Part 3 - FRANSCHHOEK, 13-18 Dec 18
The trusty Adriaan arrived on schedule at 1200 for the 1h30m trip to F’hoek through the mountains and the wide open spaces in-between.
And here we are again:
Franschhoek Country House and Villas.
We received a warm welcome as returning guests to our favourite room [as used on the last 2 occasions] and the almost inevitable welcoming glass of champagne to supplement the wine we’d already ordered!
Our lovely accommodation was ready for us when we arrived ….
We quickly booked dinner at the in-house
Monneaux restaurant in eager anticipation of the super dining experience they offer. And when the time came, we weren’t disappointed. Specially favoured by a table strewn with rose petals [ They Know Who We Are
] we worked our way through a selection of beautifully presented Petit Assietes before retiring for the night. No, I can’t remember what these were, I would have to check against the menu!
Breakfast [included in the room rate] was the usual feast! A huge array of fruits, cereals, breads, pastries and charcuterie on offer in addition to hot items to order. They do a very nice Belgian Waffle with banana, bacon and Maple Syrup with a scattering of berries, which is my absolute fave breakfast!! Lady T goes for the more conventional options! Oh, and the “Breakfast in Bread” is divine!
“Breakfast in Bread”
Then it was time to take the hotel’s free shuttle-bus into town for a wander. I find F’hoek an odd place. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice and clean and safe and attractive. In addition to assorted restaurants, cafes and bars, there are a few high-end shops, even higher-end Art Galleries and assorted Estate Agents! And a few smaller ‘tourist’ shops.
A couple of hours in town was quite sufficient, seeing as we’d been there before. Some nice artworks for sale, if you fancy a metal elephant or rhino, but a bit big for a carry-on item!
For a bit of variety we alternated our dining between Monneaux and The Village Grill and Butcher next door.
Village Grill & Butcher | Franschhoek ? Village Grill & Butcher | Franschhoek
Excellent food and wine at every step of the way, and at what to us was ridiculously cheap prices. Good wine at c. 70R for a large glass (under £4) and main courses around 180R (c. £10) … and upwards, of course.
Apart from the one foray into F’hoek, we spent most of our time lounging by the pool under the shade of an umbrella, with the occasional dip in the water to cool off [one pool heated, one not]. Cloudless blue skies and temperatures in the mid-80sF/30C discouraged excessive energy expenditure, but our Kindles saw extensive use. We were extremely relaxed, to the point of regularly forgetting the FREE Happy Hour[s] in one of the guest lounges … 1400-1700!
Our last evening was spent having another delicious meal at Monneaux, enhanced by a free bottle of wine, compliments of the Owner … “Choose anything you fancy”. Thank you, Sir! We did not impose too heavily on his hospitality! Returning to our room revealed the bathroom liberally strewn with more rose petals, and a lovely box of chocolates on the pillow!
Our final breakfast in F’hoek involved the Salmon Poke Bowl for her, and more Belgian Waffle for me.
… and then it was time to move on again. Strangely, it already felt as though we had been in SA for weeks, instead of just 9 days. I guess changing locations kept resetting our mental clocks?
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