Booked & Busy: What We’re Reading This Week

A sharply curated edit of what I’m reading this week in a chilly Cape Town – spanning fashion’s most powerful voices, gothic curiosities, fantasy escapes, and obsession-worthy non-fiction. If your winter reading list needs depth, drama, and a touch of indulgence, start here.

Culinary Quest: East City Grill & Yakiniku

Fire, precision, and restraint define East City Grill – a contemporary grill in Cape Town where Japanese technique meets South African produce with quiet confidence.

This 2026 review explores a restaurant shaping the city’s evolving dining identity, from Wagyu-led plates and yakitori to a drinks programme designed for ease rather than intimidation.

For those building a considered list of where to eat in Cape Town right now, East City Grill offers a measured, detail-driven experience that lingers well beyond the table.

Adjoa Andoh’s Little Black Book: The Ultimate Insider’s Guide

In time for Shonda Rhimes’ Bridgerton Season 4, acclaimed actress Adjoa Andoh opens her personal London map – from chic boutiques and design-led markets to her favourite theatres and cultural gems.

A stylish insider’s guide crafted for globetrotters seeking culture, fashion, and “main-character” travel moments in the UK.

Culinary Quest: AMURA at Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel

Belmond’s latest seafood-forward dining entry embraces tradition while also bending expectations. The result? A Michelin star chef using the ocean’s pantry to mastermind marine casual fine dining that’s innovative, occasionally familiar, and unequivocally another tasty, elegant Belmond hit!

Stylish Safe Stay: Pullman Cape Town

Right in Cape Town’s vibrant core, Pullman blends sleek design with premium comfort & convenience.
Discover Pullman Cape Town – the perfect spot for both business and leisure travelers – just steps from iconic art, culture, and cool hangouts…

Travel UK (Review): Artist Residence Bristol, in Britain

I came to Bristol curious – I left converted. This boutique hideaway, wrapped in retro charm and neighbourhood soul, is where I found my creative reset.
ARTIST RESIDENCE BRISTOL – it’s where Bristol’s culture, comfort, and cool-kid energy clicked for me…

Travel UK (Review): Unyoked Berwyn, in Wales

The promise of this Welsh stay will have you glad to forsake technology for a bit!
At Unyoked Berwyn, the wild isn’t out of reach, it’s where you live for a while. Sleep deeper. Think slower. Return better.

This brand’s cabins are basically field-tested recalibration kits wrapped in cedar and stillness!

Travel UK (Review): Hyde London City, in Britain

Not your average city hotel: Hyde London brings high-design, playful energy, and smart perks to London’s legal district.
From Turkish cuisine getting the velvet-rope treatment to vinyl bar nights, here’s your prime pick if you’re chasing rewards points, skyline views, and a stay that feels anything but generic (and is kinder to your budget)…

Travel UK (Review): Langdale Chase Hotel, in Britain 

At Langdale Chase Hotel, casual luxury takes center stage in a lakeside escape that’s equal parts design fantasy and heritage retreat. From deep copper baths and two AA Rosette dining to sunset sails aboard a 1928 teak cruiser, this Lake District gem proves that understatement can still steal the show.

Travel UK (Review): Artist Residence Oxfordshire, in Britain

Featured in the 2025 Glamour Magazine Travel Guide, Artist Residence Oxfordshire is more than a hotel – it’s a cinematic escape into countryside calm, with design-led interiors, a stellar pub, and cozy suites perfect for solo sojourns or stylish couples retreats.

Find out why else its worth your time…

Culinary Quest: Afternoon Tea at Cape Grace Hotel

A stone’s throw from the upmarket Victoria & Alfred Waterfront mall, Cape Grace Hotel introduces their delectable and honestly whimsical Afternoon Tea. Here’s what this Fairmont-Managed Hotel’s Afternoon Tea offers up…

Culinary Quest: The Red Room at Belmond Mount Nelson

Devout Pan-Asian recipes meet fresh & familiar ingredients in this dramatic underground dining den by Chefs Warehouse. 🍽️✨ The Red Room is a sense-saturating safari book-ended by culinary treats favored by globetrotting foodies and Cape casual fine diners alike.

GET TO KNOW THIS BELMOND EATERY…

One Night Only: A Cape Grace by Fairmont Stay

This is your 2024 Travel Insider Report on Where in the World to Bed Down in Luxury – for a night or a Longer Stay! ✨ Still one of the city’s most talked about African hotels, Cape Grace has found a way to successfully amplify true hotel luxury in a time where the word has lost so much of its meaning. Here’s why this Fairmont-managed Kasada-owned hotel should be your next Cape escape…

Slow Travel Gems: Bosjes Farm (and Die Stalle Spa)

A travel experience in its own right, the eco-friendly Bosjes Farm combines classic luxury hotel comforts with a refreshed Spa and treatments, and gloriously well-rounded on-site facilities, for one of the most exceptional getaways in the less explored part of the Cape. Here’s the inaugural quality entry of 2024s Best Slow Travel Gems…

Summer Travel: A Locals Guide to Cape Food & Fun – Part II

Impactful culinary memories, Instagram-worthy stops, and joyful family-friendly activities💃 Here’s the Cape answer to Where to Stay? Where to Play? Where to Taste? ☀️ The 2023 Summer Guide: Part II – For everyone, and by a Local!

Summer Travel: A Locals Guide to Cape Food & Fun – Part I

Where to Stay? Where to Play? Where to Taste?☀️I invite you to join me on an exploration of the sun-soaked Cape’s unparalleled summer tapestry. From the untamed beauty of the Winelands to inner city staples and seaside bucket list stop-ins every intrepid globetrotter yearns for, this is a taste of summer in the Southern Hemisphere…

Stylish Safe Stay: Majeka House

Majeka House could be the Summer House you’ve always wanted – designed with Instagrammable exclusive pools; And quirky in its decor opulence…traditional where it counts, too!
Secure your summer stop-in spot now, and get ready for an unforgettable boutique hotel stay…

Summer in a Bottle: Top 10 Alcoholic & Non-Alcoholic Drinks to Stock Up On

Whether you don’t drink alcohol or you’re a Gin enthusiast, a Spritzer lover, or a wine connoisseur, THIS libations listicle has something for you!

I’ve experimented with them so you don’t have to try on your dime.

Refresh your home bar or stock up for summer (and evermore) with this handpicked selection of beverages for all palates, including botanicals of South African gin AND a taste journey with Japanese whisky …

Stylish Safe Stay: Taj Cape Town

The luxurious oasis in the heart of Cape Town still takes you around the world with plenty taste, scents, and sensation – not to mention the coveted quality of 5-star hospitality.
Here’s why The Taj Hotel Cape Town should be your next stop-in…

Stylish Safe Stay: Lanzerac

What does 5-star hospitality mean in a South African luxury hotel?

📍 Find out how Stellenbosch-based Lanzerac sets the bar in hotel luxury, AND how you can reap the perks, now!

Culinary Quest: Grande Roche Hotel

Celebrated chef Kevin Grobler takes Grande Roche visitors on taste adventures at this luxury countryside hotel renowned for delivering outstanding hospitality.

Find your ideal dining adventure at Grande Roche Hotel now, because accessible fine dining & even leisurely hangouts revolving around food & beverages, are now on the menu…

Culinary Quest: Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia

Is this a bucket list Cape fine dining restaurant that can feed your body, add new favourites to your wine rack, AND add flavour to your IG feed?
Find out if this South African eatery along the Constantia Wine Route is a fit for you…

Culinary Quest: SALON, by Chef Luke Dale Roberts

Welcome to the world, according to Chef Luke Dale Roberts.

SALON is a new biographical concept restaurant in Cape Town, with intriguing ‘Journey’ and ‘Explorer’ Menus brought to you sourced, seasoned, skilfully prepared and plated, by a team as talented and resourceful as they are diverse and passionate.

Travel Europe (Review): Volkshotel, in Amsterdam

In the city of canals comes a hotel that stands out even among the infamous Canal Houses and artist stop-ins.
Here’s why Volkshotel does Amsterdam justice in the spirit of its reputation as a culture and design destination, AND as the party stop-in of The Netherlands….

Travel Europe (Review): Chapter Roma Hotel, in Italy

Balance history and modern luxury, at Chapter Roma – one of Europe’s coolest value-for-money hotels, in Italy’s capital!

Here’s why every local and traveller is heading to this urban chic hotel in the heart of Rome…

Culinary Quest: Mulberry & Prince

Mulberry & Prince does brunch different – from their Mimosas to their breakfast menu picks.

Find out if they’re the right fit for your next brunch meet…

Stylish Safe Stay: Pearl Bay Villa, by Beach House Collection

Find out more about how the ocean villa that Beach House Collection offers up to you, is a masterful travel temptation complete with cinematic cosy style, lesser-travelled coastal vistas, and a unique opportunity to sate your wanderlust with luxury African hospitality…

Galileo Open-Air Cinema: Movie Magic Under the Stars

Outdoor venues in and around the city, are always choice for weird and wonderful experiences.
Find out whether the Galileo Open-Air Cinema is a worthwhile experience for movie boffins, families, and others alike…

Stylish Safe Stay: Boschendal Estate

Escape to where you’ll be more than a pandemic survivor.
Boschendal Estate is a practical and stunning travel destination – with luxury Cottagecore that blooms against the backdrop of magnificent wineland vistas.
Find out about this farm and the special deals they have for you, now!

Stylish Safe Stay: Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel

The Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel is all accessible affluence, and a world of flavour fun, travel relaxation, and slivers of familiar comfort.
Catch the luxury hotel deal of the year, and wander with me as I review the hospitality at this esteemed Belmond offering…