Cape Gourmet Wine Trail - South Africa

Jaana who has been on 15 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic riding, very good food & wine, but the holiday name may be a bit misleading | The riding is the real highlight of this holiday. The horses are extermely well looked after and a joy to ride. Marie is a great guide, not only for the riding but she knows so much about the area and the places and nature we see, and has a skill to tell you all about it in a very passionate manner.

Do you have any comments about the accommodation and food?

Accommodation was mainly as expected - the rooms at the stables are perfectly suitable, and the wineyard accommodation was also nice.
The food part is challenging to explain (but I try).
Starting with breakfasts - I rate them unsatisfied. Only once did we have a real breakfast, at the Marianne wine estate. Even there there was no bread or toast, but there were eggs (the only time) and a little more cold meats/cheese. Any other morning we had fruit and yoghurt and perhaps cheese but no bread at all.
Lunches were all fabulous, paired with glorious wine tasting - rating them very satisfied.
Evening meals - there was nothing wrong with any of them (some at restaurants, twice at the stables/bbq), the issue is the name of this ride. I would say we had two gourmet dinners at this ride. Other evening meals were nice meals, but not gourmet. I would call this ride a Taste of South Africa, rather than a Gourmet Trail, not to raise the expectations too high.

How could we improve the quality of pre-holiday information that we send?

For the first time ever, I feel ITS did not quite manage to raise to my high expectations. The pre-holiday information, including the final itinerary, was vague, a lot more so than ever before. Having been to this ride I think I know why. The organiser changes the wineyards and the lunches/dinners all the time, so this is a moving target to get right.
However, I also suspect no one from ITS has actually been on this ride. There was some information that impacted what I packed that was misleading. Especially the part referring to dressing up a bit for the evening meals. I had several dresses and pairs of shoes in my bad that I could never wear, it would have been a comedy. Smart casual is the most anyone needs to pack.
What I think needs to be said in the itinerary is to bring breakfast bars, juices etc for the mornings. The booklet has the standard sentence about snacks, but it is not the snacks that are needed. It is important to know there is little to eat in the mornings. For some it can be crucial to know, especially for anyone who is diabetic etc.

[Lois from In The Saddle replies: Thank you for your feedback. I am pleased you enjoyed the riding and wine tasting sessions. Firstly it is important for me to say that In The Saddle has actually visited this ride 5 times in the 13 years we have worked with this operator but I am sorry you feel that our information was inaccurate. We are reviewing all our information following your comments.
We have always informed clients that when staying at the stables the breakfast provided to you in your room will include just cereals, yogurts and fruit. We do also highlight that the restaurants are not formal (jacket and tie are not required) but that you may wish to freshen up after riding and change for dinner. I am sorry that you had a different impression.
The itinerary name of Cape Gourmet Wine Trail was given to us by the ride operator themselves and we have used this name for a few years now but we will consider whether a different name would be better.]

How could we improve the way we handled your booking and payment?

I think you need to know more about what actually goes on on this ride to be able to provide necessary information. The technicalities in terms of booking handling and payment were absolutely fine, but I feel you sell a ride you don't fully know.

Do you have any other feedback for us?

In summary, as a RIDE this is fabulous. I would and probably will go back when I am next in Cape Town, just to ride and stay at the stables. The horses are fab, the people are great, the scenery is beautiful.

The issue with the five days is the word 'gourmet` which creates an expectation that this ride may not always deliver. The lunches were always great. There was nothing wrong with the evening meals, I enjoyed them, but a part from Monday and Thursday they were nice local food rather than gourmet. The wine tasting, however, was amazing.

I would always recommend riding there, but I would discourage any of my friends to join this particular trail for now, before it becomes a more established product.