Your first 48 hours in Riebeek Kasteel

Arrive after three, drop the bags and walk. Huis Agt is in the village, so the square, the old church and the Royal Hotel are all on foot. Take a seat on the hotel's stoep for a cold drink and watch the light go gold on the Kasteelberg.

On your first full morning, buy bread at Panera or coffee at Beans About Coffee, then drive five minutes to Kloovenburg. Walk the short Olive Route through the groves before it gets hot, then taste wine in the old cellar.

Lunch is the main event in this valley. Book a table with a view at The Barn, or sit under the old oak at Café Felix. Spend the afternoon slowly: the antique shops, a gallery, a swim back at the house.

On day two, cross to Riebeek West. Visit Die Boomhuis, the greenhouse built around a baobab, and taste at Marras or Allesverloren. Come home for a braai and an early night under a very dark sky.