Activities and Experiences
when you stay at the
GETAWAY
Overview
The Getaway offers guests and visitors a carefully selected range of experiences, each designed to enable a reflection and celebration of the pristine natural beauty that surrounds us. These opportunities allow guests to fully immerse themselves in the distinctive landscapes, offering them the chance to discover the rich biodiversity of the Cape Peninsula - and contemplate on their relationship to it.
Explore Underwater Landscapes
The Getaway sits on the very edge of the Great African Kelp Forest, a wilderness area beneath the waves that is cherished by local scubadivers, free-divers and snorkellers.
Visitors are encouraged to discover this wonder world in the safe and experienced hands of Yvette Oosthuizen - free diver, underwater photographer and natural history documentary specialist.
Photographs curtesy of Yvette Oosthuizen
Walks and Hikes
The Getaway, located on the slopes of table mountain, has its own network of exclusive trails. They take hikers and ramblers through resplendent landscapes: ragged rock-faces, fynbos meadows festooned with flowers and ravins cloaked in restored afro-montane forests. Accompany Lindela Mjenxane, Gold winner at the 2025 Eco-logic awards, on immersive walks of discovery, learning about the eco-systems, Lindela’s work on transforming vulnerable youth from low-income areas into climate champions … and about yourself.
Art Meets Nature
In an act of homage and respect, the Getaway unashamedly borrows from Ernst Haeckel by naming its creative workshops “Art Forms in Nature”. In an age in which the written (sometimes even spoken) word is often corrupted into demagoguery or disinformation, we must turn to art and to storytelling. Rosalind Stockhall, our resident illustrator and visual arts teacher, takes guests on explorations on the mountain and in the sea, armed with brushes, paper, ink and scissors, camera and tripod.
These workshops are designed to open the creative eye in a quest to discover those elusive aspects of the natural reality around us that goes undreamed and unexpressed in our everyday , consumerist lives.
Mindfulness and Wellbeing
Before it became a guesthouse, the Getaway was the private home of its founder, Ros Bean, but doubled up as a mindfulness and well-being centre. Ros gave treatments and training in mindfulness-based interventions. Her work included the application of meditation and mind-body practices to promote conscious awareness in everyday life.
The guesthouse continues this tradition with focused nature-based interventions, including spending time on the mountain and in the sea right at the Getaway. This integration of mindfulness and nature-based intervention is not just an effective approach to individual well-being. It also deepens one’s connection to the natural world and increases sustainable behaviour and environmental consciousness.
Many participants in these activities feel compelled to modify their patterns of consumption. Some also become inspired to participate more actively in their local community or in global efforts to protect the earth. These types of activities are facilitated at the Getaway by Nicole Biondi, a multi-faceted professional who (among other things) is a well-known climate advocate – as well as other practitioners and professionals in her network.
From Tide to Table
Coastal foraging is especially popular on shores and beaches all around the Getaway, where an abundance of seaweeds, indigenous plants and molluscs thrive. Join Lindy Taverner in an activity that blends learning with adventure, both above and beneath the waves. Experiences include a delectable wild culinary experience. She and her team foster a connection with the natural environment, deepen appreciation for local diversity and provide glimpses into ancient human coastal hunting and gathering.
Guest Participation in Ecosystem Conservation
Guests visiting The Getaway have the opportunity to engage in a range of initiatives designed to protect and preserve local ecosystems. These include invasive alien clearing (hacking) and path-building and restoration. These activities are conducted under professional guidance from Joel Bolnick and his team, and can include, chainsaw operation, stacking, herbicide application, contouring and practical lessons in wildfire management. In additon to direct involvement, guests also enhance their awareness about the importance of environmental stewardship.
All fees paid by guests for this activity goe into the very eco-system conservation work to which they get exposed.
