The only list you need to perfectly spend 48 hours in Franschhoek for any festival weekend away

Paul Sephton|Published 7 years ago

The destination: Franschhoek

When you’ve come to the Cape for a weekend festival, wasted time isn’t something you can spare in the 48 hour smorgasbord of restaurants, wine estates and actual leisure time as you break from the city. Whether it’s December’s fast-growing bubbly festival or the mid-winter red wine rendezvous at Bastille, here’s the GQ guide on where to stay, what to eat and how to get the most out of a Franschhoek weekend away.

Getting from the airport to Franschhoek should take you little over an hour, but if you’re in a new Golf GTi, it’ll likely trim to 45 minutes and be one of the funnest drives you’ve had an in a while. VW’s latest iteration of the iconic sports hatch packs an updated wheel set that we’re big fans of, as well as all of the updated motion-sensitive and voice controllable infotainment, LED lights all round, and of course a 169kW 2.0 litre engine that pulls with 350Nm of torque. Much as you might find faster wheels out there, how much more fun you can actually have on them is debatable.

In the valley, get yourself checked in to Mont Rochelle for the weekend. Part of the Virgin Limited Edition property collection (that includes places like Ulusaba and Necker Island), the 5-Star boutique hotel is worth your spend for two nights, with local winter rates bracketing it in the steal category considering what you get (and high-season rates worth the splurge). Coming down with the entourage? Just split the bill on the Manor House, the hotel’s private villa that perfectly accommodates four couples in suites so good at keeping you around, you’ll be at risk of scrapping the itinerary below.

Not rolling squad deep? Downsizing isn’t a problem either; the hotel pockets five room and suite options, all equally excessive in their capacity to vacuum the rest of the world away during your stay. After a welcome glass of estate wine and your vehicle valet stowed, grab a transfer down to La Petite Colombe, the valley’s shining new replacement for The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français. Famed from Constantia’s La Colombe, chef Scot Kirton and James Gaag spearhead the new venture with the Franschhoek kitchen managed by Chef John Norris-Rogers. Arrive hungry.

Get back to your room at Mont Rochelle for the last of the evening and soak up the couch-side fireplace and complimentary wine waiting next to it. Breakfast at Mica, one of the hotel’s two restaurants, to truly admire your location in the valley, before walking the estate’s grounds and grabbing a game of tennis, croquet, outdoor chess or boules, all of which are tucked in various corners of the extensive grounds rolling out from the hotel.

Head out for an early lunch at The Kitchen at Maison, an EatOut 2016 Top 10, where Arno Janse van Rensburg’s food and the accompanying estate wines will blow you away (we first ate here in early 2016 and it has only gotten better). The ever-changing provenance-focused menu hosts dishes like the lamb breast with sunchoke and hazelnut. With a well-lined stomach, you may now tackle said festival of choice and thank us later for making sure you ate well.

Book your dinner well in advance, given the surge of occupation over festival weekends, especially at Foliage. Eating Chris Erasmus’s food is an experience you’ll not soon forget. His daily foraging routine keeps a nimble menu of simple food that is flavour forward and plated like artwork. Vegetarians and meat lovers are equally welcomed. Back at Mont Rochelle, where by now you’ll be treated like both a monarch and family member, you can settle into your suite for the evening and take in the mountains from the balcony.

Sunday is all about shaking the return-trip blues; thank us later for the road map below. First of all, spend some time at the Mont Rochelle spa, hammam or poolside; your morning will stretch out under the rolling pin of relaxation. Break to Le Lude for the valley’s most well-renowned bubbles, before catapulting yourself up the Franschhoek pass to stretch the car’s legs; the dual-clutch DSG gearbox marries the engine’s turbos to get you and your friends grinningly to the top of the pass, with steering that lands you out of every corner.

Though you’ll need little gas on the way down, shoot across and out of town, but make sure to tick off the Werf at Boschendal on your way back to the airport. Overlooking the very gardens from which your daily menu is sourced, Chef Christiaan Campbell plays with cooking techniques in the Werf’s contemporary farmhouse styled dining room.