A Night in Kalk Bay

Thanks to my mom, the best granny ever, we were able to spend a night away in Kalk Bay. I wouldn’t normally think of going there to get away for a night but thanks to my wonderful friend, we were able to stay in her gorgeous little fisherman’s cottage in the most ideal position.

What’s so great about going there is the proximity of it. I always feel slightly anxious about going away without my girls, even though I know they’re very well looked after, so being close enough yet far away enough was just perfect.

We arrived in the afternoon to our cottage aptly named Fisherman’s Cove. It is really such a gorgeous, cute place and the interiors are so tastefully done…very beautiful!

We hadn’t really had lunch yet so set off straight away to find something. This is the best part of where her cottage is. We could just walk. No getting into the car, no having to park, just holding hands and walking…such a treat. We landed up at the Brass Bell which I have not been to in a very long time and it was so lovely. Exactly what we were wanting. It was a beautiful winters sunny day so we sat outside on the water’s edge and ordered a burger to share which was good.

If you have kids and you’re able to get away even for a night, do it! There is something so liberating (you’ll only understand this if you have kids) about being out in the day time, just chilling, having something to eat and drink without having to be anywhere or have anything to do. I realised how little chance we have to do that in our every day lives. Even though my husband and I sometimes meet up for a breakfast or lunch, there is always that pressure of time looming over us, needing to get back to work, the kids, something. So being together with nowhere to go really frees us up to actually just be more present with each other and enjoy each other’s company.

After lunch we went back to our cottage and had a lovely afternoons nap…remember those? Pure bliss. We then went for supper to The Annex.

When I booked, I was looking for something relatively casual and cosy. This was it. We sat right next to the fire, of course, and had a really good evening. I had the lamb chops on roasted veg and my hubby had the line fish which was Yellowtail with roasted veg. Both were very good and enjoyable. The veggies were the main highlight as I often find that roast veggies in restaurants are never that exciting or tasty yet these were really delicious.
We decided to indulge all our senses and went for the flourless belgian chocolate cake…very heavenly. All in all, a great night out and we would definitely return. In fact, both the Brass Bell and The Annex are places we would like to return to with our girls as they are both kiddie friendly.

Next morning, with our cottage being in the same road and literally a few steps away, we went to Olympia for breakfast. Most Cape Townians know of Olympia and what an institution it is in Kalk Bay. For those of you who don’t…go try it out. We had very yummy omelettes with spinach, ricotta and roasted tomato and good coffees. It really is the place to be on a Saturday morning in Kalk Bay. And we were there. Out and about. Just the two of us.

I always love walking along the Main Road in Kalk Bay and browsing all the quaint gorgeous shops there. What a difference to be able to do it without a little someone whining, ‘l want to go, I’m tired, this is boring’ or me having to keep an eye, ‘careful, don’t touch!’ Browsing at our own pace…what a luxury!

I already mentioned my fabulous mom who looked after the girls for the night. Well, she was even more fabulous for giving us the whole day and forgoing her much loved bridge which happens to be just one of the things that she lives for! Huge appreciation for that! So with the whole day ahead of us, although time was getting on by now, we decided to go for a walk on Constantia Nek.

While we go for walks in the mountain with our girls, it is obviously a completely different experience compared to going just the two of us. Not having been for a proper hike in a long time and taking the opportunity to do it now, we headed up the more difficult route which takes you up to the dam on top of the mountain. Although we didn’t make it that far as our time was now running out, it was a great walk nevertheless and very recommended especially if you don’t have too long and want to do a bit more than just a flat walk.

All in all, we had a really fantastic night away. We did a lot in a short amount of time but being so close to home made it so much easier as we didn’t need to factor in too much travelling time. We ventured out. We ate. We talked. We ate some more. We discovered. We rested. We connected. We held hands. We laughed. We ate some more again. We walked. We connected. We loved…All the elements of a great Date Night away!