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Claire recently enjoyed a wonderful weekend stay at Clouds Estate in Stellenbosch with her husband.
If you’re looking to explore the winelands towns of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, then you really can’t beat staying on the Helshoogte Pass – the beautiful winding road that not only links the two areas but also provides spectacular views in every direction. We recently stayed at Clouds Estate and were genuinely blown away by this small boutique hotel with its breathtaking views of vineyards and mountains as far as you can see.
As a location, you’re pretty much in the middle of ‘everything’ and could be arriving at any number of wine estates in Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and even Paarl in between 10 and 20 minutes. Then, after a day of sightseeing, exploring and wine tasting you get to return to a peaceful setting where you can relax poolside or in the gardens while admiring the view. You really can’t go wrong!
We arrived on a drizzly Friday afternoon after a nice leisurely drive from Cape Town (without kids – bonus!) The drive had seen us passing through the winter colours of the Stellenbosch vineyards before ascending the Helshoogte Pass road and winding our way past the likes of Neil Ellis, Tokara and Delaire-Graff before arriving at Clouds Estate.
As we walked into the reception area we were immediately greeted by the view of the Banhoek Valley, and after a lovely welcome glass of the Clouds Estate Bubbly we were shown upstairs to our room where the view was even more impressive – despite the grey cloudy afternoon.
The modern design of the building is very striking, and the suites are all positioned to make the most of the view – the gardens and rim-flow swimming pool and beyond that the rolling vineyards and striking mountains of the Simonsberg and Drakenstein. Our suite had an enormous balcony where we could have relaxed with our complimentary bottle of wine – but considering it was chilly, we choose the comfy sofa’s indoors where we could keep one eye on the view and the other on the tennis. It was the day that South African Kevin Anderson was playing his semi-final match at Wimbledon (tennis fans will remember this match went to a 26-24 tiebreak in the final set!)
An afternoon with the tennis and our books for company – as well as a lovely Nespresso coffee and some nibbles from the well-stocked complimentary mini-bar – was just what we needed. Later in the afternoon the sun broke through the clouds and the entire valley was brilliantly lit up with rays of sunshine. Grabbing our camera for a quick couple of pictures we were treated to the most dazzling rainbow (a double!) that we had ever seen – the colours were so vivid that a picture really doesn’t do it justice. The rainbow ‘ended’ in the vineyard right next door and I’m certain we would have discovered a pot of gold if we’d been quick enough.
The suites at Clouds Estate are very luxurious and really spacious with understated modern décor and design – the view is really the main attraction and you can even enjoy it from your bed. All of the luxuries and amenities you’d expect from a 5-star property are provided from luxury robes and indulgent bath products to beautiful linen and a very comfortable king size bed. More often than not it’s the service that sets one hotel apart from another, and this was definitely the case at Clouds Estate – where we found it to be excellent. All of the staff were extremely friendly and efficient, and everything was done with a genuine smile and a ‘nothing is too much bother’ attitude. Looking around you got the definite impression that all of the guests were extremely happy.
We popped into Stellenbosch for a casual dinner at Craft Wheat & Hops that evening – it took us less than 10-minutes to get there, including finding parking in the bustling streets of Stellenbosch on a Friday night. It turned out that our restaurant choice was an excellent one. We enjoyed fantastic pizza’s (highly recommended) and the tennis was being screened in the bar area … 7pm and Kevin Anderson was still going. Back in our suite a few hours later and Kevin was still playing – he eventually triumphed after more than 6 hours of tennis– making him in the first South African to reach a Wimbledon Men’s final in 97 years.
After all of the excitement we had a great nights’ sleep and woke the following morning to a picture-perfect sunny day made all the better by a cup of tea in bed – with a view. I love those crisp winter mornings where everything smells so clean and fresh.
Downstairs at breakfast the dining area was bright and sunny. It opens onto the decked veranda, gardens and swimming pool – and in summer it must be simply lovely to enjoy breakfast outdoors. We were very happy in our sunny corner and a crisp flute of the Clouds Estate bubbly was a great start to breakfast which included a delicious continental spread as well as hot breakfasts to order – all of which was really good.
After breakfast we felt as if we needed a walk and we discovered that Clouds Estate borders with Delaire-Graff with an access gate between the two estates for guests to use. We hadn’t been to Delaire in years … well, since before it had been transformed by the Graff family – and it is a spectacular property. We enjoyed a walk around through the immaculate grounds admiring the beautiful views and the sculptures and artworks – which all form part of an extensive private collection owned by the Graff family.
It was the perfect way to end our quick night ‘off’ and we headed home later on having decided that we would definitely be returning to Clouds again soon. It’s highly recommendable – either for a quick adults weekend away (no children under 16 are permitted), or as an ideal base for a longer stay in the winelands. There is also the option of staying in one of five self-catering rooms which have a double bedroom, dining area, kitchenette and an additional sleeper couch to accommodate a 3rd/4th guest. They’re slightly separate from the main building and they share an additional swimming pool.
You can book online at RoomsForAfrica.
