Robertson Wine Valley Festival at Kievets Kroon

This weekend is the Robertson Wine Valley festival at Kievets Kroon.  If you're looking for something to do, I would highly recommend this!  Kievets Kroon is so beautiful on its own (highly recommended if you're looking for a weekend away) that it makes such a beautiful setting for a wine festival.

This year's festival is a lot bigger than last year's one with these gorgeous baked goods for sale, incredible cakes and a lot more options for lunch.  You can also order picnic baskets that look absolutely delicious.

I went with a group of my friends and we had so much fun tasting wines and once we had found our favourites we sat down on our picnic blanket with cheese and fruit platters to enjoy the afternoon.  The live music is fantastic and set such a great vibe for a day out.

If you'd like to see my experience last year you can click here.

Blyde River Canyon, Mpumalanga Getaway

Hi everyone! 

As I’m sure everyone is well aware and super excited about, we have a lot of public holidays coming up over the next 6 weeks or so and I thought I’d shed some light on where to take a great mini vacation.  I’m always looking to take advantage of these and head off somewhere I’ve never been before so I thought I’d share one of favourites for this kind of holiday.

Mpumalanga?  People ask me all confused.  Yes, Mpumalanga.  It is one of my favourite places on this earth.  More specifically, Blyde River Canyon and the Panorama Route.  In this particular part of the world you can expect forests, waterfalls and views that your eyes might not believe. 

The Panorama Route comprises of various stops including Bourke’s Potholes, Berlin falls, Lisbon falls, God’s Window and the Pinnacle.  On route there are also two sets of caves; the Sudwala caves and Echo caves that are also worth visiting. 

This route requires you drive the distance between each stop which means you’re doing quite a lot of driving around but the route is circular so it does bring you back to your starting point.  If you don’t feel like doing the driving yourself there are travel shuttles that you can organise through your hotel or information centre that will do the driving for you.  We were driving ourselves so we decided to divide the route into two day trips which worked out perfectly.  For this reason, I’d suggest a three or four night stay.

I’d recommend you take a packed lunch as there isn’t very much in the way of restaurants once you’re out there.  We stopped at Spar in the morning and bought fresh rolls and cheeses and popped them in the cooler bag with a few bottles of water.  This is also so lovely to do because it means you end up picnicking surrounded by the most beautiful views.  On your way back to the hotel, Harrie’s Pancakes is not to be missed!  It is right outside Graskop hotel and it has pancakes like you’ve never tasted them before.  My favourite is the milktart filled pancake – nom nom nom. There is also the most incredible Mozambican restaurant just opposite Graskop hotel and if you can I’d definitely recommend having dinner there, it’s delish! 

The first time I ventured out here, I stayed at Graskop Hotel which is a very sweet hotel very close to the start of the Panorama Route.  If you don’t mind staying a little further away, I’ve also stayed Casa do Sol, a four star hotel in Hazyview.  This is a very romantic hotel with lovely spacious rooms (the double villas).  Our room rate included breakfast and dinner which were both delicious.  I also enjoyed staying at this hotel because the drive from Hazyview to Graskop takes you through Sappi’s forests which are beautiful.  The hotel also had a wonderful spa and lovely pool area which are both worth visiting on the days you’ve chosen to relax all day.

If you’re planning on road-tripping out here, have a look for specials for Casa do Sol.  I found ours on mtbeds.co.za which was R5000 for 3 nights including breakfast and an incredible dinner.   Graskop Hotel was about R700 a night including breakfast.  Other costs involve small entrance fees into the viewpoints, majority of which are R10 (the Potholes was about R60, but don't skip it!). 

Don’t forget sunscreen and lots of water and I can guarantee you will have an incredible time and make memories for a lifetime.

The highlights of 2013

2013 is over and here is 2014 already.  Time moves so fast when you're having fun!  I just wanted to take this moment to reflect over the past year.  My blog continues to grow and I can only thank you for that.  You make my day everyday.  Thank you for sharing this incredible journey with me.

In this past year, I've had the most wonderful experience of working with LEGiT fashion (if you missed it, you can take a look over here).  I've been able to learn the scientific methods behind skin care with Dermalogica (here).  I've had the opportunity of experiencing a number of my favourite food, wine and design events such as Decorex, Taste of Joburg to name only two.  I've attended the most wonderful store openings.  I was honoured to have been asked to write articles for online magazines.  I have also appeared in Grazia, People and LEGiT magazines this year much to my surprise!

Collaborating is a word that I'd use to describe 2013 as I've been doing just that with bloggers from South Africa and across the pond.  I love to see the blogging world work together so you can be sure to see more collaborations coming in 2014.  Meeting local bloggers has also been a highlight of my year.  There are so many of you out there and each one of you fascinate me.  I feel so lucky to walk alongside you.

I tend to take blogging day by day, never expecting anything but the self-satisfaction that I have something I love to do in my free time.  That being said, I have so often been so surprised when a super exciting email lands in my inbox or a fantastic delievery arrives at my door.  I'm so often gobsmacked but these little pleasures have really added highlights to my year.  The biggest blogging surprise I've had at all this year, however, came in the form of Irina Doman, a blogger I have the privilege of calling my friend.  It's funny how this little blog has created such a great friendship.  You can visit Irina's blog here.

This past year I received my first DSLR camera as a graduation present from my dad.  I have been having such fun learning the ropes in photography.  Hand-in-hand I have also been learning Photoshop which helped me redesign my blog which was quite exciting!  I also expended the blog to Facebook, Twitter (@arumlilea) and Instagram (@arumlilea) which has been loads of fun.  I like to share snippets of my life on each but also unique from each other just to keep things interesting.

In 2013 I was able to study further, something I'm really passionate about.  This year I dedicated my studies to a Master's degree in Public International law, a field very close to my heart.  I was wonderful to have been able to learn more and dedicate time to this and for that reason 2013 was a big year for me.

I was also able to travel quite a bit.  I ventured off to areas of South Africa that I had never been before which has made me so grateful to live in a country with so much beauty to offer.  I travelled to the United States once again to see the likes of cities I have never been to before (here, here and here).  I also experienced Halloween for the first time.  I hope to visit there again soon.  I was also lucky enough to be able to travel to Tanzania with my sister which was the most incredible experience that I could have shared with no one better (here and here). I can only hope more travelling is in store for me in 2014!

2014 will see me begin my career as an attorney which is quite monumental.  All my years of studying will finally be put to some use.  Arum Lilea will continue in what I hope will be from strength to strength.  There will  definitely be more outfits to post and stories to tell.

Thank you so much for all your support, every moment spent reading my blog and every comment you make.  I am so lucky to have you all.  Thank you also to my family and friend who have added such a great about of value to this blog (and for constantly listening to me ramble on about it).  Much Love!!!

DoubleTree by Hilton, Zanzibar

As promised, I have some pictures from my camera that I still wished to share with you.  For those of you that were wondering, we stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Zanzibar and I couldn't recommend a better place to stay.  The staff are so friendly and attentive.  It takes an hours drive from the airport to the hotel which was quite nice because it was almost a tour of the island on our way to the hotel.  The hotel is at the most northern point of Zanzibar is Nungwi.

 This area has beautiful beaches although I doubt you can go wrong anywhere on Zanzibar.  I recommend this hotel too because they organise such fun activities for you to do.  We learnt to do traditional basket weaving and also got to take Swahili classes.  Every morning we started the day with yoga on the beach followed by water aerobics.  In the afternoon the hotel organised either water polo or volley ball which is great for sporty people (unfortunately I'm not one of those).  There were also organised walks into the village and to visit the fishmarket to see how the boats are made.  In my previous post I also mentioned we were taken on a walk from our hotel, up the beach to the "aquarium" which is actually a local "save the turtles" initiative and a place that found a very special place in my heart.

The food is absolutely amazing.  You cannot go hungry in this place as it is all inclusive.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner are buffets with every kind of deliciousness you can imagine.  While these take place at set times, you can order the most delicious pizza by the pool too (along with other things).  It might also be worth mentioning that alcohol is included too which was great.  What is a beach without cocktails?!  The Gin Fizz was my personal favourite.

If you're looking at visiting Zanzibar any time soon and have any questions, feel free to ask!  I'll help you best I can.

High Low skirt

YDE dress | LEGiT skirt | vintage belt | ALDO wedges | Dolce & Gabbana sunnies c/o Sunglass Hut | Forever New bracelet | Michael Kors watch

Hi everyone

I'm writing to you from my bed sick with flu.  Luckily I had taken these pictures in Zanzibar while I was there.  Hopefully I get better quickly because its time for our family beach holiday which is always so much fun.  Hope you had a great weekend!

Tropico

Forever New dress | ALDO wedges | Forever New bracelet | Michael Kors watch | Swarovski earrings | Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses c/o Sunglass Hut

Hi everyone!

While in Zanzibar, you can't help but feel that you should be embracing the surroundings.  I decided that this tropical print Forever New dress would be perfect for dinner during our stay.  I love it when your dress matches the background!

Zanzibar, Tanzania

Hi everyone! 

I'm writing this post from the gorgeous Double Tree by Hilton resort in Zanzibar, Tanzania. I'm travelling with my sister on this trip and we're having an incredible time. The beaches here have us mesmorised. The water is warm, calm and crystal clear. 

We've been relaxing by the pool, reading books, enjoying the spa and great traditional food.  The local women in the village next door to our hotel run a turtle conservation site ("the aquarium") and we went to visit. My sister described it aptly as being one of the most magical moments of her life. The turtles are so well looked after, from newly hatched ones to 100 year old ones. The conservation site is to ensure that the number of these turtles doesn't diminish. They are already planning their next big release of turtles in January which is quite exciting.  They were quite curious to when they saw we had food for them and swam around while their life cycle was explained to us. 

Apart from that, we've been loving the local people who are so friendly and the children who love to come speak to you. The speak quickly in Swahili but don't seem particularly phased by the language barrier. Sand castles and smiles are universal after all. 

Today I'm sharing snaps I've taken on my iPhone but stay tuned, I should have some camera snaps to share too.

Thank you so much for reading!

Big Sur {Post Ranch Inn}

Next stop on my road trip up the Californian coast was Big Sur.  Let me start this post by saying that I have the most incredible friends in America.  They were the ones that took me to all these gorgeous places, planned where we would stop and the places that we would stay.  If it wasn't for them I wouldn't have seen these places at all.

The next hotel is one that I will most likely remain unparalleled for the rest of my life.  Yip, that's quite a bold statement to make but this hotel is incredible.  Imagine yourself staying in the Cullen house of the Twilight Saga, turn it up a few notches, and you've probably hit the nail directly on the head.  Without further ado, let me introduce you to the piece of heaven that is Post Ranch Inn.  

If you are anything like I am, a forest is your ideal city escape.  Big trees, a fire, a good spa and a great book is my ultimate getaway combination.  Now picture yourself 1200 feet above sea level in a luxury tree house.  One side of the tree house looks directly into the dense forest and the other gives you full view of the Pacific Ocean.  The sea and a forest?  Perfection.  Incredibly romantic, this Ranch has a superb restaurant on the cliffs overlooking the ocean with fine dining like you have never experienced it before.  The spa facilities are available 24 hours a day.  There are hot infinity pools all along the cliffs and you can relax in these with nothing but forest and a horizon of sapphire water in your line of sight.  You might even catch a glimpse of deer walking silently along the paths too.  Here you can begin your days with yoga before breakfast followed by a slow walk through the trees and immediately unwind.

This was one of the most incredible experiences of my life and I'll be forever grateful for having been given the opportunity of experiencing this extraordinary place.  I've never felt more relaxed and I've never been as sad to say goodbye to a place than this one.

Napa Valley & Sonoma

Next stop on my road trip up northern California was Napa Valley.  This area of Cali is famous for its world renowned wines.  

I stayed at the Fairmont Inn & Spa which was a lovely, cosy stay.  The spa was the best I've ever been to, so if you're looking for a weekend of wine and spa treatments, this is most definitely the place you'd want to stay.  The full body massage is highly recommended!

As for wine tasting, we started at Del Dotto Vineyards which was a great place to begin.  The wine tasting is done in the caves of the winery where the difference between different barrels and the woods of each barrel is explained. I really love wine and I've done many wine tastings but, to be perfectly honest, I don't know much about it.  This particular tasting was fantastic for me because everything that I loved but never understood was explained throughout.  The difference between French and American wine, the different aging processes, the different smells, the taste at the front/middle/back of the palette were all broken down for everyone to understand quite easily which made everything so much more interesting.

Next stop was Domaine Carneros.  This place I had seen pictures of on one of my favourite blogs and I made a mental note to look out for it on my trip.  Turned out this gem of a winery was on the way from our hotel towards all the other wineries so it made for the perfect stop on the way back.   The building is so impressive.  If I had to describe it, it would be like an American chateau.  If you're in Napa I would definitely add this to your list of places not to be missed by any means!  We didn't do a tasting here, we simply ordered sparkling wine and cheese plates and enjoyed the atmosphere of this beautiful place and a golden fall afternoon.  

That evening we had dinner in Sonoma right near the town hall which was is so quaint and lovely.  The Girl and the Fig restaurant is really popular but we ate at the hotel nextdoor which has a gorgeous outside area alongside the pool.  I had the most delicious butternut squash soup with marshmellows.  Interesting combination but, as I love both, I tried it and I was most definitely impressed!