Hello! It’s been a while. But what a way to stage a comeback with the above headline, right? Right! And no, it isn’t an empty promise as a way to lure you in. I have discovered (thanks to a fellow mamma friend), what can only be described, as THE MOST CHILD-FRIENDLY WINE FARM IN CAPE TOWN *insert many, many exclamation marks*

Yes, such a place exists, a place that welcomes families and children with open arms, a place where good family entertainment doesn’t mean the food is, you know, “so-so”. Moms and dads, best you bookmark this post, and book your spot NOW for the upcoming weekend(s) – because everybody will be wanting to visit this incredible wine farm – everybody!

Say hello to your (that’s you mom’s and dad’s) new BFF. Yup, Benguela Cove, is THE MOST CHILD-FRIENDLY WINE FARM IN CAPE TOWN. Calm down Leila, let’s highlight exactly what Benguela Cove has to offer:

• Good Great food – Tick
• 18 Hole Pirate Adventure Golf for kids – Tick
• A splash park – Tick
• Beautiful child AND pet-friendly restaurant – Tick
• Wonderful wine – Tick

So grab a cup of parent juice (aka, caffeine, aka, a chilled glass of sav. blanc), sit back for 2 minutes (that’s all we have available to us in the day anyway, am I right?), and take a read about this local Cape Town gem…

How Far Away Is Benguela Cove From Cape Town?

Good question, planning a trip, or even a drive with kids requires, well, just that – loads of planning! Benguela Cove is approximately a 1 hour and 15-minute drive from Cape Town – for people without a car full of children. For those of us with a crew, especially crew members of the tiny variety, well, I’d realistically add 45 minutes onto the above time, you know, for the inevitable restroom stops.

Not to worry though, I have the above-mentioned stops fully covered. Once you pass the Grabouw turn-off, the legendary Peregrine Farm Stall (or Padstal) is sitting, waiting – a happy place for moms and dads. “Mooooom, are we there yet?!’, well no, we aren’t but Peregrine will offer a much-needed spot to stretch those legs and ensure we (that’s the parents, regain our sanity). This is what you can expect to find at Peregrine Farm Stall:

• Magnificent Padstal Pies (try the steak variety)
•  Good coffee – I needed it so badly
• CLEAN bathrooms (which includes a wheelchair-friendly stall too) as well as baby-changing facilities
• A gorgeous playground for the kids with tractors AND climbing frames
• As well as a BOOK BUS where you can purchase great reads – hello car entertainment 

HIGHLIGHT: Family-picture time at the tractors and some great nooks for Instagram moments too! You can find Peregrine’s coordinates and opening times, here and follow their Instagram account, here.

What Is There To Do At Benguela Cove For The Kids?

1. Pirate Adventure Golf!

I mean, the real question should be, what isn’t there to do for the kids at Benguela Cove? A quick warning: don’t expect to leave before closing time because the kids won’t be wanting to pack up and go!

Benguela Cove is home to an 18 hole Pirate Adventure Golf Park, basically, child-entertainment level – HIGH!

If your pirate speech is well versed, you would be quite at home here, my Ash and Rome’s certainly were. All those moments of watching Swashbuckle (the parents will understand) clearly paid off because Ash was “aaaaaaarrrggghhh, me hearties’ing” like there where was no tomorrow *cute*.

The mini-golf park is home to many pirate statues, pirate boats, water features (think mini-waterfalls) and MANY, many, MANY spots to you know, get your Instagram game super strong. Each hole is named after a different Pirate Captain (obviously) and get ready to hear some acoustics too (pirate ships and sounds rumbling in the background). To book (I suggest you do to secure your spots) and to read about rates and opening hours, click here.

This really is SO MUCH FUN – for the kids too… Certain fathers and husbands *mine* started taking things very seriously.

If you simply aren’t able to drag the little ones away but are concerned about the hanger setting in – good news! Blackbeard Diner offers a few tables at the adventure park, where baskets of hotdogs, burgers and hot chips can be ordered, along with bottles of water and cool drinks too. There may or may not be a few ice-creams available *there are*, as well as milkshakes, you know, for golf-sustenance.

The little gift store in the park means that you are also able to do a spot of shopping: Benguela Cove wines and olive oils are availble for purchase.

2. Splash Park

Is there anything better than spending an afternoon running amongst spraying and squirting water fountains?! We think not! Rome’s and Ash felt the same way – we left the park right before they closed, stopping briefly for a lunch break at Moody Lagoon restaurant – a few hundred meters up the path.

Remember to bring:

• Swimming Costumes
• Sunscreen
• Hats & towels
• A change of clothing (in case things get wet) and a jersey or jacket for when things cool down later in the day

Right next to the play park is a great wooden jungle gym, you know, to get the last bit of energy out (say hello to sleeping through the night!) and the views, well the views are simply exquisite.

To read more about the splash park, simply click, here. 

And even more good news – Benguela Cove offers a Benguela Adventure Membership (happy dance). Yup, a membership that is worth its weight in gold *sticking to the pirate theme here*, which includes:

• An Annual Pass: Pirate Adventure Golf & Benguela Splash Park that includes 2 x young pirates and 2 x pirates members
• Complimentary Pontoon Cruise for the family
• 10% off burgers Monday – Friday
• Free bottle of wine on the main members birthday
• Priority on picnic facility & Lapa bookings
• 10% discount on parties (Yup, they do kiddies’ birthday parties too!)

But for more information on all the membership has to offer, click here.

2. Eating Options At Benguela Cove – Are There Any?

Is this a trick question? As mentioned above, we often find that a great kids’ experience is at the expense of delicious food, which really isn’t fair, is it? Here we are (the parents) doing kid-friendly things, surely we deserve a good great meal? Well we think so and luckily, Benguela Cove didn’t dissapoint.

Oh, Moody Lagoon (that’s the restaurant situated at Benguela Cove) – you exceeded all and every expectation and I insist (insist!) that all parents note this spectacular Child-Friendly AND Pet-Friendly restaurant. Yes, that’s right, I said Pet-Friendly! All well-trained dogs are allowed both in and outside of the restaurant – they do need to be on a leash but hey, Fido can come along on the family day out!

 

But back to the food! Moody Lagoon has restored my faith in the Kids Menu. Forget those plates filled with a variety of beige ingredients or the dreaded frozen chicken nuggets. Nope, none of that here. Everything is freshly made, with a well-balanced meal placed in front of the little ones. Ash & Romes devoured (DEVOURED) their meal and I suffered no mom-guilt as there wasn’t an unhealthy option on the plate.

Think a beautiful fresh salad, the most INCREDIBLE chips ever – honestly, one of my top three chip experiences and freshly-made, crispy, crunchy chicken strips with a super tasty, creamy dipping sauce. As I said – gobbled up!

Nic and I opted for seafood (we had visited on Good Friday, so this was part of Moody Lagoon’s Easter Lunch menu). Nic opted for the Fish & Chips – a light, crisp batter coated the fresh hake and again – those chips – they were everything! I went with the mussels in a creamy Thai green sauce with toasted coconut and plenty of fresh, crusty bread to mop up all of that flavorsome sauce *I might have stolen a few of Nic’s chips for dunking purposes. Happy wife, happy life*.

I enjoyed some of the estate Sauvignon Blanc which paired beautifully with the mussels and that slightly spicy, creamy sauce. Delicious on a mega scale. We ended the meal off by sharing a Chocolate Tart, served with chocolate sorbet, peanut brittle and a smoked ganache. Nic and I managed to get a few bites in before it was devoured by our kids.

The staff were exceptionally well-trained and knowledgable about both the menu and wine. Simba, our server, pointed me in the right direction with our wine pairing and was such a pleasure to chat with about all things food and wine-related.

Take a look over here, for the full Moody Lagoon Breakfast, Brunch and Lunch menu.

Things To Note About Moody Lagoon:

• It’s best to book – this restaurant is magnificent and fills up fast.
• Remember a leash for the furry friends.
•  The restaurant is right next door to the tasting rooms, so be sure to book a wine tasting and tour to do before or after your meal.
• There is a wonderful courtyard/ outside area leading off the inside of the restaurant: giant Jenga, bean bag toss games and chess boards are there to entertain the kids.

To sum up the experience at Benguela Cove… What an absolute gem of a place. The kids were happy, mom and dad were VERY happy. Yes, we had been invited to experience the play park, however, we did pay for our own meal and left feeling that it was money well spent – we’re already planning our next trip back!

Happy Pirate Adventures x