Fransvliet Estate Villa Review: A Family Weekend in Franschhoek
Newly Renovated Two-Bedroom Villa with a Pool, Hot Tub and Wood-Fired Fireplaces
Franschhoek is one of those places we keep finding reasons to go back to. This time it was a weekend away as a family of five, from Friday 18 to Sunday 20 September, at Fransvliet Estate. We stayed in the newly renovated two-bedroom villa, and it turned out to be a weekend of very little planning and a lot of time outdoors, which suited all of us.
Accommodation review of the villa at Fransvliet Estate
The villa
The villa has been newly renovated. Both bedrooms in the villa have king-size bedrooms and their own en-suite bathroom. For our youngest, a sleeper couch was set up. There are wood-fired fireplaces in both the lounge and the main bedroom. As spring is only just getting started, it was nice to be able to light the fires when it got chilly in the evening. There is also a Nespresso machine, and the pods are refilled daily. We loved the home-baked biscuits. The villa is serviced daily, and when we arrived, a complimentary bottle of Fransvliet Sauvignon Blanc was waiting for us in the fridge.
Aiden and Liv felt right at home in this spacious villa!
For our youngest, Harvey, the Fransvliet Villa staff had made up a sleeper couch, from which he had the best view!
The kids had a ‘bath’ in the hot tub while I cooked supper on the gas braai.
Aiden, Olivia and Harvey loved the space on the property. We had brought their bicycles along, and they spent a good part of the weekend riding around the grounds. The villa has its own swimming pool with sun loungers, but unfortunately it was just a bit too chilly to make use of that during our stay. Fortunately there is a hot tub too and I’d heated it up so the kids could have a ‘bath’ in there while I cooked supper on the gas braai. We had braai broodjies, aubergine halves, broccolini, steak and boerewors. Anyone who tells you self-catering is a chore has not had a grill going while the kids are happily occupied in a hot tub.
Where we ate in Franschhoek
For breakfast on Saturday we went to the Franschhoek market, which is open from 10 am. We arrived at 9:00, when most of the stallholders were still setting up and a few were already trading. If you like a quieter browse, go early. If you want the full buzz, arrive after 10 when the music starts playing. We had some old-school pannenkoeke, the perfect breakfast, and always available at any small town market.
We headed back to the villa for lunch: a butternut salad, leftover braai meat and sourdough. It’s always worth cooking a little extra the night before.
Saturday supper was at Yama, Ryan Shell's relaxed Asian eatery on Huguenot Street. On Sunday morning we had breakfast at David's Bistro at La Roche Estate. Beside those ‘uitstappies’, we spent most our time at the villa as it was such a wonderful home-away-from home; we had the space and privacy, and all the comforts. The pool, hot tub and open grounds are ideal when you are travelling with kids who need to burn off energy. Situated right opposite Leopards’s Leap Restaurant and Wine Farm, and diagonally across from La Motte, the accommodation is well positioned. We would happily stay again.
More about Fransvliet Estate
Follow Fransvliet Estate on Instagram.
You can book the villa through the Fransvliet Estate website, and the villa is not the only place to stay at Fransvliet Estate. The estate also has guest house suites, each with a king-size bed, a fireplace and air conditioning. The Lemon Tree Suite, for example, adds a free-standing bath, an extra-large shower and underfloor heating, and there is a Nespresso machine in the room. The suites are serviced daily, breakfast is included, and guests share the pool. We did not stay in the suites ourselves, so it is worth checking the Fransvliet Estate website for what is currently available.
Other accommodations
in the Western Cape
Explore Franschhoek in a charming guest house: Our Stay at The Corner House Residence in Franschhoek
Our favourite mountain valley hideaway: 360on62 Mountain View Farm Cottages in Montagu
For a couples’ getaway: Huizen Living (Verloren Cabin) in the Breede Valley
For child-friendly luxury in the Franschhoek winelands:
Disclaimer: All opinions expressed are solely our own and based on our experience. At times we may be compensated for reviews placed on this blog, we always maintain the right to share our true opinion on the full experience, to maintain our integrity and the authenticity of the review posted.
About Shawn Godfrey
Photo credit: Niki M Photography
Shawn Godfrey is an entrepreneur based in Cape Town, South Africa. After the Covid-19 lockdown saw his business in financial distress, cooking was the creative outlet that helped to keep him sane. To keep track of his recipes, and encourage friends and families to join him, he starts his instagram account The Roasted Dad.
Fast-forward to late 2021 - on a whim Shawn (encouraged by his wife Lianne) enters MasterChef South Africa. It is a crazy time of life: running a 200 people business and struggling to keep it profitable, two small children with a third on the way, and about to move into a new house. But when Shawn gets selected to be one of the 20 contestants participating in the fourth season of MasterChef South Africa, he decides to go all in. Leaving his 7-month-pregnant wife to look after their then three and one-year-old children, he battles it out and comes back home five weeks later with the trophy and a million rand prize money in his pocket.
It all started with an Instagram account, but The Roasted Dad is so much more now. Shawn has stayed his entrepreneurial self and whilst he hosts Private Dinner Parties and Cook-with-Me Demos, does Restaurant Take-Overs, he still runs the lighting company and several other businesses.
On his blog, Shawn shares restaurant reviews and accommodation reviews, and gives an insight into the wild and wonderful life he leads together with his wife Lianne, and their three children Aiden (8), Olivia (6) and Harvey (4).
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