visit franscHHoek this winter

I was lucky enough to spend 2 days and a night in beautiful Franschhoek last week. Partly for the launch of the HH campaign where amazing special offers in the wineries, hotels and restaurants are happening. I also decided that I prefer Franschhoek in winter to summer. Its got the whole vineyard, soon to be snow capped peaks vibe going for it. Unbelievable restaurants with big fireplaces and draw dropping views, what more do you want. Its only an hour from Cape Town, so I don’t really need much of an excuse to get out there. Neither should you. * All images taken with my iPhone 6+

Babylonstoren

Our afternoon started off at Babylonstoren and a walk through their most exquisite edible garden followed by a mushroom inspired lunch in the House of Shadows. I last visited the estate in February so it was wonderful to see how much the garden changes with the seasons. They are now producing a few cultivars of mushrooms so we had a quick look at their facility and their first shiitake springing from the logs. This place inspires me beyond.

Allée Bleue

We stopped at Allée Bleue for a tour through the working herb farm which I found so intersting, I just wanted to harvest a stash for my kitchen. We sipped a glass of their delicious new Brut Rose while watching chef Beau du Toit whip up a delicous salsa verde from the garden. The bistro is the ideal venue for a lazy lunch in the winelands with a plethora of Beau’s home made goodies, and I cant wait to visit again for this. They also offer a herb tasting menu which looks divine.

Maison

Maison combines the old and the new so perfectly with a view that at this time of year is jaw dropping. The autumnal vineyards are ridiculously pretty at the moment and I’ve made a note to myself to make sure I hang out there at this time next year.  We had the pleasure of experiencing small samples of their new deli menu which is inspired and interesting aand of course delicious. The restaurant is closed for a while as they renovate but the tasting area is open and the deli menu is on offer.

L’Ermitage

I stayed at the beautiful L’Ermitage and my only regret was that I hardly spent any time there. I had the cosiest and most luxurious room, I just wanted to hang out for longer. They have an amazing special from 1 – 19 June: Stay 2 nights (and trust me you wan to do this) and pay for 1. 

La Clé des Montagnes

We enjoyed a wine tasting from the boutique vineyards of Stony Brook  and I loved their Lyle MCC as well as thier flagship ‘Ghost Gum’. A braai follwed in the evening prepared by our own personal butler in one of their ultra luxurious villas. Seriously worth checking out how beautiful this place is here. 

Check out the full list of the amazing specials going on this winter in Franschhoek.