Kurland
Garden Route & Winelands, South Africa[view map]
Local restaurants
The Kurland Polo Pavilion (+27 (0)44 534 8082) has its own bar and restaurant. After a scenic drive through Nature’s Valley and over the Blaauwkrans pass, have a lunch of deliciously matured dairy treats, salamis and salad at the Fynboshoek Cheese Farm (+27 (0)42 280 3879), on the N2 in the Tsitsikamma Forest.
Worth getting out of bed for
At Kurland, to trot out that well-worn cliché, you are spoiled for choice – staff can arrange pretty much anything imaginable. Whilst there’s nothing more pleasant than hunkering down barefoot in one of the sitting rooms with a good book, there are quad bikes, bicycles and horses to ride around the estate, and tuition in tennis, polo, yoga, Pilates and many other activities can be arranged. The spa has a very good therapist, who gives Decléor treatments and soothing massages.
During the polo season, there are games almost every day on the estate at the Kurland Polo Pavilion and grounds, including what is probably one of the world's top 10 polo fixtures, so you can settle down and watch a few chukkas without having to make any effort at all. Kurland is on the edge of Tsitsikamma National Park (www.sanparks.org), home to huge areas of indigenous forest, deep river gorges and waterfalls, where you can hike, climb, boat and nature-watch, either under your own steam or with a guide.
The beaches of Plettenberg Bay (www.plettenbergbay.co.za) and Keurbooms are less than 20 minutes’ drive away; ask Kurland and it can arrange for you to watch whales, kayak with dolphins or snorkel with seals. This part of the Garden Route is also renowned for its world-class golf courses, including Pezula Championship Course (+27 (0)44 302 5300; www.pezula.com) and Plettenberg Bay Country Club (+27 (0)533 2132; www.plettgolf.co.za).
Diary
December–April The Plettenberg Bay area polo season.