Over the past weekend many of us Rhino Africans travelled to Franschhoek near Cape Town for a Rhino Tripping educational. Our inhouse transfer and tour specialists treated us to an exeptional winelands tour, our knowledge about and consumption of fine wine increased exponentially and a good time was had by all. This post however is not about our wine drinking and merrymaking through the winelands, only a little bit, mostly it is about our accommodation. After all what would a Rhino educational be without a luxury accommodation to pass out in! We were hosted at the elegant, luxurious and well established Le Franschhoek Hotel.
Often in the tourism industry the buzz happens around the newest hotel, the latest lodge, the most modern of accommodation. In those times we tend to forget the established hotel, the old school luxury lodge and the classic accommodation option. Fortunately this weekend we were reminded that old does not mean outdated. The Le Franschhoek Hotel has been around for four years under that name and with its current owners (before it became le Franschhoek it was a hotel by another name) and provides all the luxuries, style and classic class one can expect from such an esteemed establishment. It may not be the latest fad but its cousins could still learn a thing or two about what makes a great hotel from the Le Franschhoek. Having kept up to date with all modern advancements there is nothing one could ask for at Le Franschhoek that it doesn’t already have! And with a wide variety of rooms, luxury garden and vineyard suites and private cottages to choose from, there is something to suit everyone’s tastes and budget at Le Franschhoek. Things like excellent service, fine dining and all round opulence are timeless in the Hotel industry and at Le Franschhoek these ideals shine!
Upon arrival at the hotel we were greeted with our first drink, a friendly smile and shown to our standard rooms. Young Kyle seemed to know his way around better than most and the barman knew his drink of choice – as yet no foul-play is suspected. From there we headed out for a tour of the Haute Cabriere winery above Franschhoek. The winery has been built sunken into the hillside like something out of Hobbiton and has one of the finest views out over the valley in all of Franschhoek. Here our gracious host treated us to a tour of the cellars and a tasting of fine wines and accompanying paired snacks – this is how all winetasting should be! Our only regret was that the resident winemaker (ahem, winegrower) Achim was not there to conduct the tour himself. From there we headed out for dinner before returning to Le Franschhoek for more drinks. At this point things get a little fuzzy, as fuzzy as my hair the next morning…
The morning’s breakfast did much to chase away our slight headaches and wake us for the coming day. Afterwards, we were shown around the Hotel and most of us felt like spending the day at the spa! With its comfortable massage tables, potpourri scents and well trained staff it is the pinnacle of relaxation in the winelands. We were also shown all the different rooms available at Le Franschhoek and there truly is a room to suit every taste. And finally we were shown around the two restaurants. Both providing scrumptuous cuisine and the finest of dining while still managing to fit in some amazing views out over the winelands.
If you like the sound of Le Franschhoek Hotel & Spa then contact one of our consultants who will be able to tell you all about it and what it is like to stay there as well as go about booking you in!
