I love visiting the
Brooklyn Limestone blog to see Stefanie's stunning home renovations and party decorations, as well as her beautiful photographs and invitations. Seriously, if you haven't seen them yet you definitely need to. Looking at her unbelivable vacation photos, I knew she would be perfect for this series. Now for some of Stefanie's vacation faves...
Favourite Vacation SpotI don't really have a favorite - I fall in love with almost everywhere I visit. I tend to be most excited about where I'm going next and don't often return to the same place twice. But if I have to pick my favorite vacation, it would have to be
South Africa.
Where to Stay
Our trip was broken into two parts: one part safari and one part city visit to Cape Town. On safari we stayed at
Londolozi, which was amazing. Aside from the awe inspiring setting, the amazing wildlife and luxurious accommodations, the staff could not do enough to make us happy. In Cape Town we stayed in a fabulous hotel called the
Cape Grace. It was impossible to top the experience we had on safari but I would recommend that location easily. The whole trip was just stellar.
Where to Eat
At Londolozi, you are in the private reserve the entire time so the camp feeds you. Great food and service but its not like we had a choice. In Cape Town we ate most of our meals at some of the great restaurants near the pier - whether it was having a dish of mussels in wine or a ostrich steak, we had one great culinary experience after another. A few hours drive out of Cape Town are some wonderful wineries and cheese makers but we didn't get enough time to really take advantage of this. I'd love to return to taste more!
What to Do
Its probably pretty obvious what you do on safari - you look for animals. And we saw so many on each of our drives. At night we would hear them out there while we relaxed. We even had some fun encounters with precocious monkeys on our room's deck. There are other things to do while you are there as well like get a message, take a cooking class, etc. but the animal watching is most definitely the highlight.
In Cape Town there are loads of things to do as a tourist. We made our way to Robben Island to learn about the country's history and Nelson Mandela's imprisonment there - very powerful. We drove down the coast to the natural park and beaches where we froliced with penguins and avoided baboons. We ate, we shopped and we even got in some relaxing before we had to fly off.
Five Vacation Essentials
Aside from the obvious ones like clothing and my passport, there are really only three for me: My camera, a guide book, and Anti Frizz Hair Serum. What can I say? I'm a light packer. For this trip I would have to add malaria medication and a telephoto lens.
Vacation Clothing Staples
I'm a fairly light packer--I don't bring more than one smallish suitcase that I can carry on the plane when necessary. I like to bring things that match each other so I can get more than one use out of it. Sometimes I'll do laundry while I'm away if the trip is long enough.
What I Bring for the Journey…
I bring on at least one book and a short stack of magazines.
Favourite Travelling Companion
My husband of course!
The Next Spot I’d Like to Visit…
So many places! Off the top of my head, Greece, Israel, Tanzania and Australia pop up. There really is just too many places to experience and not enough time.
All photos courtesy of Brooklyn Limestone unless otherwise noted.
