Wine, dine and escape! South Africa’s Western Cape ticks all the boxes

What’s your definition of a holiday? For me it’s the promise of some rest and relaxation, some great food experiences, something local and special to drink, beauty, some interesting shopping and of course none of that would be special without great company. South Africa, more specifically the Western Cape, ticks all my boxes. Undoubtedly the most affluent part of the country with first class roads, an elevated food and beverage scene and some unbelievable scenery, autumn in the Western Cape literally took my breath away.

We flew into Cape Town, stayed with friends in Camps Bay where Table Mountain meets the sea; spectacular to say the least. It is chic country living in the middle of a city. What I discovered on this visit were stunning country escapes in the region, all between 30 minutes to a two-hour drive out of the city. Here’s a list of the ones we visited…

Leeu Estates

The Leeu Collection started as a personal journey for founder, Analjit Singh. Captivated by the Western Cape’s exceptional beauty and vibrant energy during a trip to South Africa in 2010, he decided to buy a home in the Franschhoek valley which soon transformed into what it is today — three historic farms joined to create a world-class hospitality and winemaking destination, Leeu estates. Soon after opening, the hotel appeared on Condé Nast Traveler’s HOT LIST 2017 and Travel + Leisure’s It List 2017, one of just 44 properties in the world that made it onto the exclusive list.

Franschhoek is a pretty village with French roots just over an hour’s drive from Cape Town. If you want some peace and quiet in pristine landscaped surroundings, oodles of private space in one of their cottages, underfloor heating and a fireplace for coolish nights, not to mention a spectacular view of the vineyards and mountains beyond, this is the place for you.

A big plus is La Petite Colombe, one of the top restaurants in the country, on the estate; and the Dining Room, for more casual fare, situated in the main building, overlooking vineyards. There’s a top of the line wine tasting room and it is definitely worth doing a formal tasting of their Mullineux and Leeu Passant wines. Even their entry level Chenin Blanc, a grape variety synonymous with South Africa, was quite lovely. No luxury getaway seems to be complete without a spa…and Healing Earth is quite the ticket. I can’t report what the treatment was like since I was lulled into a coma a few minutes after the therapist began and had to be woken up after it was finished. I did feel like a million dollars though.

Le Quartier Francais 

I first stayed at Le Quartier Francais over 20 years ago when my old friend, the exuberant, lovable Susan Huxter owned it. Unlike other boutique hotels in Franschhoek, she decorated the 25 rooms in her animated style, with colour and flair. The Executive chef, Margot Janse opened what became an award winning restaurant there. LQF was a phenomenon in the hospitality industry. She sold to Analjit Singh a few years ago to pursue a less frenetic lifestyle. Leeu Collection has maintained the integrity of the design and property, added two fine dining restaurants and an art gallery following their vision. One of the great plus points about LQF is its location; right on the high street of Franschhoek so it’s in the middle of all the hustle and bustle, shops, galleries and weekend markets.

La Residence

Nothing can quite prepare you for the overwhelming sense of opulence and grandeur as you drive into La Residence, a five minute drive off the main road of Franschhoek in the Cape Winelands, bang in the middle of vineyards and orchards and their own large kitchen garden. The resident peacock may even come to greet you from the pool around which he lingers. It is part of the Portfolio Collection by celebrity hotelier Liz Biden. The journey started in 1999 when Liz and Phil Biden converted their family holiday home into Royal Malewane in South Africa’s Greater Kruger National Park to a plush hotel.

“We were fortunate to have a beautiful holiday home in the African bush,” Phil explains, “and Liz really wanted to share that. But it was addictive. And Liz was a natural. We soon wanted to share more unique South African experiences with our guests, our friends and our growing family.”

Our stunning Frangipani suite at La Residence came with a bathroom the size of the bedroom, chandeliers, gold velvet furnishings and predictably calendar-like scenery. All 11 rooms (there are also 5 private villas) are in fact suites and all have a lavish private bar and snacks included in the tariff as well as a bottle of bubbly on arrival. There’s a chauffeur and car to take you into Franshhoek at any time and a swimming pool with views and light of an impressionist painting. It is no wonder the peacock doesn’t leave.

Chef Greg Hendersen oversees the kitchen. Although there is a menu featuring fancy sounding classics like duck confit with a local num num and bramble gel, he was happy to also give us a simple salad of chilled heirloom tomatoes grown on the property. A must try is his honey panna cotta with honey again from his garden, fynbos honeycomb, honey ice cream and honeysuckle blossoms. Committed to include wild and indigenous foods of the Cape in his cooking, Greg is also inspired by Liz Biden’s designs for La Residence, and her choice of artworks throughout the property. He says he loves the way she has woven together contrasting and complementary elements to create a distinct narrative thread, and aims to do the same through the dishes he and his team create.

A little celeb quotient is that Elton John and David Furnish are regulars at the Biden’s properties and even stayed here just before Covid… in the Maharani Suite — where else!

Vergenoegd Löw

Much closer to Cape Town (in fact Uber drives you there in 30 mins) is the utterly unpronounceable Vergenoegd (pronounced Fer-khen-ucht) Löw Estate which forms part of Stellenbosch, the country’s best-known wine district, and belongs to the Helderberg Wine Route. It took German entrepreneur and philanthropist, Dr Peter Löw almost a decade to restore and renovate the heritage property and replant the vineyards and the result is a juxtaposition of an 18th century homestead with contemporary accommodation and sustainable practices. As we arrived in the morning, we were privileged to witness 800 Indian runner ducks gather on the lawn, a ritual they perform daily around 9am before they go into the vineyards. With their long necks, they and the Dexter cattle eat the weeds, keep pests away and fertilise the soils naturally. This forms part of the vineyard’s integrated crop management.

Incidentally the wines here were amongst the best we tasted on our trip, in particular their Cabernet Sauvignon called Lara and their more complex red blend called Maximilian. Ditto with the food which was excellent both in their Fine Dining restaurant, Clara’s Barn and their more casual (which they can also deliver to your room) Geuwels. Heritage chef, Bertus Basson has conceived both; each quite different, they both re-interpret local taste traditions and they source from the farm itself or from nearby small-scale suppliers. I discovered something called Bokkoms, salt dried fish (much like we find on the western coast of India) which they shred and serve with butter and bread which produces a delicious umami-ness.

Birkenhead House

Another one of Liz Biden’s properties on the coast in Hermanus, perfect for whale watching in winter or just sea gazing at any time. Hermanus is a quaint little town on the coast under a two-hour drive from Cape Town. It’s now quite edgy because many of Cape Town’s smart set have country homes there.

The spectacular sea front property has only 11 rooms, all well-appointed and some facing the sea. Lunch on the verandah overlooking the water is a must. The menu is simple and seafood driven — think seared tuna, grilled crayfish, a bowl of mussels and prawns in coconut sauce. As with all their properties, the room rate includes shuttles into town, a generous bar and laundry service.

Jonkmanshof

It looks like a casual Cape Dutch country house on the main street of Montagu (an erstwhile “one horse town” just over a two-hour drive from Cape Town), but there is nothing casual about this chic, elegant homestay with impeccable attention to detail. Montagu has its fair share of local tourists who come mainly to trek or use the hot springs. What I loved most as I went for an early morning walk, is that I saw no tourists, just real people — a local chemist, a large chain supermarket, a charity shop and Capedry where you can buy everything from nuts to dried nectarines and sugared kumquats. This is an area known for its stone fruit (plums, nectarines, almonds, apricots), much of which is exported.

Jonkmanshof is owned and run by young gentlemen with great taste. They only have 4 boutique suites but wait till you see the citrus garden or sit and read in the succulent conservatory or browse around their store. It’s all a bit precious. Each suite is furnished with a mix of carefully selected antiques and contemporary furniture and art. The emphasis is on beauty, heritage and quality. The food is unfussy, homely and lovingly put together by the resident cook.