A mere hour inland from Cape Town is the renowned wine region of South Africa, with hundreds of wine farms and picturesque villages. The most famous of which is Stellenbosch - one of South Africa's oldest towns (oldest Inn in South Africa) and academic centre’s, Stellenbosch University. The wine farms are scattered around and most offer wine tasting and cellar tours. Many wine estates offer fine dining and accommodation. If wine is of interest to you, we recommend staying on a working wine farm - from standard to luxury accommodation. You can also stay in the charming Stellenbosch itself with its vibrant student life, shops and restaurants as a base for your wine lands excursions. Among the Stellenbosch Accommodation options are The 5 * Lanzerac Hotel and Spa, situated on land with a history going back to 1692, or the Devon Valley Hotel, another old landmark, both situated on working wine farms.

Franschoek "the French Corner" is characterized by its French connection since the Huguenot settlers and have earned its reputation as South Africa's wine and food capital. This lovely little town also offers excellent shopping for luxuries and antiques and its restaurants are top class. Among the accommodation options are La Fontaine, a 4 * Guest House centrally situated and across the road from one of Franschoeks best restaurants, Le Bon Vivant. This is an ideal venue to explore the main street on foot. An alternative is the 5 star L'Ermitage, situated above the town with amazing views and a short hop by taxi from the centre.

The wine region is also a popular golf destination with many well designed courses either on or close to wine estates, some of them also offering accommodation.

Some of the Estates, like Warwick, are family friendly and include gourmet picnics and activities like the big 5 wine safari introducing guests to the ‘Big 5’ grape varieties on an educational drive through the vineyard.