Whether you’re inclined to share jokes around a campfire with a beer in hand, or chat for hours on a couch with a bottle of wine, it’s a good idea to get away and spend some quality time with friends of the same sex every once in a while. It’s a sacred time where boys can be boys, and girls can be girls – with no reservations, hesitations, or apologies. We asked some of South Africa’s top travel bloggers to share their favourite haunts for a guys or girls weekend.

Tyson Jopson: Port St Johns

Port St Johns on the Wild Coast. Because hedonism also needs a home, even if it’s just a tent.

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Chris Davies: West Coast

It’s all about the West Coast for me right now. I’ve just returned from a few days exploring the area north of Lutzville and discovered a whole stretch of unspoiled coastline that’s perfect for a guy’s weekend away. Kwass se Baai campsite in the Namaqua National Park is where I’m headed as soon as I can get the crew together. The camp is 18km from the park’s southern Groenrivier Gate and you need a 4×4 to get there – there’s thick sand most of the way once you enter the park. Once there, things are pretty basic. Four stands with low stone wind-breaks and two pit loos. But the camp is right on the beach, metres from some excellent swell and nothing else around for kilometres. Basically it’s perfect.

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Jonker Fourie: Fly fishing in the Karoo

I would go fly fishing in the Karoo with Alan Hobson. Alan of Angler and Antelope Guesthouse in Somerset East is probably one of the top fly fishermen in South Africa, although he would never admit it himself. The Karoo isn’t all that famous for its water (“Karoo” comes from the Khoisan word that means “place of thirst” after all), but the Karoo, and specifically Somerset East, has some of the best trout fishing in the country.

I spent an hour or so with Alan and he explained the art of fly fishing. It’s more than just standing there whipping a rod from back to front. There is a science to it. A science involving lots of observation, skill, and the most delicately crafted artificial flies. I’m not much of a fisherman, but my favourite boys’ weekend would be going to learn fly fishing from a master. And perhaps pull out a 7 pounder trout.

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Vaughan McShane: Jeffrey’s Bay

The best “boys weekend” getaways are directly proportional to the distance away from home. My favourite spot would have to be Jeffrey’s Bay in the Eastern Cape. The small Afrikaans fishing town is world renowned for its incredible right-hand point break waves along its coast and guys can spend the weekend surfing during the day and “sokkie jolling” at the Blue Dolphin or fishing the Gamtoos River at night.

There are plenty of accommodation options out there but I recommend renting something close the waves. Something like Aloe Again in Pepper Street is perfect, or you can even rent an entire house – No. 3 Pepper Street for example, is a great option for that.

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Stuart Parker: Golfing in the Waterberg

I recommend heading out to a destination close to home and doing something that everyone enjoys. My mates are all golfers so we recently headed out to Elements Golf Course in the Waterberg for a weekend of golf, sunshine, and chilling by the pool. If you’re a golfer, the Waterberg is a great destination as it is close to Johannesburg and there are several golf courses in the area which you can enjoy. We spent three nights in a self-catering house on the Elements Golf Estate and played three rounds of golf in three days. The courses we played included Elements Private Golf Reserve, Koro Creek, and Euphoria. Each of the courses were exceptional and it was great fun playing at a different location each day.

For accommodation, I recommend a self-catering house big enough to accommodate the whole group. There is no better way to end off a day on the golf course than with a couple of beers around the fire with mates.

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Dawn Jorgensen: Arniston

Give me the ocean and a rambling beach house to fill with girl friends and I’ve got an endless supply of replenishing happiness. Lucky for me I share a lot of common interests with the women I hold closest, which means that when planning a break away from it all, we focus on the simple things and often make Arniston the destination. Beach walks, swims out to the beacon, exploring the sand dunes, and easy eating at the local restaurant between long catch-up chats and relaxed time just reading. There’s even a Spa at the Hotel for spoiling. Oh, and if one of them can make a fire in wintertime, that’s a bonus!

For accommodation options I recommend Arniston-Etna’s and Arniston Letting holiday homes, specifically Sea Cottage and Slipway.

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Di Brown: Robertson

Robertson is perfect for a girls’ weekend. There are loads of wine estates that offer great food and some quirky shops on the main road for retail therapy. Take a short drive to Barrydale for more unusual shops. Eating and wine tasting at Joubert-Tradauw is a must…the wine maker is gorgeous.

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Ishay Govender-Ypma: Joburg

The ultimate friends’ weekend away has got to involve a driver, great food and wine, and some luxury mixed in with art and culture. A long weekend in Joburg – dinner at the chef’s table at five hundred at the Saxon, spa treatments, gallery hopping, an evening in Soweto, market hopping around the city on Sunday, and finding great fitting jeans at a local boutique – is stuff getaway dreams are made of.

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Scarlet Nguni: Spa hotels in the Overberg

For a girl’s weekend away I generally look for somewhere with a spa where we can enjoy unwinding with treatments that pamper and prettify. Good food is a must as is a pool or lovely lodge area we can relax and talk. In the Overberg, I would recommend a few of the fabulous spa hotels: Grootbos outside Gansbaai, The Marine in Hermanus or the Arniston Hotel. On my local bucket list is the Rain Forest Spa in Swellendam – there are some lovely luxurious spots outside the village as well for some proper country R&R.

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Patrycja Oosthuizen: Cape Grace and Mont Rochelle

Girls’ getaways always include pampering spa treatments followed by amazing dining experiences. High in my books is Cape Grace in Cape Town with superb hospitality as well as Mont Rochelle in Franschhoek – a perfect place to relax.

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Desiree Haakonsen (me): Franschhoek

As much as I love cooking and spending time with my family, my ideal girlie weekend would be a place where there are no children begging for attention and no dishes to be washed.  As the wine and culinary capital of South Africa – with pretty nature walks, eclectic sidewalk shopping, and arty galleries to peruse (which my husband would hate) – Franschhoek would be a top choice. The Franschhoek Wine Tram also means we won’t have to worry about designated drivers!

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Where are your favourite guys or girls weekend getaway? Let us know in the comments below!