A premier member of the Cape Country Routes collection, The De Hoop Collection situated in the heart of the De Hoop Nature Reserve is delighted to announce that its ever popular Wine Whales & Music Weekend takes place from Friday 11 to Sunday 13 July 2025.
The weekend kicks off on Friday 11 July with a Wine Tasting at 18h00, followed at 19h00 by a Wine and Food pairing dinner with music by the fabulous Lucy Tops.
Tops, who studied at the Waterfront Theatre School and began her performing career at a Hilton Hotel in China, returned to SA to work for The Barnyard Theatre in tribute shows – Dancing Queen”, “Hollywood rocks”, “Glory Days”and others. She also worked with the Mike McCully band and still performs regularly with them and she joined forces with Followspot Productions where she co-wrote and starred in her one woman show “Absolucy” which successfully debuted at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival. She has performed in a variety of other popular shows such as “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Face the Music” and a highlight was when she worked with The Mechanicals in “The Great Gatsby”, directed by Luke Ellenbogen.
On Saturday at 10h00 there is a Chocolate Truffle-making workshop with Richard von Geusau (R145 per person) that you don’t want to miss. Chocolate is a passion of von Geusau’s … not just good chocolate, but great chocolate. He explains that the creation of his fine artisanal product begins with the finest couvertures from Belgium: “This chocolate is distinguished by its high cocoa content and absence of artificial flavours and vegetable fats. Each chocolate is meticulously handmade using only the finest original ingredients – fresh cream, roasted nuts and exotic liqueurs.” In contrast to the more traditional chocolates the range boasts spectacular combinations of spicy and aromatic ingredients and flavours that have become a ‘Von Geusau signature’.
Then at 11h00 until 15h00 there are Wine and Cheese tastings with various local wineries including Avalon/ Snow Mountain, Bruce Jack, Creation, La Vierge, Lomond, Maanschijn, Springfontein and McFarlane and local cheese farms, followed by High Tea.
After High Tea, at 15h30, the geoscientist Tobias Tonsing (Honours degree in Geophysics from the University of Pretoria and a Masters in Geology from UCT) gives a fascinating presentation on the “Geological Overview of De Hoop”.
Tonsing, who has worked as a geoscientist for the last 25 years, mainly in Energy Projects, has also worked in Mining and Environmental Projects. He is passionate about rocks, how they formed and their incredible age.
“Rocks shape landscapes and civilizations”, he says, “and it’s part of the reason why I enjoy South Africa so much. Our cultural diversity is underpinned by South Africa’s geology, something many fellow South Africans are unaware of. Geology opens a new dimension to travel and understanding our country and our history. Seemingly mundane destinations become fascinating.”
Saturday’s Dinner at 19h00 at the Fig Tree Restaurant features the ever popular Whale Time Serenade for Strings and Flute, featuring the world-class musicians Malané Hofmeyr-Burger (flute), Irene Tsoniff (violin), Ivo Ivanov (violin), Kate White (viola), Peta-Ann Holdcroft (cello) who will transport you to a world of elegance and refinement with the sublime music of Bach, the vibrant Vivaldi concerti, a Strauss Polka, lively Lord of the Dance and other beloved classics!
On Sunday after breakfast, at 10h00 guests will enjoy a Guided Marine Walk at Koppie Alleen – where you’ll find the coastline exactly as it ought to be – unspoilt and brimming with life, and “watching the Whales’ with De Hoop’s exceptional guides.
The Wine Whales & Music 2025 Weekend rates for a two-night stay, range from R1 495 per person sharing an Equipped Cottage to R7 800 per person in a Suite. Rates include dinner, bed and breakfast, entertainment (music on Friday and Saturday), wine and cheese tastings, 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 wetland of International Importance vlei, rare indigenous plants, diverse animal and bird life, whales and the Origins of Early Southern Sapiens Behaviour exhibition that highlights the Southern Cape coastline’s archaeological heritage and diverse marine environment.
Book now for the Wine Whales & Music 2025 Weekend and experience the magic that is De Hoop!
The De Hoop Collection
Phone 021 422 4522 | email res@dehoopcollection.co.za | www.dehoopcollection.com
Social media handles: X: DeHoopReserve | Instagram: @dehoopreserve| Facebook: @DeHoopCollection
De Hoop Collection is a member of Cape Country Routes
For further information please contact Theresa Gibbon on theresa@theresagibbonpr.co.za or 082 820 8437.
The De Hoop Collection, the first private/public partnership in the South African hospitality industry, opened in the De Hoop Nature Reserve in the Western Cape in 2007. The Reserve, in the Overberg region, a short three-hour drive from Cape Town along the world-renowned Garden and Whale routes, is the perfect holiday destination for families, couples, groups, honeymooners and wedding parties, family reunions and birthday weekends and an ideal stop-over enroute from the Cape Winelands to Plettenberg Bay. De Hoop Collection offers a wide range of accommodation designed to suit all budgets. Overlooking the beautiful vlei (a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance) with its spectacular birdlife, is the staple of De Hoop’s dining scene – The Fig Tree Restaurant and the Silo Wine Cellar where an exceptional variety of wines can be enjoyed. De Hoop, a World Heritage site, offers world-class whale-watching and is a paradise for bird enthusiasts with its more than 260 species of birds including the endangered Cape Vultures. A colony of almost 200 vultures roost and nest in the Potberg Mountains and exciting Vulture hikes and viewing opportunities are offered. Other activities include interpretive marine walks, hiking and mountain biking trails, eco boat cruises on the vlei, nature drives and tennis and De Hoop Collections’ new Trail experience the De Hoop Trail – Vlei to Whales that promises a memorable walking experience (+-38km covered over four days) with its brand-new De Mond Villa providing accommodation for a fully catered and guided experience. Enhancing the De Hoop ‘experience’ further is the addition of the fascinating Origins of Early Southern Sapiens Behaviour exhibition housed at De Hoop Collection. Highlighting the archaeological heritage and diverse marine environment of the Southern Cape coastline, the exhibition is open to the public and will be managed and maintained by De Hoop Collection for an initial three year period. De Hoop is a nature lover’s paradise of unparalleled peace and tranquillity and may well be one of the last of the Cape’s unspoiled gems. De Hoop Collection is a member of Cape Country Routes.