Zorgvliet Country lodge

The hotel and surroundings are beautiful, but a few things took away from the stay. Staff attitude wasn’t great, and the pool and terrace were cleaned late in the morning while everyone was already awake. Breakfast also had very little choice: with the a la cart menu, you could pick only one main option and one muesli, nothing else.

We booked a family room for two nights and were very disappointed with room 12. The bathroom was unhygienic, with mould all around and blocked drains, and the room was poorly maintained. I complained to Aneen, the manager. She said the hotel was fully booked and couldn’t move us. She also acknowledged the room had been complained about before and needed a full renovation. She offered a full refund straight away if we wanted to go elsewhere, but we couldn’t take it because there were no other rooms available in the area at the last minute. The alternative compensation she offered was a 400 rand credit to use at the hotel, about £16. We’d paid over £200 per night, so that felt insulting. When we asked to speak to the owner, we were told they didn’t want to communicate with guests. We later learned that Stefan lives on the same estate. The stay spoiled the rest of our time in Stellenbosch, and I wouldn’t recommend the place. It felt like making money mattered more than whether the room was liveable. The pictures don’t look like a 4 star hotel.

We just stopped for coffee at this very pretty venue. There’s a small picnic area with a jungle gym, and we were excited to spot an avocado tree next to us, full of fruit.

A fantastic wine selection, a lovely restaurant, and amazingly beautiful old buildings.