Grande Roche Hotel

Grande Roche is a boutique hotel on a working wine farm at the foot of Paarl Rock, looking across the vines to the Drakenstein mountains. Its 30 suites are spread through landscaped rose gardens in historic thatched buildings, among them the estate's old coach houses, workers' quarters and stable, and the manor house at its heart is a national monument.

Days here move slowly: breakfast in the manor house, the heated Kraal Pool with its bar, tennis and pickleball, beauty and body treatments by appointment, and a walk through the gardens at golden hour. The Grande Roche Restaurant serves breakfast and dinner daily and lunch at weekends, Winnifred's offers relaxed dining through the day, and high tea is a house tradition.

There are four kinds of suite. Eighteen Terrace Suites sit in groups of three around the estate, each with a lounge, a bedroom and a private terrace under trailing vines. Five Heritage Suites are duplexes in the old workers' quarters, with a lounge downstairs where extra beds can be made up for children and the bedroom upstairs. Six Legacy Rooms in the restored coach and carriage houses each have a lounge area and a semi-private garden terrace facing the mountains, and one is fully equipped for guests with disabilities. The Garden Suite, once the farm stable, is entirely private, with a lounge, a king-size bed, a spa bath and double shower, a sun terrace and its own enclosed patio.

Every suite has air conditioning, Wi-Fi, satellite television, tea and coffee and a turndown service, and every arrival is welcomed with a bottle of local wine. Paarl's Main Street is a short drive away, and Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and the wine routes of the Cape Winelands are all within easy reach.