Franschheok, La Cle des Montagnes
An honest review
Le Cle des Montagne, a fabulous hotel in Franschhoek, was our home the 3 nights we were at the winelands. I cannot tell you enough how AMAZING this place is. The décor is simply stunning and the service immaculate. The fireplace was such a cosy thing to have even though it wasn’t that cold out in May. Alas, I am a Singaporean who has never actually used a fireplace before so this was really a memorable experience for me. I really wish I could live there forever.
Did I mention that they also have a pool attached to every villa? Again, like in Cape Town, it was too cold to swim.
You get some stunning views of a quintessential winelands backdrop as well. Apt, since le cle des montagnes means the key to the mountain. No, it is not a brand of chocolate.
We stayed in villa gallerie where there were two adjoining bedrooms. This time I had no real excuse to squeeze in between my parents so I let fate decide and sprawled across the huge king size by myself.
Tea by the fireplace. How cosy is that?
Now is probably a good time to mention that breakfast is actually cooked in the kitchen, in the villa, by your own two personal butlers. Yes you read that right, someone will actually come and cook breakfast for you. The joy of waking up to the smell of scrambled eggs is unimaginable. Mmm.
However, la cle des Montagne is really quite expensive and there are plenty of other cheaper options like airbnbs out there for the budget conscious. We stayed in Franschheok which was a charming little town. It was originally a French settlement so you can find many French influences there, like le cle des Montagne. I really did enjoy Le Cle des montagne but due to the price point, I would probably leave it as a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Tips: 1, There are three main areas in the winelands to stay in: Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl. We only really explored Franschheok and enjoyed it but I suggest you have a look see at these other areas to see which you’d prefer.
2, while accessible via day trip from cape town I would recommend you to spend a few days in the winelands to really #livelikealocal (I’m joking) and get the essence of the wine culture. I found that the style of wines while predominately French, occasionally had some local character. For example, I tried a wine from Spice Route that was aptly named Chakalaka, the traditional South Africa spice blend. To really know and say that you’ve been to the winelands, I’d recommend staying there for a few days rather than a day trip.
3, accommodation can be expensive so for the budget conscious, there are some really amazing airbnbs in the winelands. For example, holy guacamole :O
To get $30 off your first booking, use the link here
