The 4* picturesque thatched Le Franschhoek Hotel was perfect for our two night stay in the Cape Winelands. Situated 5km outside the village, this wasn’t a problem for us with a hire car, if you’re not driving, the hotel run a courtesy transfer to the village a few times a day, or their concierge offers a private return transfer for R120 per couple.
We booked a standard room and was allocated number 16, which was nestled under the thatch. Our room was spacious, we had a king sized bed and a mountain view. Amenities in the room included under floor heating, air conditioning, free mini bar was other than alcoholic items, a coffee pod machine, fresh fruit, kettle with a selection of teas and instant coffee.
Again we found our hotel room offered a European and UK style socket, so we could recharge our phones and laptops when required, without the need for a travel adapter.
Our bathroom included a bath and walk in shower, and as someone who usually has cold feet, I particularly appreciated the underfloor heating.
The reception staff were lovely, they couldn’t do enough for us, and took a genuine interest in our plans for the day. We didn’t eat at the fine dining restaurant Dish during our stay, we dined out in the village on the first evening, and after a full day of wine tasting, we chilled out at the bar for fish & chips on our second evening.
Breakfast was served in La Pavillion, a lovely glass fronted restaurant situated on the ground floor of the hotel. The cooked breakfast was very good, it’s a pleasure to find back bacon and not just the cheaper streaky version. There was also a good selection of fresh fruit, yoghurt, cereals, pastries and continental meats and cheeses.
Each night on the turn down service, we were given a bottle of water, chocolate and our slippers left on a mat by each side of the bed.
The swimming pool isn’t heated, so although it looked lovely, we didn’t fancy a dip in winter! We had a lot planned for our days in Franschhoek, so unfortunately we didn’t take any time out at the Camelot Spa situated in the hotel grounds.
The free WiFi was excellent, we didn’t have to think about it, the speed was good and there was no requirement to keep logging in.
This hotel has 63 bedrooms which are divided as 28 standard rooms, 15 suites, 18 deluxe rooms and 2 villas.