Paarl’s Spice Route Destination invites families for the ideal holiday experience. With its valley views and diverse activities, it’s a place where one visit just isn’t enough.
Also read: Discover the flavours and artistry of the Paarl Spice Route
Here are 16 things to do at the Spice Route Destination this festive season:
1. Spice Route Passport
The Spice Route Passport is a pocket-sized booklet that allows visitors to enjoy artisanal tastings at various artisans, including wines, charcuterie, beers, spirits and chocolates.
Guests should plan on spending about two hours sampling the five artisanal tastings: Six Spice Route wines (daily selection), six Jewell’s charcuterie, four CBC premium beers (daily selection), three Wilderer Distillery spirits (Grappa Shiraz, Fynbos Gin, Rogue Apple Pie Moonshine) and The Chocolate Room by Beyers (chocolate selection).
The Spice Route Passport costs R300 per person and is available Monday through Sunday, 9am to 4pm. Tastings end at 4:30pm.
2. Wine tasting by Spice Route Wines
Wine tasting options include the Winemaker’s Journey and the Wine and Charcuterie Journey, which include a selection of six Spice Route wines. Visitors can partake in the Wine & Charcuterie Journey, which pairs six Spice Route wines with Jewell’s cured meats.
The Vegetarian Journey, on the other hand, pairs six Spice Route wines with six vegetarian tastes.
The Sweet Treat Journey features four Spice Route wines and the Amos Block Fino Sherry, which are perfectly complemented by a diverse selection of Jewell’s flavours.
Available from Monday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Tasting sessions conclude at 4:30pm, with a duration of approximately 30 minutes.
3. Beer-tasting at Cape Brewery Company (CBC)
A premium beer-tasting experience awaits at CBC’s modern brewery. Guests can choose from the Standard Tasting, which costs R60 per person and includes a selection of four CBC premium beers, or the Master Tasting, which is available for R75 per person and includes seven CBC premium beers.
If cider is more to one’s taste, one can partake in the Rekordelig Perry Cider Tasting for R65 per person, which includes a tasting of four Perry Ciders.
Open Monday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Tastings conclude at 4:30pm, with a duration of approximately 30 minutes.
4. Charcuterie tasting
Jewell’s Restaurant invites guests to partake in a charcuterie tasting experience that includes a bespoke selection of handcrafted produce.
The charcuterie selection, created in-house by Neil Jewell’s skilled hands, features a variety of flavours courtesy of Fairview. Guests can pair this exquisite charcuterie with Spice Route wines for a more heightened tasting experience, or they can enjoy it on its own.
Jewell’s Restaurant offers a charcuterie tasting for R60 per person or a wine and charcuterie journey for R120 per person, each of which includes a selection of six Spice Route wines paired with six Jewell’s cured meats.
Open Monday to Sunday, with tastings concluding at 4pm and lasting approximately 40 minutes.
5. Wilderer Distillery tasting
Visitors to Wilderer Distillery can see how some of the world’s finest spirits are made and how the best raw materials and German distilling equipment are used to create products that have established Wilderer as the brand of choice for connoisseurs worldwide.
Guests at Wilderer Distillery can enjoy Neat Tastings for R60 per person, with a choice of three Wilderer spirits. Long Drink Tastings, priced at R120 per person, provide a sampling of three Wilderer Long Drinks.
The Blend Your Own Gin experience, which costs R395 per person (reservations required), allows visitors to sample and mix different gins, resulting in a unique gin recipe. They can fill a 500-ml bottle with their creation and label it with their name to take home.
Open Monday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm. Tastings conclude at 5:30pm, with a duration of approximately 30 minutes.
6. Chocolate tasting at The Chocolate Room by Beyers
The Chocolate Room by Beyers offers a daily selection of exquisite chocolates to families and friends. Guests can explore the world of chocolate with a 20-minute guided tasting of five different types of single-origin chocolate.
Open Monday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm. Tastings conclude at 4:30pm, with a duration of approximately 15 minutes.
Cape {town} Etc discount: Embark on a round trip from Cape Town to the Winelands and back for R2 449 (valued at R3 500). Get it here.
7. Tea blends at Nigiro Tea Café
Visitors who enjoy tea will recognise Mingwe Tsai from his Southern Suburbs tea emporium. With up to 171 different blends available, he’s now bringing tea appreciation, culture and his tea-blending mastery to the Winelands, offering complimentary tastings of three different teas daily.
He designed the Tea Compass Fountain table for an exceptional tea experience.
Open Monday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm.
8. Lunch at Jewell’s Restaurant or Ristorante Pasta Pasta
Guests can enjoy a delicious dining experience at Jewell’s Restaurant, where Neil Jewell creates a farm-to-table feast with seasonal dishes made from the finest ingredients.
Open Wednesday to Sunday, 11:30am to 4pm, with last kitchen orders at 3pm.
Alternatively, Ristorante Pasta Pasta, with red-check tablecloths and tables spilling out into the enclosed courtyard, has la dolce vita covered in rustic farm style.
Open daily, serving breakfast from 8:30am to 11am, lunch from 11am to 5pm, with last kitchen orders at 4pm.
9. Shopping at The Trading Company and Lucky Bamboo
No trip to Spice Route Destination is complete without a stop at Abigail Bisogno’s lovely Trading Company. Handmade treasures, limited-edition pieces by well-known local artists, homeware, cushions, jewellery, table linen and more await guests.
The majority of the products are made from natural materials, and all of the décor in the store was handcrafted or spruced up by local artisans. It’s a quirky treasure trove where visitors will undoubtedly find the perfect gift for everyone they know.
Open daily from 10am to 4pm.
Lucky Bamboo, owned by Suki Tong, is a lifestyle shop dedicated to all things green and gift-worthy. Bamboo stems in beautiful vessels are designed to showcase this plant’s fascinating contours and foliage, alongside Chinese money plants, money trees, golden coin daisies, philodendrons and other positive-energy flora.
Open daily from 9am to 5pm.
Unleash your inner explorer with these incredible car deals, all priced under R100 000. Find car listings here.
10. Creative outings at Môigoeters
Môigoeters Creative Studio welcomes visitors of all ages to let their imaginations run wild by painting ceramics and perusing a collection of one-of-a-kind gift items.
Open Monday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm.
11. Preserves and spices at Brenda’s
Brenda’s was founded by foodie extraordinaire Brenda de Jager and is the place to go for preservative-free jams, preserves, pickles and spice mixes.
Open Monday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm.
12. Pizza and a gin tasting at La Grapperia Pizza & Bistro
La Grapperia Pizza & Bistro invites guests to enjoy wood-fired, thin-based pizzas and a variety of other family-friendly food options while sipping a glass of Wilderer Distillery’s award-winning gin and tonic.
While the kids are playing in the nearby playground, linger a little longer and watch the sky turn a few shades of pink as the sun sets behind the mountain.
The eatery also provides picnics and sundowner drinks at their beach bar.
Open Monday to Saturday, 11am to 10pm and Sunday, 11am to 6pm.
13. Outdoor adventures with Paarl Trails
Explore custom-built hiking and mountain biking trails ranging from 2.5km to 35km in length and catering to all fitness levels.
There are bike rentals available, and guests can pay for their day permit with Snapscan at the trailhead, online, or at the information centre with a credit card.
- Cost permit: R80 to R100 per day.
- Open Monday to Sunday, sunrise to sunset.
- Information Centre is open Monday to Sunday, 8am to 5pm
14. Pilates at Pilates Studio for Life
Pilates for Life Studio, Paarl’s premier Pilates training facility, offers both traditional Pilates methods and customised modifications.
Open Monday to Friday, and booking is required.
15. Beauty and medical aesthetics at Beauty is Life Institute
At Beauty is Life Institute, visitors can indulge in pampering and beauty treatments with Elzette Calitz. Pedis and manis, waxing, facials and massages are just a few of the services available.
Open Monday to Saturday, and booking is required.
16. Kids’ scavenger hunt: The Spies Route
The Spies Route game takes guests exploring the grounds as they go undercover to solve clues in a top-secret adventure, tracking down the mystery of the rogue spy.
It’s available for kids 12 and up and tackled in groups of four, but younger kids will have a great time with their parents along for the ride.
The scavenger hunt takes about 45 minutes and costs R80 per person.
Visit the Spice Route Destination this December:
- Location: Suid-Agter-Paarl Road, Southern Paarl, Paarl
- Contact: 021 863 5200 | [email protected]
- Website: spiceroute.co.za
Please keep in mind that The Spice Route Destination is closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day and will close at 4pm on December 24 and 31.
Also read:
Kids Activities: Play the SPIES Route solving game at Spice Route Destination
Picture: Spice Route Paarl / Facebook