* Pictures noted are bottom to top - We arrived at the beautiful Hawksmoor House (picture 1) just in time for late afternoon tea, home-baked chocolate cake (fresh cakes offered to guests every day for tea time) and an amazing sunset (picture 2). This historical 16th century farm/winery estate located in the countryside of Stellenbosch was a perfect location for a fabulous romantic getaway. The whole house was elegantly decorated with antiques and each of the 8 guest rooms gently mixed modern and old elements to assure the greatest comfort and romance - antique furniture, chandeliers, deep modern clawfoot bathtub, radiant heated bathroom marble floor, and large windows throughout to bring the beauty of the outside within. We drove 30 minutes to Stellenbosch for a wonderful dinner at a cozy restaurant downtown, 'Cognito', owned by a South African couple who created a menu of many wonderful African-Asian fusion styled dishes which we thoroughly enjoyed.
The next day after a delicious breakfast in the main dining room with the other house guests we ventured out to visit many of the wineries on the 'must see' list of our wonderful hostess, Gezania. Her list included a drive along the lovely country roads (picture 3), eat a delicious lunch at the beautiful Moreson Wine Estate (picture 4), wine tasting at Lynx (nice award winning Shiraz and Cabernet Franc), cheese and wine at the Fairview Winery (picture 5), dramatic sunset and rose at Seidelberg Winery (picture 6, 7), closing with dinner at the elegant Curvee Restaurant at the Simonsig Winery. Long, delicious, and very satisfying day!
After two wonderful nights at the Hawksmoor House, it was time to 'move' to our a new cozy room in the lovely hotel, La Ballon Rouge, conveniently located in the center of the amazing town of Franschhoek (picture 8). This internationally renowned destination is nestled among many magnificent mountain ranges and is home to an incredible number of terrific wineries, restaurants, B&Bs, villas, etc.
While it rained off and on for 2 days, it didn't dampen our fun (picture 9). We enjoyed wonderful meals at the beautiful wineries of La Grand Provence (picture 10) and La Petite Ferme and restaurants Kalfe (for authentic Malayn cuisine) and Rueben's (specializing in grilled meat). Since We were enjoying ourselves so much we decided to extend our stay in Franskhhoek another day. Amazingly our extra time turned out to include a beautiful, warm, and sunny so we took a drive up along the Franschhoek Mountains for some incredible vistas of the city and beyond. We also enjoyed a wonderful late lunch at the Dieu Donne Winery (picture 11), well known for delicious food, wine, and one of the most panoramic view of the valley. Just another wonderful time.
As lovely as our wine country visit was it was time to pack and continue on the road to the Garden Route.
The next day after a delicious breakfast in the main dining room with the other house guests we ventured out to visit many of the wineries on the 'must see' list of our wonderful hostess, Gezania. Her list included a drive along the lovely country roads (picture 3), eat a delicious lunch at the beautiful Moreson Wine Estate (picture 4), wine tasting at Lynx (nice award winning Shiraz and Cabernet Franc), cheese and wine at the Fairview Winery (picture 5), dramatic sunset and rose at Seidelberg Winery (picture 6, 7), closing with dinner at the elegant Curvee Restaurant at the Simonsig Winery. Long, delicious, and very satisfying day!
After two wonderful nights at the Hawksmoor House, it was time to 'move' to our a new cozy room in the lovely hotel, La Ballon Rouge, conveniently located in the center of the amazing town of Franschhoek (picture 8). This internationally renowned destination is nestled among many magnificent mountain ranges and is home to an incredible number of terrific wineries, restaurants, B&Bs, villas, etc.
While it rained off and on for 2 days, it didn't dampen our fun (picture 9). We enjoyed wonderful meals at the beautiful wineries of La Grand Provence (picture 10) and La Petite Ferme and restaurants Kalfe (for authentic Malayn cuisine) and Rueben's (specializing in grilled meat). Since We were enjoying ourselves so much we decided to extend our stay in Franskhhoek another day. Amazingly our extra time turned out to include a beautiful, warm, and sunny so we took a drive up along the Franschhoek Mountains for some incredible vistas of the city and beyond. We also enjoyed a wonderful late lunch at the Dieu Donne Winery (picture 11), well known for delicious food, wine, and one of the most panoramic view of the valley. Just another wonderful time.
As lovely as our wine country visit was it was time to pack and continue on the road to the Garden Route.
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