Your guide to 2 nights in the Cape Winelands
Crowned by Table Mountain National Park, we always recommend a stay in glorious Cape Town before or after your magical safari experience. The magnificent mountains extend long past the city limits though, into the world-renowned Cape Winelands region. A short break indulging in delicious food and drops unique to the region, such as a smooth Pinotage or bubbly Methode Cap Classique, can be a relaxing complement to the beginning or end of your safari adventure.
Day 1 – Morning
The second oldest settlement in South Africa, the town of Stellenbosch is only a 20-minute drive from Cape Town International Airport. Before you visit some of the 200 wineries and estates in the surrounding countryside, make sure to stroll along the historic heart of the town, Dorp Street. Lined with grand buildings in the Cape Dutch, Georgian and Victorian style you will find an array of elegant shopping options as you wander under the shade of the town’s famous 300-year-old oak trees.
Day 1 – Lunch
Just outside Stellenbosch, on the southern slopes of Simonsberg mountain, we suggest sitting down to a spectacular lunch at Tokara Restaurant. While enjoying dramatic views extending all the way across to Table Mountain, delve into modern South African dishes from award-winning chef Richard Carstens, such as bobotie spiced beef tartar with cured egg yolk and peppered springbok with heerenboon puré.
Day 1 – Afternoon
Over lunch you most likely enjoyed a glass or two of Tokara’s famed Cabernet Sauvignon or Sauvignon Blanc, but make sure to drop by the on-site delicatessen for complimentary tastings of the estate’s extra virgin, cold pressed olive oils. Your second wine tasting of the day should be at the nearby Lanzerac Wine Estate. This grand dame of the Winelands is home to the world’s first bottled Pinotage, South Africa’s signature red wine variety.
Day 1 – Evening
Breathtaking views of the Stellenbosch Valley await you at the luxurious Delaire Graff Estate, a highly recommended accommodation for a Winelands stay. From your lodge’s private sundeck with heated plunge pool you can admire the sweeping views of the vineyards before savouring ‘green gastronomy’ delicacies at the bistro-chic Delaire Graff Restaurant or pan-Asian Indochine restaurant.
Day 2 – Morning
A 30-minute drive from Delaire Graff lies the small, stylish town of Franschhoek (meaning ‘French corner’ in Dutch). While gabled Cape Dutch homesteads can be found throughout the area, it is the French Huguenots we can thank for this little slice of Provenance in Africa. Known as the gourmet capital of South Africa, Franschhoek has one main street lined with art galleries, boutique shops and several outstanding restaurants
Day 2 – Lunch
Babylonstoren manor house and farm is home to Babel Restaurant. Housed in an old cow shed, the restaurant stays true to a farm-to-fork philosophy, which means your lunch menu will reflect the season. So, in summer you might be served a yellow salad of pineapple, gooseberries, yellow tomatoes and apricots while in winter a slow-cooked leg of lamb in red wine is more likely – paired with a Babylonstoren Candide or Shiraz, of course.
Day 2 – Afternoon
After lunch, we suggest a tour of the magnificent 3.5-hectare Babylonstoren garden full of kumquats, guava trees, ducks and chickens. Or, remembering why you’re here, you could head to the Wine Studio on Leeu Estates for a tutored wine tasting, or, just up the road, discover why La Motte is internationally acclaimed for its Syrah wines.
Day 2 – Evening
Franschhoek has a wealth of luxurious accommodation options. Virgin’s Mont Rochelle Manor House has 26 striking bedrooms with vineyard views, or The Royal Portfolio’s La Residence featured on the Conde Nast Traveller’s Gold List in 2018 for good reason – its 16 extravagant suites are all individually designed with French and Asian antiques.
