Our weekend travels: Betty's Bay and Stanford in the Cape Overberg. Do it.

We spent this weekend in the Overberg, visiting my mom in Betty's Bay and taking a trip out to Hermanus and Stanford. We'd been to Stanford before and every time is brand new - another little antique store you haven't seen, another restaurant you haven't tried or little gravel road you haven't followed before. It's tricky traveling with two busy boys, so after several recommendations we decided to visit Madre's Kitchen and Stanford Hills.

Madre's Kitchen is VERY beautiful. Honestly, it is hands-down the most picturesque restaurant we've ever been to, like something out of The Secret Garden - the way you imagined it as a little girl. The boys disappeared to the pond, hills, trees, geese, jungle gym and trampoline immediately. They were thoroughly delighted. 

We didn't eat here. It was a busy day with school holidays on the go, so they were running out of food and the waitress wasn't sure if we'd be able to order specific dishes. Talk about popular. We had a great play - really it is SO beautiful here, you have to go just to see it. We'll go again another time, maybe when they're not as busy.

That's little Benjamin running around like a happy squirrel

My most beautiful lesser spotted monkey-noo!

After a quick glass of wine, we headed to Stanford Hills (further up the same dirt road) - The Tasting Room. They have similar facilities with a trampoline, pond and jungle gym. They also have little boats and a jetty on their pond. Stanford Hills is exactly what we were in the mood for. It is so relaxed there - the environment was festive, attentive and accepting. There were dogs running around, a good vibe, the menu was fantastic and well priced. The wine selection was great, their Sauvignon Blanc was crisp, fruity and refreshing. They didn't have a healthy meal option for the kids that day, which we find at a lot of restaurants. Their blackboard menu does change often, so maybe it's different on other weeks.

All of our food was incredible, healthy and in good portions. Graeme had a Curry Infused Sweet Potato Gnocchi and I had the most delicious Humus & Vegetable wrap with warm, cooked spinach inside - served with a side salad.  Granny and Gaga had their burger which looked absolutely mouth watering with a huge, home made patty and packed with fresh ingredients. The boys had Fried Chicken Strips with Chips that was beautifully presented in a paper cone and served with a dippy sauce. I would like to see more restaurants offering healthy dishes for kids like kiddies wraps, tuna wholewheat pitas, maybe a butternut lasagne - something like this. One of my favorite things about The Tasting Room is that they have separate, kid-size tables and chairs in the restaurant for kids to sit on their own. The boys were much more comfortable this way - because who wants to sit at a table with a bunch of boring grown-ups anyway?

We really enjoyed The Tasting Room. Our bill comprised of a bottle of wine, 5 fresh meals and hot chocolate for the boys. For 6 of us - the price tag was less than R400. Throw in loads of entertainment, nature, activities and open space for the kids and Stanford Hills will be seeing a lot more of our little family - as soon as possible.

Then back in Betty's Bay, my mom and Lester had a little surprize planned for the boys. They had bought them an incredibly generous gift: a Quad Bike! I couldn't tell you a thing about it or the engine size but Graeme was pretty darn excited too. G used to own dirt bikes and ride Motorcross endurance races and won a couple too. He is probably CRINGING at me getting all these titles and terms wrong right now. He loved pulling out his old hear, riding goggles, gloves and helmets for the kids (and himself). We have never seen the boys QUITE this happy before - have you?

Smaller Graeme. Smaller Tash.

Jump out of this photo and hug me RIGHT now.

"I don't need this!" Yes you do "Take it offfff mooooom" Nope.

It was an incredible weekend. We love Betty's Bay and being with our family, sitting at the dining table together, playing with the boys and of course my mom's home cooking. Don't get me started on the beef stew she made on Saturday. I did miss running this weekend. I've had a horrid flu and chest infection, but hopefully I'll be in the clear to get back on track soon. If you're keen to go to The Overberg with your little family, just follow #discoverOverberg or #loveOverberg on Twitter and you'll find loads of comments, advice and links.