De Hoop Collection’s Wine Whales & Music Weekend 2024

De Hoop Collection, a premier Cape Country Routes member, situated in the heart of the pristine De Hoop Nature Reserve is delighted to announce that one of its most popular weekend events, the highly anticipated Wine Whales & Music 2024 takes place from Friday 21 to Sunday 23 June.

The weekend kicks off on Friday afternoon with an optional nature drive or an eco-boat cruise with delicious canapés and drinks (R450 per person/kids under 12 half price); then a wine and food pairing Dinner at the Fig Tree Restaurant with live music provided by The Generation Gaps. The Generation Gaps three talented musicians from three different generations – Hanna, Bram and Wesley, take you on a musical journey as they perform songs that young and old have grown to love with rhythms crossing generations of boundaries interwoven with stories of hope and humour. Hanna’s deep, sultry voice and unique storytelling ability, acclaimed jazz pianist Bram’s quirky nature and moving arrangements and Wesley’s impeccable interpretation of soul and rhythm will ensure that no one is left untouched by this performance.

On Saturday, there is an optional early morning, guided Bird Walk along the Vlei (R195 per person/kids under 12 half price), an optional Chocolate Workshop with Richard von Geusau, (R125 per person – kids under 12 – R70) and wine and cheese tasting. In the late afternoon there’s High Tea, followed by a presentation given by Dalfrenzo Laing, the Exhibition Ambassador of the fascinating Origins of Early Southern Sapiens Behaviour exhibition now housed at De Hoop Collection after which guests will be taken on a guided tour of the exhibition and learn about early Modern Man and their existence in the De Hoop area around 75 000 years ago. Saturday’s Dinner at the Fig Tree Restaurant features the ever popular Whale Time Serenade for Strings and Flute, featuring the world-class musicians Irina Tsoniff, Ivo Ivanov on violin and Vladimir Ivanov on Viola, Peta Ann Holdcroft on cello and Malané Hofmeyr-Burger on Flute.

On Sunday after breakfast, at Koppie Alleen, guests will enjoy a Marine Walk and ‘Watching the Whales’ with De Hoop’s exceptional guides.

The Wine Whales & Music 2024 weekend rates for a two-night stay, range from R2 725 per person sharing an Equipped Cottage to R7 200 per person in a Suite. Rates include dinner, bed and breakfast, entertainment (music on Friday and Saturday), wine and cheese tastings, a Guest Speaker presentation and High Tea but excludes drinks, workshops and guided activities. Ts & Cs apply.

Just three hours from Cape Town, De Hoop Collection offers affordable accommodation from campsite rondawels to self-catering cottages and houses, romantic suites, an old Manor house and the classy De Mond Villa, plus a unique outdoor experience like no other – the sea, pristine beaches, a Ramsar listed vlei, rare indigenous plants, diverse animal and bird life, the whales and a new Origins of Early Southern Sapiens Behaviour exhibition that highlights the Southern Cape coastline’s archaeological heritage and diverse marine environment.