Tag: family travel tips

Africa, Johannesburg

Rosemary Hill: cute little getaway from the city

by s.a.bLeave a Comment on Rosemary Hill: cute little getaway from the city

If the last fifteen months have taught me anything, it’s to be creative with week-end getaways and local escapades. It’s been hard not to be able to hop on a plane to London or Paris, but we have been luckier than most in South Africa, and there are so many lovely places to discover it almost doesn’t feel like travel has been restricted. Evidently, limited travel doesn’t mean that the school refrains from sending the children on “holidays” every six weeks, on the contrary! So keeping our two little minis busy and entertained has also been a full-time task lately. Alas we can’t go on safari or to the beach every week, so we mix those with getaways closer to the city, and finding Rosemary Hill and its adorable cabin cluster (CabinVille) so close to Johannesburg was a god-send.

Although Johannesburg feels like a giant forest and the winters here are lovely with the warm light and sunny afternoons, we sometimes miss a little bit of countryside, the kind that you would get from a trip to the Cotswolds or to Provence… It’s all a little urban at times. However, if you drive about an hour to the outskirts of Pretoria, you will find the most lovely farm now revamped into a wedding venue cum B&B. The farm offers more traditional accommodation in cottages, but what is unique is the little pods out in CabinVille: the idea of glamping in a very cool modern cabin just was too good to pass on. This is how we arrived at the Big Pod.

The Big Pod is a two-level cabin where upstairs is a large sleeping and lounging area with beautiful views out to the tree line; the full wood cladding look gives it a wonderful hygge atmosphere and the kids were so excited at a family sleepover opportunity. Downstairs is a double bedroom, a bathroom with the most perfect tiling, and a very well appointed kitchen. Outside is a deck with loungers, space to dine out, and a braai (you’re in South Africa, of course there is a very well functioning barbecue area!).

There is a restaurant and a café on the grounds and breakfast is included in the pod bookings, but we decided to be in our little bubble. We had brought all the goodies for sundowners, a arm themed dinner (sausages and organic veggies) and croissants and baguettes from the best bakery in Johannesburg (if you know, you know, if not, message me!) for breakfast. It made for the most perfect isolated outing, and we barely crossed anyone during our stay.

Whilst the Big Pod feels very open to nature, it is beautifully built and quite warm in the evening, not to mention the fluffy duvets. This did not feel at all like camping and my mind was very far from sleeping bags and communal showers, thankfully. Considering I am not the biggest fan of sleeping in tents and sharing my bathroom space with creepy crawlies this was perfect.

There are lots of things to do on the farm, from exploring the walking and bike paths to going on a horse ride, visiting the farm animals… The Autumn weather is perfect to walk around, as it doesn’t get too hot and the colours are beautiful, especially in the afternoon. The next morning we had signed the munchkins off for a session at Acrobranch, also on the farm, and they had a blast with the zip lines and climbing features.

All in, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Rosemary Hill. It is perfect for a quick one-night getaway from the city, to break out from the routine and enjoy something different as a family.

With love, S.

Travel Notes

Raising perfect little travellers

by s.a.b1 Comment on Raising perfect little travellers

Growing up, I remember a lot of parents in our circle would travel the world, thinking nothing of leaving their children behind with nannies… My parents raised us with the exact opposite approach, taking my sister and me virtually everywhere with them, from Zimbabwe to Cuba, we were both incredibly lucky to be very well traveled even before we had left primary school. Fast-forward to the present, I’m now the mama of two wonderful yet quite buoyant children, and whilst I always knew I would follow in my parents’ footsteps when it comes to travelling with children, I can see why some people don’t.

If you think flying is stressful, try taking small children along: it becomes a unique yet very effective method of torture; suddenly you are a sherpa, a marathon runner, a UN negotiator, and even a food taster (the suspicious airport attendants always insists someone tastes the milk in the baby’s bottles… because planning a criminal attack with one or more toddlers in tow is the smart thing to do , didn’t you know?) So yes, you can opt for a travel ban, especially air travel, until your children are sulky teenagers who will sneer at everything you are trying to make them discover, but then, take it from me, you are missing out on so much: a little city escape becomes a magical adventure when you see everything through the eyes of an amazed little one, and taking a five-year old snorkelling and hearing her squeals of pleasure at seeing the fish so close is such a moment of pleasure. My approach? Take your children with you, continue to explore the world, but be prepared to change your travel style a bit… Read on for my tips on how to raise the perfect little travellers, one flight at a time.

One – Check in online… planning ahead helps you get seats together, save time at the airport, and overall will save you a lot of aggravation.

Two – Assume you’ll be slower… Many of us are used to zipping through airports, with little ones it’s always a little slower than you’re normally used to, so arrive with plenty of time to fold the pushchair at security, divide the bags into the x-ray trays, negotiate with the little one to follow her brother through the security guantry without waiting for mama…

Three – Visit the lounge… If you can, once you’ve passed the over-zealous security staff and had your fill of baby milk and other purées, head over to the lounge and have a sip of champagne whilst your little ones run around, many lounges have play areas and food that children will enjoy, and the seating is far more comfortable than elsewhere in the airport.

Four – Invest in a small easy-to-fold pushchair… Over the years we went through more than our fair share of pushchairs, always looking for the one which would be the easiest to travel with; nothing gets even close to the Babyzen Yoyo 2, which folds up and fits in the overhead compartments and makes it super easy to explore everywhere with babies and toddlers. Put some of their favourite toys in the little net so that when you’re in the restaurant waiting for lunch, they can keep entertained.

Five – Layer up and plan for accidents… Airplane temperatures tend to vary so I go for a multi-layer look for everyone, and it’s always a good idea to pack a change of clothes for them and for us, because you know… little accidents happen.

Six – Bring food and drinks that your children like… It’s well known that babies’ ears struggle with pressure and a milk bottle helps, but also plan for older ones because children can be a little fussy, and generally they are ill catered for by most airlines, as I learned to my detriment: last year we took a long-haul flight with British Airways, and when breakfast time arrived, the crew refused to give me a glass of milk for my toddler on account that they needed to keep enough to serve it with coffee for the other passengers; so now, one of the things I do hunt down in the airport is milk, even if it means begging the lounge chef for a bottle.

Seven – Relax your screen time phobia temporarily…  Of course we all want our children to play with wooden blocks and puzzles, but sometimes you also need to take the easy road. You can fill ipads or kindles with kids-friendly apps, movies, and games that they will enjoy, meaning they will stay calm for a few hour.

Eight – For longer holidays, consider shipping some things ahead… This way you’ll have less to carrry yourself (when we went to Puglia with a baby, we sent a box of nappies, baby milk, fruit compotes, pool toys)

Nine – Head for the tour bus… Who ever thought mini city breaks with kids are hard work needs to be introduced to the Big Red Bus company and its equivalents, it’s the best way to discover the city at leisure, the children don’t get tired from walking, they can doze off in the bus for a few minutes, and you still get to see all the historical beauties you had on your bucket list. We did places like Barcelona, Rome, Cape Town, New York, Paris etc. by foot and by bus and it was perfect.

Ten – Variety is key. Try to alternate between cultural visits and children-friendly activities, such as parks with kids playgrounds, zoos, aquariums etc. Recently we’ve been on a lot of safaris and whilst kids are obsessed with animals after ten elephants it’s handy to have a few toys in the car or a child-size camera so they can play at being a wildlife photographer…

Over the years, our children have become seasoned travellers and they are used to seeing new things, experiencing new foods, and we get to indulge in our love of travel instead of spending ten or more years hiding in family-friendly hotel clubs that would make us miserable. Everybody wins.

With love, S.