La Cotte Farm

La Cotte Farm is a 32 hectare wine and garden estate on the lower slopes of the Mont Rochelle mountains, and the only farm within walking distance of Franschhoek village. Its roots go back to the French Huguenot settlers of the late 17th century. Today it centres on an 1836 Manor House, a restored 1731 water mill, said to be the oldest in Africa, and layered waterwise gardens that blend indigenous planting with Mediterranean borders, an orchard and a productive fruit and vegetable garden.

There are several ways to stay. The Orchard Cottages are luxury self-catering cottages of one, two or three bedrooms, each individually decorated, with a veranda, a Weber braai and a semi-private plunge pool, set among olive groves and gardens with mountain views. The Forest Cottages sit on the forest edge of the farm in a simpler farmhouse style: six mezzanine cottages and two two-bedroom cottages share a large communal pool, and the Sunset Cottage, once the farm's shepherd's cottage, has its own plunge pool and views over the village. At the Manor House Hotel, the Pool Rooms and Mountain Rooms have high ceilings, oak floors and private terraces, and a two-bedroom Pool House sits beside the hotel pool. For larger groups, the Private Villa sleeps 14 across a main house and a lakeside cottage beside a lily pond, with its own pool, pool house and sauna.

On the estate, La Cotte Farm Restaurant serves seasonal farm-to-table breakfasts and lunches on the Manor House veranda, the Mill House Patisserie bakes sourdough and pastries inside the old mill, and Champers Bar pours Cap Classique and Champagne. The unirrigated vineyards of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Viognier are farmed with minimal intervention alongside protected Renosterveld, where caracal, grey mongoose and striped polecat live and the birdlife ranges from Jackal Buzzard to Cape Spurfowl. Water across the farm comes from a nearby mountain stream and is safe to drink straight from the tap.