Simondium is a hamlet just outside Paarl named after a Huguenot minister, Pierre Simond. This region has earned a reputation for cheese making, good wine and great restaurants. Simonsberg-Paarl is a ward of the Paarl Wine of Origin appellation, and the wineries are renowned for award-winning quality wines. The abundance of natural scenic beauty makes it the ideal destination for nature-lovers. There is several scenic walking, hiking and cycling trails.
On the SIMONSBERG-PAARL (SIMONDIUM) MEANDER, you will find a hidden gem named Mitre’s Edge.
This family-run boutique winery is named after the mountain adjacent to the farm that bears an uncanny resemblance to a bishop’s mitre. With a grand Cape Georgian-styled manor and a vintage cellar, this estate is both beautiful and an award-winning wine producer.
Wine tasting is by appointment only and can be done in the cellar or the dining room with winemaker Lola Nicholls. Must-try wines include the viognier, the Bordeaux-style blend Shalto and the cabernet sauvignon. Mitre’s Edge is committed to sustainable and ethical winemaking. Spend a night (or two) soaking in the old-world charm of the estate at The Pool House, a self-catering home with a sparkling pool and hot tub.
Dating back to 1692, Babylonstoren a 200-hectare farm, is the ultimate farm haven, where the luxury is in the integrity and authenticity of the setting. Excellent wine aside, Babylonstoren is also home to a stylish hotel, a 3.5-hectare garden that supplies three restaurants (Babel, The Greenhouse Restaurant and The Bakery), The Juicery, The Garden Spa, modern wine-tasting centre, boathouse with rowboat, endless dirt roads (which hotel guests can explore on available mountain bikes) and a pervasive sense of tranquility that follows you everywhere.
For those who wish to immerse themselves in this garden paradise overnight, the hotel at Babylonstoren offers a delicious taste of idyllic country life: from Provençal-inspired gardens bearing fruit that made the Cape of Good Hope a vital pitstop, to luxurious suites that are replicas of the old farm workers’ cottages, to food fit for the gods.
Berg River Resort is centrally situated in the beautiful Cape Winelands. A variety of guest accommodation is available. Facilities include a 3,5m deep Olympic pool, a kiddie’s pool, waterslide and the river which is ideal for swimming and canoeing. It is the perfect place to visit for a family braai, a picnic, school outing, birthday gathering or a team building event. There are facilities for catered functions by arrangement.
Meet the folks at Fanglasstic, producers of handcrafted, functional glassware from plates and bowls to coasters and wall murals and everything is dishwasher safe. Visitors can take part in workshops they present and make their own decorative glassware.
Karoo Craft Breweries’ taproom is at Simonsvlei Wines and is a popular stop for brewery tours, beer tastings and pairings. The Kudu, Oryx, Jackal and Impala craft beers are noteworthy.
At Le Bonheur Reptiles and Adventures you can get up close and personal with reptiles while enjoying a relaxing day (or weekend!) on their idyllic farm in the heart of the Winelands. They offer reptile adventures like you have not experienced before. After enjoying their croc pond tour and snake exhibit (locals and exotics), spend the rest of the day enjoying their spacious kids’ play area, tranquil catch-and-release dam, and woodfired pizzas at The Restaurant at Le Bonheur.
Depending on your adrenaline threshold, you can cage dive with a croc or rent their rowboat. They offer everything from serene waterside braai-places and not-so-serene kids’ parties, educational school tours, gorgeous self-catering accommodation and a unique shopping experience in their shop specialising in crocodile leather products and locally crafted items.
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