that part of the world!
It looks SOOOOO beautiful! What a lovely vacation.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we've had a bad vacation lately. But we have been going on quick beach trips and they've been wonderful. LOVE vacationing. Luckily my husband does too. He's the planner and is the reason we go on so many.
As a kid - it totally freaked me out when we went somewhere as a surprise. I always wanted to know when and where. I thrived on repeated trips - since I knew where I was going.
ReplyDeleteOur niece, is slightly autistic. If anything in her schedule is going to change - she has to know ahead of time. Again and again and again. She usually is fine for part of the event - if she knows it is coming - but after a while it will still rattle her cage.
Right now, everything in her little world is changing, and she's been quite a handful!
Kendra and Joel - it's better for them if I don't tell and surprise them. They love surprises and thrive on it.
Vannan and LaRue - they have their schedules and don't you mess with it!
Stunning! And it looks like I'm not the only one who travels a lot...LOL!
ReplyDeleteGreat pics Marcia!!
:)
Stunning!
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a great place to have a break. Shame poor Kendra...Nicola also almost always gets sick when we travel. And she practically stops eating even if she doesn't get sick because she's so excited to explore that getting her to sit down and chew something is nearly impossible.
Looks like such a beautiful place! And how awesome the anniversary treatment they gave you! :) [We're celebrating 13 years tomorrow!]
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with not telling children much of anything ahead of time! ;) We talk to my great aunt every day on the phone. She always asks, "What are you doing tomorrow?" And I always tell her, "Oh, just having a good day. And if we were doing anything of note, I wouldn't tell you here!" HA! I'll talk to the girls in general terms about upcoming trips, but I don't tell them until the morning of, exactly when we're leaving. I'm too afraid they won't sleep!
I hope to see more of Kendra smiling with subsequent posts about this trip! Bless her sweet little heart!!!
I miss the spontaneity of just going away. We use to do it all the time before the girls came along. I would often surprise DH with a trip over the weekend when he came home from work on a Friday. There is so much shuffling of stuff, people, and responsibilities now that it seems almost impossible. I tell myself that everything is fully planned, and KEPT FROM THE CHILDREN!
ReplyDeleteK does look miserable. I hope she made it through the trip ok. Was it true sick or is she not much of a traveler? I'm worried about Em on the drive to NC.