Guest Blog: A Family Escape to La Residence

About the author: Shawn Godfrey, also known as The Roasted Dad and winner of MasterChef South Africa Season 4, recently stayed at the Vineyard Suites at La Residence with his family. Here they found space to enjoy the beauty of the Franschhoek valley together as a family. Images courtesy of Shawn Godfrey – https://theroasteddad.com/

Luxurious family accommodation in Franschhoek

Nestled amidst the rolling vineyards and breathtaking mountain views that define the Franschhoek valley, and a stone’s throw from La Residence, are the Vineyard Suites. Part of the collection of luxury hotels and lodges that make up The Royal Portfolio, there are five Vineyard Suites in total. Each is tastefully decorated in a way that manages to blend luxurious comfort with a homely feel. The best part for us – children of all ages are welcome.

The five Vineyard Suites are all different in size, configuration and interior. While there are one and two-bedroom suites available, we were offered the largest three-bedroom luxury suite. The approximately 165 square metres include two spacious bedrooms and a smaller children’s room. Staying in a suite rather than in a hotel room makes all the difference when travelling with children. There are board games available and a TV in every room, which was particularly exciting for our bunch: upon arrival, they ran through the suites counting the number of TV’s.

The private garden and swimming pool make this a real home away from home. The mini-bar is generously stocked with a variety of sodas, beers and wine. There are also a variety of stronger beverages available, such as gin, brandy and the quintessentially South African Amarula. Our favourite though, was a La Residence bottle of red wine. Not available for purchase anywhere outside the grounds of the hotel and restaurant, it is a delicious red that we really enjoyed. For anyone peckish, chips, sweets, gluten-free rusks, biscuits and nuts are also provided. A Nespresso coffee is available for instant quality coffee.

Each suite as well as the restaurant are filled with beautiful art works. A lot of the work is by Sibley. We loved it so much that we reached out to get a catalogue and see if we could purchase a piece, and were invited to have a look around at the art available at his home and studio in Constantia.

Breakfast and Activities with the Children

Breakfast is served from 07:00 until 11:00 AM in the main dining room, conveniently close to the Vineyard Suites. A continental breakfast spread is available in buffet form, providing everything from cereals to fruit to yoghurt to pastries and everything in between.

Exploring Franschhoek

Unfortunately it rained most of the weekend that we were there, so we did not stay at the pool and lounge around as we had wanted to. With the heart of Franschhoek a short drive away, luckily there is always something to do.

We had lunch reservations at Monneaux Restaurant, and as the hotel offers complimentary in-house shuttle service into Franschhoek, we did not need to worry about having some wine. Being in the winelands the shuttle service is a useful luxury that we made use of a few times during our stay.

Upon collection from the restaurant, our driver had brought umbrellas as it had started raining again. It is the small things that often make the biggest difference.

Dinner at La Residence

In the evening, we had arranged a babysitter for the children. This is a service that the hotel staff can also support with, however as we knew a babysitter in the area who had looked after our children when we were at a wedding in Franschhoek recently, we were more comfortable with someone who already knew our children and their routine.

Having a babysitter freed us up to go have dinner at La Residence, the only restaurant that does not allow children under the age of ten. It is a short walk away from the Vineyar Suites and it is well-worth a visit. We actually went back in the morning before checking out to show the children around and take some more pictures. The infinity pool has a breathtaking mountain view, with ample sun loungers and beautiful umbrellas. We have already made plans to come back to have lunch outside in this beautiful setting.

Inside the restaurant, a library houses a collection with old and new fictional and non-fictional books. The non-fictional books are on an exchange system, but all of the books can be enjoyed in the sitting room.

In the boutique curio shop guests and visitors can purchase gifts, from handbags to jewellery and everything in between.

After lounging around, we sat down outside for a pre-dinner drink, which was served with some olives, chips and nuts. When the sun had set, we were offered blankets to keep warm, but our local favourite La Residence red wine was already taking good care of us.

The dining room is double story, with the beams of the roof and the thatch left exposed. The black and white checkered tiles in combination with large chandeliers provide an atmosphere of luxury.

We enjoyed a three-course meal (keep an eye out for the write-up of these dishes) before walking our way back to the Vineyard Suites, where our three little ones were sound asleep.

Coming home after dinner was an event in itself in any case. The hotel staff always go the extra mile; making the beds is the norm at other hotels we have stayed at, but at La Residence ‘turndowns’ come with additional extras. Having a bottle of filtered water next to the bed, and a different sweet something (we had the best short crust biscuits and chocolate brownies) to enjoy with your tea were nice touches. The children were particularly excited about their little
leopard-print slippers that have The Royal Portfolio emblem embroidered on.

After a two-nights stay, it was time to say goodbye to this wonderful hotel, and of course to the friendly staff who made our stay so memorable. We will definitely be back; either to enjoy or to stay at one of the other accommodation options on the property: Franschhoek House at La Residence