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Willowbrook Country House, Somerset West

Convenient location with great accommodation and cuisine

Willowbrook Lodge is a luxurious, small establishment with just 15 beautifully appointed rooms and suites. The restaurant is renowned locally and after a busy day sightseeing there is nothing better than relaxing by the pool with a glass of wine in hand.

About the Location

The lodge is situated on the edge of historic Somerset West with views stretching up to the impressive mountains that from this part of the Cape. There is an excellent ‘Blue Flag’ beach at nearby Strand on the False Bay coast and if you are seeking the shops there is a good mall a short drive away. Cape Town is a 35-minute drive along a motorway that will take you right into the city centre. While there are a number of good wineries close by, the university town of Stellenbosch that is surrounded by some of the finest wineries in South Africa is just a 15-minute drive. Willowbrook is one of the closest properties to Cape Town International Airport that we offer and so can represent a very convenient place to start your holiday or to wind down at the end.

Rozendal Guest Farm, Stellenbosch, Cape Winelands

Rozendal Guest Farm is a well priced alternative set among the vines for families!

Rozendal Guest Farm is a well-kept secret in Stellenbosch, nestling beneath the Jonkershoek mountains. A key feature is the cottage style breakfasts complete with organic produce from the farm. The accommodation is set a little apart from the main house, across a farmyard, which reminds you that this is also a working (vinager) farm. The 16 bedrooms are contained in cottages, which are situated like a small village street. The decor is simple rather than luxurious but all the rooms are a good size with well-appointed bathrooms. Each bedroom has a stoep with a mountain or vineyard view. This is a quiet location but a good one for children who are encouraged to look at the farm.

Aboutd Rozendal’s Location

Stellenbosch is only 10 minutes drive away with its delightful historic centre, small shopping mall and restaurants. This is a good location for exploring the Cape Winelands with Franschhoek and Paarl just a 30 minute drive away. Cape Town, too, is just a 45 minute drive.

Diemersfontein Manor, Wellington

Diemersfontein is a beautiful winery with comfortable rooms and some luxurious cottages set in luxuriant gardens

This is one of our favourite places to stay in the Cape Winelands. Diemersfontein, which is one of the most successful new wineries with some excellent wines, is set in its own extensive landscaped gardens full of the colours and scents of South Africa. The swimming pool is small but beautifully positioned within the gardens. The 10 bedrooms are either alongside the garden or in a separate cottage among the extensive vineyards. The rooms are air conditioned and decorated in a clean cut cottage style. The cottages are relatively basic and regarded as typically 3 star. The estate, however, has three houses set in the grounds which are 4 star and very comfortable. This are 5 bedroom houses and guest will rent the entire house. This is ideal for couples traveling together. The restaurant is receiving critical acclaim and the estate’s wines have won numerous awards. We recommend a wine tasting during your stay.

About Diemersfontein’s Location

The entrance to the estate is across the road from an unusually tidy township. Although some guests may find this a little off putting, once inside the estate the beautiful scenery will captivate you. Horse riding is available from the stables at the hotel and we would recommend an evening ride into the mountains followed by a sunset braai (barbecue) on the trail. This is a good base to explore the Winelands and with Cape Town only 45 minutes away along a first class motorway, there is excellent access to shopping malls, the centre of Cape Town and Table Mountain. Tulbagh in the Northern Winelands is a 40 minute drive. You can also explore two of the most spectacular road passes that navigate a way over the mountains that hem the Cape Town area to the north.

Hotel Le Cilaos, Cilaos

Simple but comfortable accommodation on the edge of this fascinating town

This is a medium sized, 24 roomed, country hotel. All the rooms have commanding views over the spectacular mountain scenery around Cilaos including the highest point on the island – Piton Les Nieges at 3,300 metres. The standard rooms are simple in decor but comfortable. The larger rooms are similar in style but with individual touches. Bathrooms, again, are fairly standard in size but reasonably equipped. There is a mini bar in the room. The hotel has an excellent pool and from here the views of the mountains are awe-inspiring. The hotel also has a sauna and wellness centre. The restaurant serves mainly buffet style food for breakfast and evening meals and this is a mixture of local and international cuisine – mainly French inspired. We would rate the food above average for the Island. English is spoken and we found the staff friendly and helpful. We would, however, warn that the hotel is built on many different levels and, common with most of Reunion, there is no porter service so you will be faced with carrying your own luggage often up fairly steep steps.

About the location

The hotel’s location is on the edge of town – approximately a 10-minute walk to the centre. This is a good base for hiking in the mountains and the hotel has details of the excellent and well-marked and maintained hiking trails in the area.

Le Boucan Canot, St. Gilles les Bains

Resort hotel in a great location on this unusual island

This large hotel has 44 rooms and suites including 38 standard rooms. The property has the aire of a resort style hotel with all the amenities you would expect. It is perfectly located on the main beach of the island and can be accessed relatively easily from the main airport.

About the Location

From here it is relatively easy to drive to the town of Cilaos perched high in the centre of this spectacular island. You can enjoy paragliding, mountain biking (for the fit!) and canyoning as well as deep sea fishing. The volcano is a 2 1/2 hour drive and then a long hike at 8,000 ft but you can also take a helicopter tour of the volcano and island. You would normally combine this hotel with others closer to some of the key tourist locations.

Blue Margouillat, St Leu, Reunion

Blue Margouillat is exquisitely located with sweeping views to the Indian Ocean and providing some of the best accommodation in La Reunion

Blue Margouillat is a small, 10 roomed, luxury boutique hotel. The hotel is part of the prestige Relais et Chateau Collection. All the rooms have commanding views over the Indian Ocean and each has its own private balcony from which you can enjoy the beautiful, tropical sunset. The rooms, although not particularly large, have been well designed and are comfortably appointed. We particularly liked the individual artwork incorporated as part of the wall decoration. The beautiful and colourful gardens incorporate a pool, floodlit at night, to enjoy or just relax beside with a cocktail from the pool bar. The restaurant serves some of the best food we have encountered on Reunion often on the terrace overlooking the pool and the ocean with soft classical music in the background. In the morning you will awake to the sound of exotic birds in the trees mixed with the sounds of the ocean.

About the location

From the hotel, you can drive into the mountain regions around Cilaos. This is a 2 1/2 hour drive along tortuous roads providing some of the most spectacular views on the island. You may want to use the hotel as a stylish base and combine it with a couple of nights in Cilaos. We also recommend taking an organised day tour to the volcanic southeastern side of the mountain where you will be able to walk out on lava flows by the sea that are still steaming! For the volcano, La Fournaise, we suggest a helicopter tour unless you are very fit and enjoy hiking at high altitudes. The beaches at St Gilles are a 30 minute drive away although there is a black, volcanic sand beach within walking distance of the hotel.

St Alexis, St Gilles les Bains

An unusual, luxurious hotel on the main beach of the island

This is one of the most unusual hotels we have encountered. From the time you enter the reception area with its model of the boat (St Alexis) that brought the French to Reunion) and underwater views of the pool, you know that this hotel is different. It is large with 58 rooms and suites of varying sizes and all on the ground floor have a terrace with direct access to the pool which winds its way around the hotel complex. Accommodation is spacious and decoration is sophisticated using cool and uncluttered schemes. Bathrooms are also larger than normal. There is direct access to a great beach, which has a semi private feel at the quieter end of this popular bay. There is an excellent restaurant serving a variety of well-prepared dishes at tables that are on a terrace overlooking the beach as well as inside. The hotel has gym and spa facilities in addition to several Jacuzzis located around the pool.

About the Location

Although the hotel fronts onto a busy street in popular St Gilles, once you are inside the hotel you are in a different world where you will be able to relax. From the hotel, you can drive into the mountain regions around Cilaos. This is a 3-hour drive along tortuous roads providing some of the most spectacular views on the island. You may want to use the hotel as a stylish base and combine it with a couple of nights in Cilaos. We also recommend taking an organised day tour to the volcanic southeastern side of the mountain where you will be able to walk out on lava flows by the sea that are still steaming! For the volcano, La Fournaise, we suggest a helicopter tour unless you are very fit and enjoy hiking at high altitudes.

Lavender Manor, Hermanus

A perfect location with beautiful rooms close to a beach

Lavender Manor is a small lodge with 9 rooms with a choice of mountain facing or sea facing aspects. It is close to the centre of Hermanus and the beach is just across the road. Each of the rooms is beautifully appointed and are very spacious. Decor is a blend between the traditional and modern but no expense has been spared in creating a truly captivating experience in this recently opened property. The bathrooms vary from large to huge and one of the bedrooms has superb views over the bay with the scope to be able to see whales in season. You will be guaranteed a personal touch and a very comfortable stay.

About the Location

Hermanus is a good location for seeing whales in the season which lasts from June to December. The area has some of the best land based whale watching anywhere in the world and you are also able to take a guided boat trip in order to see these wonderful mammals close up. The centre of Hermanus is a 5 minute drive and here you will find numerous great restaurants. The Hemel-en-Aarde wineries are a 20 minute drive away and is home to Hamilton Russell which is often as one of the top wineries in South Africa.

Agulhas Country Lodge, Cape Agulhas

Agulhas Country Lodge has one of the most romantic locations at the southern tip of Africa

Agulhas Country Lodge is positioned at the most southerly tip of Africa. The lodge is a beautiful limestone building furnished with antiques and South African art. The building has the air of a remote Scottish castle with original wood fittings rescued from historic properties in The Cape. Sit by a blazing log fire in the winter and read about some of the fascinating shipwrecks that have occurred (and are still occurring) along this notorious stretch of coastline. There are eight, large and sunny rooms and all have balconies and great sea views. Some rooms also have a Jacuzzi. As well as a sumptuous South African breakfast, dinner is included which always promises to be an experience.

About Agulhas Country Lodge’s Location

This is a great area for whale watching in season (June to December). An eco Quad Biking tour of the coastline and nearby nature reserve is an experience to remember in this interesting but often forgotten corner of South Africa. Visit the fascinating lighthouse which was modeled on the ancient Pharos of Alexandria. This is the third oldest lighthouse in South Africa and dates back to 1849. The lighthouse has a restaurant, museum and curio shop. Nearby Struisbaai has wide sandy beaches and old whitewashed fishermen’s cottages. More of these national heritage buildings can be found in Arniston and Waenhuiskrans which are a short drive away. Further inland are some more interestingly rural towns that have been ‘discovered’ by South African artists and entertainers. As this is just a 2 1/2 hour drive from Cape Town, the area is also being discovered by tourists. There is even a local wine route which are the southernmost wineries in Africa. There is also a 9 hole golf course in Bredasdorp which is the southernmost golf course in Africa.

Auberge Burgundy, Hermanus

Auberge Burgundy occupies a great location in the centre of this bustling and trendy seaside town

Auberge Burgundy is four star accommodation at its best set in the centre of Hermanus. The style of the hotel is just as the name suggests with echoes of laid back rural France. The 14 rooms and 5 suites are spacious and very comfortably appointed with soothing light tones to the decor. There is a roof top pool for relaxing when you just want to chill out rather than walk the short distance down to the beach. The poolside is a good option for those clients who enjoy easy pool access. The restaurant opposite used to be a part of the hotel and guests still eat breakfast here and can book for an excellent evening meal.

About Auberge Burgundy’s Location

The bustling town centre is close and sports a number of individual boutiques. Walker Bay is an excellent location to see Southern Right Whales between June and November. Humpback Whales can normally be viewed from August to December. Their presence is greeted by the colourful, and noisy, Hermanus Whale Crier. He pounds the streets of the town to inform the residents of the most recent orcadian residents in the bay! This location has a lot to offer even outside the whale season. There is shark cage diving close by in Gansbaai and Sea Kayaking can be arranged locally. For the super fit, Sandboarding on the dunes at Betty’s Bay (30 minute drive) can be fun! For those who enjoy more passive pursuits, a trip to the local wine route of Hemel-en-Aarde will be rewarding. Two of South Africa’s top wineries, Hamilton Russell and Bouchard Finlayson are located in this charming valley just 15 minutes from Hermanus. Township tours, Paragliding, Deep Sea Fishing and Horse Riding are among the many activities available.