Melissa Blanche

05/08/2026

Tucked beneath Table Mountain, Vineyard Hotel feels like a hidden oasis, the perfect winter escape 🍃🤍
Garden walks, delicious meals, cosy corners, afternoon tea and the sound of rain outside our room, it was exactly the breather we needed. 🥹

If you're looking for a cosy weekend away this winter, you can book the Take-A-Breather winter special through my discount link in my previous post. 🤍

03/08/2026

Decisions, decisions… 🤭
Waking up at The Vineyard and the hardest decision of the day is what to order for breakfast at The Square and which tea to choose for high tea at Morii ☕️ Safe to say I chose well with the Eggs Royale and the Forest Berries speciality tea 😚
The gentle rain was just the cherry on top. 🌧️🤍

If you’re looking for the perfect little winter escape in Cape Town, I genuinely couldn’t recommend staying at Vineyard Hotel enough. You can book their Take-A-Breather winter special through my link:
https://www.vineyard.co.za/offers?utm_source=influencer&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=vh_sleep&utm_id=melissablanche&utm_content=July

02/08/2026

I cannot believe this little oasis has been right on my doorstep this entire time! 🍃🥹

We’re currently in the heart of winter in Cape Town, and I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to spend a weekend ‘away’ than at the cosiest hotel in Newlands, Vineyard Hotel 🤍 especially with their current Take-A-Breather winter special! (Discount link: https://www.vineyard.co.za/offers?utm_source=influencer&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=vh_sleep&utm_id=melissablanche&utm_content=July)

From the moment we arrived, everything seemed to slow down. We settled into our room, soaked up the afternoon sun from our balcony overlooking a lush garden, and wandered through the beautiful grounds discovering little hidden corners (and learning that the hotel dates back to the 1800s!)

We ended the day with an amazing dinner at The Square. I had the grilled kingklip with a caprese salad, Arno enjoyed the beef fillet, and of course we couldn’t resist sharing the malva pudding for dessert. 😍

If you’re looking for a cosy winter escape in Cape Town, you can book the Take-A-Breather special via my discount link:
https://www.vineyard.co.za/offers?utm_source=influencer&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=vh_sleep&utm_id=melissablanche&utm_content=July

21/07/2026

Santorini part two 🤍

While exploring on our first day here, we came across this beautiful restaurant called FortyOne Caldera and spontaneously decided to book a sunset dinner for the following evening 🌅

Well it turned out to be one of the most beautiful restaurants I’ve personally ever visited (seriously🥹) and my tuna souvlaki was so good! 🍽️

I’ve shared our full Greece itinerary in a blog post for anyone planning a trip. It’s linked in my
Instagram bio, I genuinely hope it helps you plan your own adventure ☺️✈️🤍

20/07/2026

um okayy Santorini 😍 I cannot believe every corner is literally a postcard moment… safe to say I was thee happiest girl and 100% in my element 🥹

Ocean swims, daily coastal walks (including the hike to Skaros Rock ⛰️), a catamaran cruise aand they even had smoothie bowls just metres away from our accommodation… best believe I got my daily acai bowl & iced latte fix ☕️😄

This trip was truly special and I’ll forever be grateful we got to spend our honeymoon here. 🤍

https://www.instagram.com/itsmelissablanche?igsh=N3J2Y2dhOGJidWFs&utm_source=qr

15/07/2026

Some corners of Athens that caught my eye 📸🤍

Athens is filled with incredible history, beautiful architecture and so much charm.

If you’re planning a trip to Athens, here are a few places I’d recommend:

📍 The Acropolis (obviously😍)
📍 Mnisikleous Stairs (lined with restaurants and perfect for a sunset dinner)
☕️ Rhoé (the most aesthetically pleasing café)
🥙 The Greco’s Project Ermou (the best chicken gyros I had in Greece!)
💂 Hellenic Parliament (watch the Changing of the Guard every hour, on the hour)
🌴 National Garden
🏛️ Panathenaic Stadium (the first modern Olympic Games🏃🏽‍♀️)
🏛️ Zappeion Hall (shown in the second slide!)
🌄 Areopagus Hill (watch the sunset AND the Acropolis light up😍)

I’ve put together a free Greece Travel Guide on my blog with our full itinerary, recommendations, Google Maps links and tips.
Link: https://melissablanche.com/blog/the-greece-honeymoon-guide

I genuinely hope it helps! 🇬🇷🤍

14/07/2026

I am still on cloud 9 after our amazing trip to Greece 🥹🇬🇷 it’s been so fun sorting through all the content we took (I genuinely feel like I’m reliving every moment as I edit 😭) aand I cannot wait to share it all with you… starting with our first destination, Athens! 😍

Visiting the Acropolis felt soo surreal. We went during sunset and watched the golden light hit the ancient ruins perfectly. I obviously couldn’t stop shooting lol it was crazy beautiful 📸

Athens was the perfect start to our honeymoon, before we headed to Santorini and Paros (still to come!) 🌊

I felt so inspired from this trip that I decided to make an entire Greece Travel Guide on my blog. I share all the details of our trip, including accommodation, activities and restaurant recommendations to help you plan your next Greek adventure! ✈️ I genuinely hope it helps you. 🤍 https://melissablanche.com/blog/the-greece-honeymoon-guide

Okay that’s all for now, more to comee 🌊😍

02/06/2026

Would you escape to a secluded eco cabin surrounded by mountains in the heart of Franschhoek? ⛰️😍

For my second Hidden Gem on BBC Lifestyle's Hidden Gems South Africa, we explored the beautiful Mont Esprit eco cabin, tucked away in the Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve, Franschhoek. 🍃

From breathtaking mountain views and hiking trails on your doorstep to relaxing in a wood-burning hot tub beneath the stars, this eco cabin offers a peaceful and immersive way to experience the Cape Winelands. 🤍

Two of my highlights were having a private chef prepare an incredible dinner for us right in the cabin, as well as experience a fine water tasting nearby (yes, a water tasting!), which made the entire getaway feel even more special. (And Franschhoek will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s also where Arno proposed. 🥹)

I cannot wait to share it with you. You can watch the full episode on BBC Lifestyle (DStv channel 174) this Wednesday at 8PM.

And if Mont Esprit becomes your favourite hidden gem, don’t forget to vote after the episode airs. You can stand a chance to win a R10 000 weekly voucher from Lekkeslaap.co.za and a R25 000 voucher after the final episode. 👌🏽
Voting link: https://www.bbcafricachannels.com/hiddengems?country=ZA

P.S. Thank you to everyone who has been watching and supporting the show! 🇿🇦

18/05/2026

17/05/2026

Would you sleep here in an open-air suite, beneath the vast Cederberg skies? 🌌😍

For my very first Hidden Gem on Hidden Gems South Africa, we explored the incredible Kagga Kamma Nature Reserve in the heart of the Cederberg mountains. ⛰️

From dramatic landscapes and ancient Khoi and San rock art, to sleeping beneath the stars in their open-air Star Suite… this was one of the most unique stays I’ve ever experienced 🥹

I cannot wait to share it with you. You can watch the full episode on BBC Lifestyle (DStv channel 174) this Wednesday 20 May at 8PM 🤍

And if Kagga Kamma becomes your favourite hidden gem, don’t forget to vote after the episode airs. You can stand a chance to win a R10 000 weekly voucher from Lekkeslaap.co.za, and a R25 000 voucher after the final episode.👌🏽

https://www.bbcafricachannels.com/hiddengems?country=ZA