The Mani Hotel in Berlin, a perfect Diva getaway

I travel extensively and it’s rare for me to find a boutique hotel that goes far beyond it’s star rating. Such is the Mani in Mitte, Berlin. 3 stars officially but closer to 5 stars in my opinion. Recommended to me by a Parisian friend in Cape Town, this is a very chic establishment, part of the Amano Group, that clearly prides itself on providing a superior product to guests. From the decor, to the fittings, fixtures and excellent service of the front of house and restaurant managers and even our room cleaning duo, the all-seeing eyes watching over this group miss nothing and the result is a high standard of professionalism and a noticeable and refreshing attention to detail. 

Lateral Paul and I arrived in Berlin from Paris last week, stepped out of our Uber , walked into the Mani and immediately felt its atmosphere of style and class without any of the pretentiousness that usually accompanies such establishments. Our kind of place, no doubt about it. We were warmly welcomed and made to feel right at home.

The hotel, open since 2012, is situated in the vibrant area called Mitte, perfectly located for exploring the city, and surrounded by cool stores, restaurants and bars that make you want to hang about all day and night like a local. 

The Mani building, interior and rooms were designed by Ester Bruzkus who is also responsible for the beautiful Amano Hotel around the corner. Bruzkus clearly has great taste and I love her use of high quality materials like the real wood parquet flooring and leather wall coverings. Striking photographs by Oliver Rath cover the walls, and the ZooZoo animal art that's placed here, there and everywhere is a stunning decor addition. There’s Esmeralda the Alligator, who is afraid of ending up as a clutch; Estelle the Basset who loves shopping bags and the smell of fresh food; the yellow giraffe at the front desk window that made me homesick for Africa, and Parzival the baby lion lying sleeping on the foyer mat who is expected to become a superior hunter some day. All quirky and adorable. 

There are 63 luxuriously appointed rooms at the Mani, soundproofed so that nothing disturbs your beauty sleep. The hotel offers free wifi, something hardly anyone can do without these days. If you happen to have had a blonde moment and left a gadget behind (quelle horror, how could you?) fret not, because you can rent one from Reception, an iPad or a laptop. Very convenient and a thoughtful offering on the part of the management. 

And then there’s the Mani restaurant. Aside from a sumptuous feast offered at breakfast every morning, dinner is outstanding. Great appetisers, called chuzpeles that are served like tapas and are best shared, offer diners a bit of everything so the whole table can experience the multifaceted cuisine. The staff are also so good about recommending various dishes and wine. 

Oh, and being a big fan of bicycle touring, you can use one of the hotel's pretty aqua bikes and go on a jaunt complete with an iPod that not only gives you music but a guided tour too. Best. 

Torstasse 136 | +49 (0) 30 53028080 | mani@amanogroup.de @AMANOgroup on Instagram & Twitter. Close by there is a laundromat, post office, tram stop and the U Bahn. The hotel will even sell you tickets for the latter...it's all so simple and well organised. I'd expect nothing less than that from the Mani and Berlin.

Welcome to the Mani...

Estelle, the ZooZoo basset hound...

Parzival the little lion snoozes on the mat...Oliver Rath photograph overhead..

ZooZoo giraffe...I miss my Africa...

Rooms that are beautifully appointed..

Best hotel slippers ever...

Scrambled eggs anyone?

I'm addicted to the cream cheese, topped with jam on a fresh bread roll

And a spot of tea...

The Mani restaurant with Esmeralda the ZooZoo alligator...

Wonderful food... olives as big as little green apples, from Greece...

The best of asparagus...the creme brûlée was tres unusual...

Details like this delicate slice of crispy orange 

And after all that eating, perhaps a cycle is a good idea?

The building at night...

Until next time...Estelle and I bid you gute nacht!

Paris in the gloom...still exceptional...

I wrote this post in May this year. It was meant to be spring, and you know how that song goes right... "I love Paris in the Springtime...." Well we had Paris in the grey and we still found its magic. And now, Paris is gloomy again. Firstly because winter is upon it and secondly because of the terrible bombings of a few days ago. A serious and sad time in the city of lights, and I want to say this- it won't be long before I am back. I won't allow the dark hearts of madmen to rob me of my travels, anywhere. I think Paris needs visitors...people putting positivity back into a traumatised society...spreading goodwill and support, just by being there. 


And this is why Paris will be in in winter too...read about my winer experience in spring...

They say May is the best time to visit Paris…it's springtime, there's sunshine, blossoms, long walks along the Seine & picnics on the lawns of all those magnificent public gardens. I’ve only ever visited the City of Lights in autumn and winter so you can imagine my anticipation ahead of this trip, and then my subsequent disappointment when I arrived to be met with a stubborn cold front from the bad-mood bosom of Zeus himself. 

Before leaving for a trip, I always keep an anxious eye on those 10 day weather forecasts so I knew that we weren’t going to get Paris at her absolute best. What to do? I’m a Cape Town girl and le soleil plays a major role in the levels of my joie de vivre.

Well I’ll tell you this- the weather can throw the worst at Paris and she will simply upstage it. Lateral Paul and I stepped out of our cab from Charles de Gaulle into a really cold, rainy Friday morning yet were instantly caught up in her magic. That feeling of being in Paris is too amazing and overshadows the negatives- just to be able to say "I'm in Paris" is a delicious feeling. We made a decision then and there to make this our best trip to date…it's the beginning of the honeymoon we never had, 24 years after le marriage (I know, better late than never) and where better to be than in Paris, one of the most romantic destinations on the planet.

I've documented grey Paris so you can see for yourselves that even in bleak mode this city is a gem. 

This is my 5th visit here - this time courtesy Air France as I won 2 air tickets in their #letmebefrench Twitter competition last year - and I’m still as overwhelmed by it as when I first saw it at age 14 as a ballet student. 

Visually, like so many other ancient cities of Europe, it’s thoroughly captivating - all aspects of it. Our brolly covered walkabouts have thus far taken us to the Dome Les Invalides, Notre Dame, Place Saint Michel, the Picasso Museum in the exquisite Hotel Sales, the Pompidou Centre, the Rodin Museum and to our favourite area for its vibe, stores great restaurants, stores and coffee, Le Marais. We'll be hanging out there a lot. More to follow…. enjoy the pics... a bientot.

Les Invalides

 Notre Dame

Coffee in Le Marais (The Boot)

Rodin Museum in Varennes...

Eiffel Tower on a wintry evening

Place Saint Michel

Pompidou Centre

Exploring street art, come rain or shine...

So you see, there's beauty in the grey... Paris, je t'aime...

Lazy days at Laborie Wine Estate...

The beauty of Cape Town, aside from the fact that it's a gorgeous place to live, is what it offers locals and tourists alike. It has a unique proximity to blue flag beaches, magnificent mountains, botanical gardens, forests, and, those places where we all love to linger longer, wine farms, the jewels in the crown of the Cape. There's no denying it, we have the best of everything in the Mother City and our surroundings are just beyond.

Laborie Wine Estate where I recently spent a day and a night is a mere 45 minutes from town. Situated in the lush Paarl Valley it was named after the La Bri district in France. You of course always have me at the mention of France, one of my best travel destinations and the first place I ever travelled to as a 14 year old ballerina-in-training.

Lateral Paul and I stayed in the fabulous Jonkershuis with its 3 bedrooms, enormous lounge, kitchenette (fyi the fridge overflows with the best in the wine and bubbly universe) and a private patio with comfy sofas that leads onto a pool area that is shared with other guests on the property. Free wifi is available too, which is music to my ears as we all know I'm an Instagram addict.

Laborie is a great weekend escape. What's to do you might ask? Well aside from lazing poolside with a book or taking an amble through the estate grounds and vineyards, the obvious thing staring you in the face is fine wine, bubbly and, more recently, craft beer on tap. Not sure if you've noticed, but more and more women are drinking beer these days and moi is no exception, so the tasting at the new Bar di Bar went down a treat. Cloudy cider, honey blonde light beer, pilsner, lager and weiss eased us into the afternoon. I would've ordered from their enticing menu but we had another tasting date around the corner on the newly built deck at Taste, overlooking rolling vineyards. What a view! Our amazing waiter brought us four Laborie wines paired with charcuterie, salty crisps (best ever, I had 3 helpings), olives and more. My fave vino? The Lazy Days rosé, "perfectly balanced with some sweetness on the palate...aromas of strawberries, and spices..." and as delicate as its soft pink hue.

As the sun started to dip we sipped on award winning Laborie bubbly, smartly paired with strawberry, pistachio and lemon macarons, a fab touch. FYI, their MCC Brut 2010 won the Top MCC Award at last years Paarl Wine Challenge.

Dinner at Harvest, a Klink award winner for Great Food and Excellent Wine, was exceptional. Chef Shirene served contemporary South African cuisine full of flavour and completely delish. Portions were generous and prices excellent (at Taste as well by the way).

After a fab nights sleep buried underneath a divine puffy duvet, breakfast was served in the ye olde Manor House that dates back to 1750; the building is a true example of a Cape Dutch farm homestead- both posh and homely at the same time. Oh, and breakfast was in grand style, with fine silverware and a backdrop of Cecil Skotnes artwork.

Other than the sheer beauty of the estate, what stood out for us was how welcoming everyone was, wherever we went. Nothing beats great service and the staff at Laborie have it down to a fine art.

I'm looking forward to my next visit with a group of friends... a sleepover at Jonkershuis is in the diary! 

For all info: www.laboriewines.co.za | Twitter & Instagram: @laboriewines

 Jonkershuis, MCC on arrival...

Walk through the estate grounds...

or amble through the vineyards...

Craft beers at Bar Di Bar...

Award winning Cap Classique at Taste...

Paired with macarons...

The Manor House where breakfast is served...a fine example of Cape Dutch architecture circa 1750

Silverware and Cecil Skotnes paintings...

Yum.

Labories wines paired with chacuterie on the new deck at Taste..

Cheers, here's to your adventures at Laborie and in Cape Town - salu!

Monumental odes to Discovery in Belem, Lisbon

There's a lot going on in this corner of Belem, on the north side of the Tagus River in beautiful Lisboa. Three stunning architectural masterpieces stand there, all close to each other: the Monument to the Discoveries, the Belem Tower and across the street, the Jeronimos Monastery. 

The Discoveries Monument is 52m high,  circa 1958-60, built to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator who led expeditions into the New World. It represents a 3 sailed ship with Henry at the helm and other notable explorers, monks, poets and cartographers bringing up the rear. The sculptural work by Leopoldo de Almeida, made of concrete and rose tinted stone that looks a lot like marble, is remarkable.

The much older 16th century Tower of Belem sits on a tiny basalt outcrop- right near the shore of the Tagus. It's 4 stories high and built of white limestone. Like the Pena Palace in Sintra and so many other ancient buildings in Lisbon, it's design comprises a combination of styles influenced by the extensive global travel undertaken by the explorers of the day. The Manueline style is particularly prevalent, combining Gothic, Moorish and early Renaissance influence and named after a certain King Manuel l whose reign coincided with the period of great successes in the various voyages of discovery undertaken by so many Portuguese navigators.

And then there is the stately Jernonimos Monastery...very Manueline, possibly the best example of that style. It's a very impressive tribute to Vasco da Gama's successful voyage to India and the architects were French and Spanish. There's an elaborate use of sculptural detail and motifs, as with the Triton sculpture at the Pena Palace. Altogether it's a monastic masterpiece. 

To get yourself to these monuments, take Tram #15 (2.85€ in exact change) or take a cab or an Uber (the latter is my choice mode of travel). Check online for opening days times and entrance fees where applicable. A great tourist site for further detailed info is www.golisbon.com.

#capetowndiva @allisonfoat

The Monument to the Discoveries>

The Belem Tower>

The Jeronimos Monastery>