Originally Posted by
detroit1010
Thanks for your input. I agree that the setting of Birkenhead looks great, but then again La Residence looks amazing and it often gets ranked as one of the world's top hotels. Of course, that comes at a price (which is even higher than Birkenhead House). I wonder if anyone has been to either and can comment on the activities available at or near the resort. Obviously at La Residence there are vineyard tours but I also assume there are other activities to take part in. To me that is really the deciding factor, as both are managed by the same group and therefore will likely offer similar accommodations, service, food, etc in a great setting.
We were married at La Res in 2010 and are returning in Jan 2015. Honestly, I still hope to visit Birkenhead (having been to SA three times now with the fourth coming in Jan), but as we live on the coast in California and are major wine aficionados, we tend to opt for the wine country. To be fair, I think both properties are wonderful, so you should go with your gut--I doubt you can go wrong!
If you love wine, choose the wine country. If you prefer exceptional dining options, then I'd also choose the wine country--as you have so many incredible dining options from which to choose with much less distance to travel. If you prefer the seaside location and view, then Birkenhead is your obvious winner. It's just a matter of what you prefer and want to experience, really.
La Res is extraordinary, but our friends who have been to both said they loved Birkenhead, too--and they also were married at La Res.
We love the tranquility of La Res, not to mention its unusual decor and incredible service, and its setting in one of the world's great wine country dining towns. We are huge dining and wine people, so La Res is an easy choice for us. We live off the SoCal coast and can go whale watching whenever we feel like it, so that has less impact for us. Still, we definitely want to experience Birkenhead on a future trip to SA.
If you do go to Birkenhead and are an adventurous sort, we highly recommend the great white shark dive out of Gonsbaai. We did it in 2010 all the way from Cape Town (we stayed at the Dock House, our absolute favorite in the city), and the drive was crazy long. It would be far easier from Birkenhead. The "dive" was not really a dive--not even a snorkel--since the sharks get so close without you needing to do much at all in the cage right next to the boat--so it's amazing and easy. A major highlight!