Family travel often involves compromise. Parents sacrifice relaxation for entertainment, children tolerate sightseeing for ice cream, and often, everyone collapses with sheer exhaustion sometime soon after the sun goes down. Royal Madikwe Safari Lodge somehow manages to remove that compromise, creating a safari experience that feels genuinely enjoyable for everyone. Discover why this destination quicklyy became one of our favourite family holiday spots, and why our daughter has been begging to go back ever since.

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There’s something about a safari with children that quietly humbles you. And I’m not just talking about the feeling you get when you watch your children see wild dogs for the first time or the way your heart bursts when you hear your daughter whisper “I can hear Simba talking” when a lion cub starts calling to its mother. There are other moments that also work to bring you back to Earth, whether that’s negotiating snack treaties every 11 minutes, realising that your carefully packed safari wardrobe is now mostly being used as a napkin or blanket or realizing that thrilling sounds like a lion roaring or hyena whooping at night are actually quite scary for young ears and could end up in sleepless nights for the next 3 weeks.

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When we first started planning a family holiday to St Lucia in KwaZulu Natal, I’ll admit I wasn’t sure what we would do. I found it incredibly difficult to find up to date information about the area online or details on what we could do with children. But then we discovered The Little Bush Baby Company, a husband-and-wife-run safari company, and their assistance transformed the entire tone of our trip.

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Recently the world lost one of its absolute legends, Jane Goodall. Meeting her remains one of the highlights of my career and one short evening listening to her talk changed my outlook on conservation forever. As an animal-lover, scientist, researcher, activist and people-person, she says that in order to save our animals we have to start with the people.

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There’s something magical about driving the Garden Route; the ever-changing scenery, the farm stalls filled with homemade treats, and the promise of beaches at the end. Add a toddler (or two) into the mix, and it becomes a whole new kind of adventure. With the right planning, though, the drive can turn from daunting into memorable. Here are some of my top tips (and places to stop) that will turn the drive from something dreaded into one of our favourite parts of the trip.

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If you’d asked me a couple of years ago if I’d willingly pay to lock myself in a paddock with a bunch of hungry turkeys, one crazy emu and some miniature horses, I might’ve raised an eyebrow. But fast-forward to these past school holidays, and there I was, cappuccino in hand, giggling as my little girl ran wild (in the best possible way) surrounded by all of the above at the new Farmyard Experience at Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary, just outside Plettenberg Bay.

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Packing for a holiday with kids is like playing Tetris while blindfolded. You know it can be done, but it requires lists and the question of how to fit everything in. There are often a few tears (probably mine), things that have been forgotten, and a few regrettable choices that sit unused in the bottom of the bag.

On our most recent staycation, we based ourselves at the President Hotel in Sea Point, and while packing the car, I second-guessed myself on more than one occasion if the effort was really worth the reward. But once we were there, the stress was all but forgotten. This is the kind of place that makes travelling with kids feel like a holiday for the adults too. There’s a pool with an ocean view, a jungle gym, and enough space in the family rooms to avoid stepping on Legos in the dark (yes, you know the pain). Plus, it’s walking distance to the Sea Point Promenade, which quickly became our daily ritual: coffee in hand, unridden bicycle in the other, pram in front, and at least one child yelling about ice cream before 9am.

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When you’re travelling with kids, a holiday doesn’t always mean relaxing. It means snack runs, early wake-ups, forgotten dollies, and hoping someone else cleans up the mess. So when we find a hotel that genuinely gets family travel, not just tolerates it, we take note.

On a recent staycation (because let’s face it travelling for long distances in cars or planes with kids simply isn’t fun), we checked into the President Hotel in Sea Point and honestly? It ticked all the right boxes. Here are 10 reasons why we’d happily go back (and why our little one keeps asking if we can “live there now”).

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We’ve stayed in some pretty spectacular places over the years; from ice hotels in Austria to private villas in the Seychelles, but for our 10-year anniversary, we didn’t want airports, transfers or traffic. And to be frank with a needy, breastfeeding, non-sleeping 9-month-old at home, a fancy getaway just wasn’t within the realm of possibility.

But we did want to getaway somewhere special, even if just for one night. Somewhere within flip-flop distance. Enter the POD Boutique Hotel in Camps Bay. Spoiler: it totally delivered. But like any good review, here’s the honest, local lowdown; with our top 10 reasons this was the kind of stay we’ll be talking about for another ten years.

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We stumbled upon Montagu Country Hotel while chasing a last-minute weekend escape in an April filled with multiple school and public holidays. We were all desperately in need of a break that would keep everyone happy, from the baby who still naps regularly to our ever-curious four-year-old princess. What we found was more than a place to sleep. It was a bit of time travel, a lot of comfort, and a getaway we could all enjoy.

Here are 9 reasons we fell head over heels for Montagu Country Hotel:

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