We were in a different world. It's amazing how you leave Cape Town behind you as soon as you head up Ou Kaapse Weg. The rugged, misty landscape near Silvermine makes you think you could be in Scotland or somewhere up in the Andes. But my husband Gavin and I were on our way to Noordhoek for a weekend retreat.

The guesthouse we had booked into has been launched only recently. It's the labour of love of two Britons who've recently immigrated to South Africa, Colin Craig and Mark Wilkes. They had considered starting a B&B in the UK and when Mark was made redundant last year, decided to come to Cape Town on holiday. It wasn't long before they were convinced that this was the spot where they wanted to open their hospitality business.


As we sat in the open-plan kitchen near the fireplace, I quizzed Mark on the name: the Blue Tangerine. Mark says they were inspired by a fragrance of candle by Kenneth Turner and also felt that a blue citrus fruit would be a rare find, like the guesthouse.

When Colin and Mark bought the property, it was a private residence. They decided to keep the existing structure - the main house and the two cottages, all thatched - and added bathrooms to the suites. With a lot of hard work, they managed to complete the renovations in four months and opened in time for Christmas.

As we chatted, Colin was hard at work in the background, getting our dinner ready. After a stuffed pasta starter, we were treated to Cape salmon in a Thai sauce and fresh vegetables, which came straight from the garden. Silently watching us during our meal were Todd the terrier and his younger companion, Borris the Black Russian Terrier.

Our stress levels had dropped considerably
Barely three hours after arriving, our stress levels had already dropped considerably. Mark suggested that we end our week on a relaxing note: sipping herbal tea in the giant bath in our bedroom suite. Now who could resist an offer like that?

The next morning I awoke to coffee in bed (courtesy of my husband) and a slice of shortcake (courtesy of Colin). Breakfast was served at 10am, and we were delighted to take in the view of Chapman's Bay from the terrace.

We ate fruit and yoghurt, bacon and eggs, croissants and jam. Our tea was served in genuine Wedgwood china from England. On no account did we stuff ourselves - we had booked to go horse-riding that day and were encouraged by Colin to have a hearty breakfast for the physical exertion that lay ahead.

We said goodbye to our kind hosts and made a dash for the car in a downpour. We weren't sure if we were going to go for our ride on the beach after all. But thankfully the rain held off for the next few hours and we saddled up at nearby Imhoff Equestrian Centre.

"Who's the more experienced rider of the two of you?" asked Tamsin, the organiser of our ride.

"My wife," Gavin promptly responded. I looked at the two horses, trying to guess which one was the naughty trickster. Storm. Not a very auspicious name, I thought. Gavin's steed was called Fritz. That sounded a lot friendlier than Storm. I said a silent prayer, and mounted.

The weather had cleared and although cold and blustery, we enjoyed fabulous views of the wetland and the long stretch of Noordhoek beach.

Two adventurous souls who were kite sailing added a dash of colour to the scene.

Imhoff's Farm is a quaint spot for a bite to eat
"Trot!" shouted Tamsin. Obediently, the horses began to trot. Gavin bounced awkwardly in his saddle.

"Canter!" Oh boy! The faster pace meant that now both Gavin and I were being thrown around, not quite knowing what to do with our posteriors.

"Put your heels down!" Tamsin yelled. "Heels down!"

I gripped the saddle in one hand and did my best to lean back and fall in with Storm's stride, to little avail. The second time we cantered, I lost a stirrup and from then on, Tamsin sensibly decided we should stick to walking and trotting only.

On the way back, I stopped being anxious about whether I was going to fall off and started to really appreciate the beauty of the surroundings.

A flock of flamingos elegantly reposed at a vlei. Seagulls launched themselves into the air and balanced precariously in the wind. The kite surfers whizzed from one end of the shore to the other.

By the time we arrived back at the riding school, we were both thoroughly relaxed and decided it was time for lunch.

Imhoff's Farm is a quaint spot for a bite to eat or some artsy craftsy-type shopping. We went to the cheese shop and settled on the "Camembrie", a combination of Camembert and Brie, to go with a loaf of fig and blue cheese bread. Here you can sample to your heart's delight.

Next we paid a visit to Compass Bakery, near Kommetjie. Everything in this factory shop is a bargain. For just under R30, we bought choc-chip cookies, blueberry muffins, chocolate marshmallow brownies and another pack of biscuits. Some of their wares will look very familiar because they supply Woolworths.

It had been a jam-packed weekend retreat and we were a little exhausted by the time we drove back to Cape Town late on Saturday afternoon. Mark had said the horse ride would blow away all the cobwebs - and he was right. Although our bodies were weary, fresh wind had been breathed into our souls.

Source: News24.com - www.news24.com

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