View from the lake onto the campsite There's a moment, somewhere around your second cup of coffee on the deck, when you realise you've not heard a car in hours. Just birdsong, the wind moving through the fynbos, laughter and Siena trying to befriend the mongoose. The 30-second verdict Camp Canoe is a glamping stay on the upper slopes of Boschendal Wine Estate, about 45 minutes from Cape Town. Seven private tents, each with a wood-fired hot tub, fireplace, and kitchen, sit abo

Sunrise views over Southern Drakensberg Sipping rooibos & dunking rusks while staring at that view. Drakensberg, South Africa in May does this thing where the air turns crisp and the sky goes a clean, endless blue, and the peaks in front of you look surreal. Siena is well travelled and not easily impressed, yet she couldn't stop saying the mountains looked like a fairytale painting. Whether glorious at sunrise, sprinkled with sun or covered with mist - I won't stop talking ab

The 30-second verdict Boschendal is a 330-year-old working wine estate between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek that has quietly turned itself into one of the most family-friendly wine farms in the Cape Winelands. The draw for parents is The Tree House, a free play area open year round. Best of all they offer a proper holiday camp for ages 4 to 12, with morning, afternoon and full-day sessions during South African school holidays. Add night markets under fairy lights, an excelle

Siena rushing to see the ducks at Castleburn, age 1. Siena took her first steps at Castleburn, wobbled against the stone fireplace, and made it three steps before sitting down again with a look of pure surprise. After multiple visits since 2002, I'm finally writing about it properly. The 30-second verdict Castleburn is a family resort in the foothills of the southern Drakensberg, around three hours from Durban. The chalets cluster around Lake Madingofani, with activities for

Sri Lanka holds a very special place in our hearts. We've been visiting for years, and have loved it so much we've actually invested in a property there with dreams of retiring there one day. So when we say we know the south coast well, we really mean it. This post is our intro guide to Southern Sri Lanka with kids. An honest overview of each area, where we've stayed, what we've eaten, and the experiences that have stayed with us. We've linked through to deeper area guides an