Montagu

It was my birthday over the weekend and my beloved decided to take me to Montagu for the weekend. What a lovely discovery! The town boasts:

Hot Springs: We could not quite put my finger on Avalon Springs - in some respect it is a resort stuck in the 1970's but yet has the most beautiful modern Swiss chalets emerging from the mountain slopes! One thing is indisputable though; the friendliness of the staff and especially the talent of the blind switchboard operator to remember mobile numbers!

Good Food: The town is full of great places to eat! We highly recommend the restaurant at Mimosa Lodge, The Vic 1906 Hotel and Templeton's, all of which we have detailed individually!

Sweet Wines: Plenty sweet wines are on offer at ridiculously cheap prices! I am clearly a snob as I paid a little extra for a green glass bottle and cork as I could just not bring myself to walk out with the 5 litre plastic bottle which contained exactly the same liquor for less!

Markets: On Saturday morning there is a lovely market, right next to the church which dominates the town's sky line. We found a very proud pig farmer selling lovely pork products (roasts, bacon, chops)!

Shopping and Galleries: There are a number of great little shops (home decor, bric-a-brac and fresh farm produce) and art galleries to stroll through as you walk off your last meal!

Beautiful Homes: The homes about town are simply exquisite!

We thoroughly enjoyed touring around the town and spending an evening with tourists from Wales and New Zealand (parents of Toby Morland, the Chiefs scrumhalf). They were all very complementary on the friendliness of the people they had met along their travels. Other positive comments related to the general cleanliness of the country as well as the relatively cheap accommodation and food. All points to a hopeful return back to our shores in the future by these travellers.

One of the most amazing things noticed during our stay was how cheap the wines on the various restaurant menus were. We must commend all the establishments we visited as they provided us with a good mix of local boutique wines as well as fond favourites such as Springfield. It really is nice to be able to order another good bottle of wine without worrying if you are going to break the bank.

We would certainly recommend Montagu for a visit!