My ♥ stopped at Dieu Donne.

You may have noticed that I've been missing for the last week and a bit. I was lucky enough to take a week off to spend time with my family before my brother's wedding. It's not often that everyone can be in the same place at the same time, because we all live busy lives and live far away from each other. 

My sister-in-law is super creative and I just knew this wedding was going to be filled with details and beautiful touches throughout. And of course I was right. The (now) married couple met at Dieu Donne in Franschhoek, where he was the chef and she the pastry chef. If you haven't been to Dieu Donne, I suggest you choose a Saturday morning and head out into the beautiful mountains. The wine estate is situated at the top of Franschhoek, and overlooks the valley. The view is breathtaking from up there and the PERFECT backdrop for a wedding. I don't have photos to share with you yet, because the wedding was on Saturday, but as soon as I do, I will post about it. 

There is something so special about the area, almost lost in time. The streets are clean and everywhere you look creative people have set themselves up and are trading. It really does remind you of Europe. 

We stayed at Le Franschhoek Hotel, which is just passed the monument at the end of the main road. It was superb! Leafy and green and tucked away, the Hotel is surrounded by birds and squirrels and makes a nice change from the city. The villas are spacious and have a slight old-world feel about them. The type of place you could hide away for some time off. And of course, the food in Franschhoek is top-notch. It seems all great chefs culminate here and there is no such thing as a bad dish. I also discovered that you won't find a take-away franchise in Franschhoek, they don't allow it, interesting and a sign of how seriously they protect their culinary magic. 

I've been to Franschhoek many times before, but this time was the most special and it was difficult to come home yesterday. We live in a beautiful country, get out and go and experience it. Years from now, you will feel lucky that you got to see the open spaces, because chances are many new buildings and homes will replace them.