La Residence, Franschhoek, South Africa
Hotel Overview
Review of La Residence, by The TI Review Team
From the moment you arrive under the elegant porte-cochere of Liz Biden's latest venture (she of Royal Malewane and Birkenhead House fame), you know you've arrived somewhere special. From the bouquet of fresh lavender you're greeted with to the stunning setting, at the foot of the Drakkenstein mountains, the owner and staff of La Residence work overtime to ensure a hotel experience like no other in the Cape Winelands.
La Residence is meant to feel like your own private oasis-away-from-home, which is why you're encouraged to take full run of the cavernous drawing room's myriad sitting areas, library of books and contemporary art collection, and cosy upstairs reading room. There's a full-service spa, complete with suites and a sauna, and an infinity pool with a dedicated concierge to meet your every need. The hotel's dining room is already famous in South Africa as one of the Wineland's most accomplished; as a guest, you can opt to act as assistant for an evening to the executive chef, preparing a gourmet dinner for yourself in a sleek auxiliary kitchen
Each of the eleven suites is massive, totally unique, and beyond luxurious-from the pink Indian marble floors and fuchsia silks in the Geranium suite to the lacquered chests and gilded armoires in the Maharani suite, to exotic touches throughout ll of them, such as hand-dyed snakeskin upholstery and sumptuous antique kilims. Each opens out onto its own private terrace, with camera-ready views of La Residence's perfectly manicured vineyards and lavender fields and the towering hills beyond.
Facilities
Hotel Policies
Dinner reservations in Franschhoek can be prebooked by the hotel. We recommend guests prebook at least 3 months prior to arrival
Full board rates available on request
Compulsary Christmas and New Years Eve dinners not included.
Awards
“Hot List”, Conde Nast Traveller 08Who stays here?
Elton John, Bono and Christian Lacroix.Come for...
- Incredible food, impressively personalised service and decor fit for the glossiest of glossy mags
Not Suitable for...
- Anyone seeking Cape Dutch bona-fides; authentic architecture, this isn’t
Eating in
An embarrassment of bio-organic riches is yours in the first-rate dining room; the glorious breakfast is included in the room rate.The Press Say
"The 11-suite boutique hotel, set in a vineyard, has been refurbished in such extravagant style that Elton John has already booked it for a break this year. Yes, it's that glitzy…" The Telegraph 08"This is without a doubt the most glamorous hotel in the Cape's gourmet capital, Franschhoek." Conde Nast Traveller 08
Reviews
Review of La Residence, by The TI Review Team
The Cape Winelands' buzziest luxury hotel doesn't miss a trick, from the warm welcome to the enticingly decorated rooms and public spaces to the location - a purpose- built manor house on a 30-acre winery, on a slope about two miles above Franschhoek's main road, perfectly positioned for Cinemascope-worthy views of the Drakkenstein mountains and the surrounding wineries.
Simultaneously grandiose and cosy, the hotel merges flawless service with a penchant for having just what you need when you need it, whether that's a flute of excellent Brut rose on arrival, or a four-handed massage using aromatherapy oil produced with locally-grown lavender. There's a charming library tucked into a mezzanine loft, a Moroccan-influenced terrace giving onto a lawn lined with date palms, and a sleek infinity pool.
General manager Edward Morton maintains a massive Rolodex of local contacts, and can arrange everything from private winery tours to horse treks in the surrounding countryside to a township visit. Tip: Aspiring chefs should book the fantastic interactive dining experience, run by executive chef Wayne Spencer, which gives guests the chance to hone stirring and braising skills in a chic mini-kitchen incorporated into a corner of the massive baronial dining room.
Each of the 11 suites is completely original - from the Provencal suite, with its hand-painted French furniture, to the Maharani Suite (whose dazzling bathroom is outfitted with a pair of crimson-lacquered armoires, and is, like all the bathrooms, huge). Floors are of Indian marble; side tables are covered in magenta, acid-green or turquoise snakeskin; embroidered cashmere throws and gold-piped velvet bolsters are scattered with abandon. It misses being All Too Much by a thread, clocking in instead at Tastefully Spectacular.