Discover four great hotels in Stellenbosch South Africa that would provide a perfect base for your South Africa wine country getaway.
Sure, it’s feasible to do a day trip to from Cape Town to Stellenbosch. You could easily drive between the two cities in less than an hour. Or, without a car, you could travel by bus, train or even Uber.
However, you would miss out on much of the fun that Stellenbosch offers to visitors from around the world. By staying overnight, or in our case for six nights, you can explore the Stellenbosch Wine Route on a leisurely basis, lingering at the best Stellenbosch vineyards and savoring the glorious sunsets.
Read our Stellenbosch wine tasting guide.
The good news is that Stellenbosch has a lot of hotel options ranging from cozy guesthouses to five-star luxury hotels. Some of the best Stellenbosch accommodation options are on wine estates, while others are in the city center. With so many options, the decision isn’t if you should stay overnight in Stellenbosch but rather where to stay in Stellenbosch.
4 Great Hotels In Stellenbosch
We stayed at four great Stellenbosch hotels during our trip to South Africa’s premier wine region. Three of the hotels were situated on Stellenbosch wine farms and one was right in the heart of the city.
We loved each of our stays for different reasons. Read on to see which accommodation in Stellenbosch is best for you.
1. Life And Leisure
Located in downtown Stellenbosch, Life and Leisure is ideal for people who want the best of both worlds – easy access to urban activities and some of the best Stellenbosch restaurants as well as a luxuriously comfortable space to escape from it all. Guests can literally park their cars at the hotel and walk to shops, restaurants, cafes and art galleries.
Sometimes, though, the best option is to simply chill by the pool or fireplace at the Life and Leisure Guesthouse with a good book and a glass of Pinotage.
Life and Leisure has seven hotel rooms plus a range of self-catering apartments. During our visit, we stayed in a beautifully decorated apartment loaded with features like satellite television, kitchen facilities and a washing machine. Most importantly, at least to us, the bed was so comfortable that we didn’t want to get out of it in the morning.
We didn’t go hungry at Life and Leisure where breakfast options run the range from cold food like fruit and cheese to hot food like omelets. For us, though, the food highlights were homemade desserts like raspberry chocolate cake and honey-drenched koeksisters that we ate at night after long days of wine tasting.
Top Reason to Stay at Life and Leisure Guest House
The hotel’s downtown Stellenbosch location provides access to the best of the city. Plus, the hotel provides free parking.
Life and Leisure is located at 18 Van Riebeeck Street, Stellenbosch, Cape Town, 7599, South Africa.
2. The Country Guest House
With 13 spacious rooms plus a pool, restaurant and views of Table Mountain, The Country Guest House provides a true getaway experience. Equally important, the hotel is close to several Stellenbosch wineries including Ken Forrester Vineyards, one of our favorite spots for wine tastings on the Stellenbosch Wine Route.
Though our room was comfortable and well-appointed, we didn’t spend much time inside it except to sleep. Instead, we relaxed on our expansive private patio where we enjoyed the incredible sunset pictured at the top of the article.
We ate our breakfast outside since the hotel features an elegant, rustic outdoor dining option near its secluded pool. We felt a million miles from civilization but yet we were right in the heart of the Cape Winelands.
Top Reason to Stay at The Country Guest House
96 Winery Road, the hotel’s onsite restaurant, is the perfect place to end a day of busy wine tasting with a big steak and… more wine.
The Country Guest House is located at 96 Winery Road, Somerset West, Raithby, 7130, South Africa.
3. Devon Valley Hotel
The views of vineyards, olive groves and mountains would be reason enough to stay at Devon Valley Hotel, but this hotel offers so much more. Originally built in 1947 and recently renovated with all of the modern necessities like flat-screen televisions and high-speed wi-fi, the hotel is located off the beaten path on the SylvanVale Wine Estate.
Don’t let the bucolic location scare you off, as the Devon Valley Hotel is only six kilometers from downtown Stellenbosch and practically next door to one of our favorite Stellenbosch wineries – Meinert Wines.
During our stay, we loved relaxing in our spacious room with its freestanding clawfoot bathtub, plush bed and stunning view. We also loved walking to the hotel’s restaurant for gourmet cuisine and hearty breakfast fare. The short walk allowed us to breathe in the fresh air while not worrying about directions or drinking too much wine.
Top Reason to Stay at Devon Valley Hotel
In addition to its full-service restaurant Flavours, Devon Valley Hotel has a more casual restaurant with a pizza oven. The hotel also offers craft beer tastings and gin tastings.
Devon Valley Hotel is located at Devon Valley Road, Devonvallei, Stellenbosch, 7600, South Africa.
4. L’Avenir Country Lodge
Don’t be fooled by its name. L’Avenir Country Lodge is less of a lodge and more of a boutique hotel with just seven rooms. We realized this as soon as walked into L’Avenir and experienced the intimate hotel’s high level of customer service. Our spacious room confirmed our suspicions with its simple yet elegant decor, high-end bath products and private plunge pool.
The room would be enough to make us happy, but a stay at L’Avenir is so much more. Hotel facilities include an outdoor swimming pool, a braai entertainment area, a boules (similar to bocce) court, full breakfast facilities and complimentary wine tastings.
Considering that L’Avenir is one of the most respected Stellenbosch wine estates, the wine tastings are not to be missed. While sitting outside on the lush L’Avenir grounds, we tasted a selection of wines including some of the area’s best Chenin Blanc and Pinotage along with a wagyu biltong pairing. Life doesn’t get much better than this.
Top Reason to Stay at L’Avenir Country Lodge
As much as we enjoyed all aspects of our stay, the highlight was having a private plunge pool attached to our room.
L’Avenir Country Lodge is located at Off R44, Klapmuts Road, R44, Stellenbosch, 7599, South Africa.
Hungry For More In Nearby Cape Town?
About the Authors
Daryl and Mindi Hirsch
Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on the 2foodtrippers website. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers a unique taste of the world.
Original Publication Date: July 27, 2017
Travelsito
Monday 4th of September 2017
Nice hotels indeed. Thanks guys for sharing.
Alexis Fallon
Saturday 29th of July 2017
This is great! I'm actually staying at Devon Valley Hotel in September - would you recommend grabbing dinner there as well, or going into town? Would love to hear your rec!
Mark
Friday 28th of July 2017
Awesome Hotels.. Thanks a lot for sharing this information..