nicolino

We have a full 16 day tour already booked......but have a few days free for dinner in the above places...........in johannesburg we will be close to the city.......in swaziland close to kruger park.......in st lucia also close to kwazulu natal..in capetown in the city by the ocean.......and in knysna we will alos be central............would like to try good authentic south african food in fine dining restaurants........we were told to be careful where we eat outside the tour and to make sure the restaurants are frequented etc. we would aprreciate any input and any great recommendations.........we will be staying at the protea hotels in all the places we are free for dinner and have been told that we are close enough to all the centers of towns...please help!

Gritty

When you say "Swaziland close to Kruger Park," where exactly do you mean? I seem to remember that it's a good 1-2 hours from the closest Swaziland/South Africa border post (I think the South African side is called Jeppe's Reef?) to Kruger. I think maybe Pigg's Peak may have a decent spot to eat, but I don't know from experience.

Celia

What are you supposed to be careful of in restaurants outside the tour? Bugs? Muggings? Food Poisoning? In my 30 years experience traveling in South Africa, none of those things has happened to me in any restaurant. I think sometimes warnings are, shall we say, highly exaggerated.

As Gritty says, Kruger and Swaziland are a couple of hours drive apart. Where exactly in Johannesburg are you staying? My favorite for fine dining in Jo'burg is Linger Longer, but there are a lot of good restaurants there, as it's a big city of more than a million people, so it's hard to suggest something without knowing a bit more.

"Wine" magazine publishes an annual list of the best 100 restaurants in South Africa. You might try googling that for some reviews. It covers the whole country.

I have a couple of favorite restaurants in St. Lucia, but will have to dig up my journals later today to find the names.

Seriously, who told you to be careful about restaurants, and what are you supposed to watch out for?

South Africa is a wonderful country and I know you'll have a great time!

Celia

Celia

Our two favorite restaurants in St. Lucia are Saint Pizza and The Quarterdeck. I don't know of a fine dining place in St. Lucia. It's a sport fishing resort, and thus pretty casual.

Fish is excellent in SA restaurants.

nicolino

hi celia and gritty...........i was told to be careful of the food.........not to eat salads or undercooked food at all.....also was told not to drink the water or use ice..never been to this area of the world before so i don't know how true or untrue it is...........they said its dangerous after dark in the smaller towns as far as muggings......i will be staying at piggs peak so i guess ill try there restaurant.........

Celia

Who told you, Nicolino? South African water/ice is as safe as any in America or western Europe. The agricultural methods used are perfectly safe. Fresh fruits and vegetables grown in SA are very good; it would be a shame to visit a country known for its good food, and skip a big part of it. Enjoy the great food and wine!

Celia

atravelynn

I wonder if the food warnings are a blanket statement slapped on all Africa departures? The vegetables, water, ice, etc. are ok in the restaurants of South Africa. I wouldn't eat from street vendors, though. There are some "greasy spoons" in the US that I'd avoid too.

As for muggings, I stayed in after dark and didn't wander around off the main streets during the day, but I was alone.

You may be able to get some restaurant recommendations from your guide as well.

Gritty

Nicolino,

I feel comfortable eating just about anything in the restaurants in South Africa. I would think the Piggs Peak restaurants would be OK, too.

I think that "be careful about the food" message is near-universal when traveling to most developing countries. I sort of understand why, because people do get sick from food and water. However, the usual precautions become difficult to follow in some places. For example, just about everything good to eat in Vietnam is made from fresh fruits or vegetables. If you worry too much about everything you're eating, your holiday does become much less fun.

I think it's wise to walk around alone or in small groups after dark, and you should ask someone at the hotel for information. They will know how to keep you safe.

I really hope you enjoy your time--you have a relatively unique itinerary planned.

nicolino

thanks again to all of you for your input..........lots of the info i received was from other travelers and also from the cdc and a few other sites on the internet.......its nice to talk to you and people who have had the south african experience........its also very comforting to know that i can try different foods etc without worrying to much.....i guess alot of these statements and warnings are over exaggerated...thanks again for all your help

atravelynn

And you'll have to have a glass of Goats do Roam, Nicolino. It's what the waiter recommended with one of my dishes.

nicolino

sounds good atravelynn, i heard its a great red wine mix.ill be sure to try it...

atravelynn

Very good and the name was a hoot!

kurt_a

Pigg's Peak in Swaziland is fairly typical African crossroads town which is not built up as a tourist destination. I think it's for here that the food/drink 'warning' has been issued, not for the South African destinations on your itinerary.

When in Swaziland I follow the typical rules about eating and drinking in unknown places in developing countries. For your itinerary I'd consider the restaurant in the plush casino complex at Pigg's Peak an exception, but personally I'd stick to bottled water there too.

nicolino

thanks kurt_a......much appreciated......we are staying at the protea in piggs peak......im sure it has a restaurant......ill just stay put for the night and drink wine....lol...or bottled water

girl_from_africa

The Protea Hotels have real good food, and their buffets always serve authentic South African meals.

I have traveled to the East, and I understand if they say be carefull of the food, but here, no ways. We farm with avo's bananas and macadamia nuts. Most of our produce is exported to the European union and we all have to comply with strict agricultural standards, Eurep Gap, Haccp, Tesco's natures choice and Leaf. Our soils aren't full of nitrogen as some parts of the world. I would perhaps go for bottled water, Valpre good brand, because some of the provinces close to kruger and swaziland had rivers contaminated with cholera this year.

Momliz

check the latest Onde Nast Traveler (or whatever it's called). There's an article on Johannesberg that looks interesting.

And, I think the "be careful about food" message is as much for liability reasons on the part of the tour group/organizer as anything else.

nicolino

thanks girl from africa.........and momliz..............touching base on the Protea hotels.......are they considered nice hotels? they look ok on the websites ive been researching...........some are 3 star and some are 4........all have air-conditioning which we are very use to here in the states but ive been told its cold in august and air conditioning is not needed........sort of confused......some people say its freezing early mornings and nights and cool during the day......others say its hot during the day and cool at night but not cold..........

girl_from_africa

No, our morning are the usually 14 degrees celcius, and extreme, not something that usually accurs, it goes down to 0 degrees C.

Most of the morning in winter I wear a long sleeved T-Shirt, and maybe a seater/light jacket for an hour or two. The days sre normally around 22-32 degrees C. Sometimes on windy days, I need a polar fleece top, but very rare. On most days, I wear a short sleeved top from 10am to 4 am. On tha back of a game viewing vehicle, it might be chilly.

Protea Hotels are good, hotels... nothing wrong with them. Food is good. They have nice boma evenings, with traditional dancers (fake ones, you should know) with authentic South African dishes, such as game stews, Bobotie, Milktart, Malva pudding, Koeksisters and much more.

If you are in Joahnnesburg and this sort of thing interests you, do to Nelson Mandelas home in Soweto. There are also many other interesting sights to see.