After my Kruger trip, I stayed a night at a lovely full service guesthouse in the Constantia area of Cape Town. Glen Avon Lodge prides itself on personal service, but not the ‘in your face’ kind – just understated friendly attentiveness – just the kind you want.

This guesthouse has been operating for years and so they know what they’re doing and what their visitors want – comfortable beds, spacious rooms, air-conditioning yet the ability to easily open windows if that’s what you prefer.

What sets Glen Avon apart from most guest lodges in Cape Town are 1) the stunning dinners on offer and 2) the glorious gardens and sense of space all around.Glen Avon is a member of the Good Cooks of South Africa group and offers dinner every evening. This is a set three course meal with a choice of main courses  elegantly served in their restaurant, with delicious canapés offered with pre-dinner drinks in the sitting room.

There’s a choice of three types of rooms, all equipped in exactly the same way – the superior rooms are the entry level, spacious with individual doors opening to the rose-filled garden.  The superior suites and deluxe suites are in a separate wing with patios onto or balconies overlooking the pool garden. The superior and deluxe suites are larger with a good sized sitting area and are ideal if you are staying a little longer with a sitting area and a mini-kitchenette hidden away behind doors with a small sink, microwave, cutlery etc for when you, and your waistline, cannot face another gourmet meal and just want to sit on your patio with a salad and a glass of wine.

Some of our guests are fixated with wanting to be close to the Waterfront but most guests enjoy doing the Cape Peninsula drive, visiting Kirstenbosch or enjoying wine tasting in the Constantia Valley whilst they are in Cape Town. So yes, somewhere like Glen Avon is 20-30 minutes away from the Waterfront (more if you are heading that in rush-hour traffic at 7.30am which is unlikely)  but it makes the Cape Peninsula drive that much shorter and of course is on hand for wine-tasting in Constantia, sampling one of the other Constantia restaurants or visiting Kirstenbosch.

All in all – recommended!