Mr & Mrs Smith

My wife and I and our nine-month-old son enjoyed four fantastic nights at Hawksmoor House. It's a charming place and very relaxing. The main house, including the bedrooms, is beautifully decorated. The gardens and pool are well maintained. The food – breakfast and supper – is simple yet delicious. Hawksmoor's own wine is great value. We found the location very convenient for both the winelands and central Cape Town. Above all though, it's the staff who make the whole experience truly memorable. They were all incredibly friendly, efficient and always willing to help out with looking after the baby. They really couldn't have done more to help us enjoy a wonderful stay. Thank you for a great holiday.

There are lots of great restaurants in the Cape Winelands, but the stand-out for my wife and I – so much so that we went there twice during our two-night stay at Hawksmoor House – was Cuvee at the Simonsig Vineyard. The food was simply stunning (think peanut-crusted fillet of pork with sweet soy, garden radish and ruby grapefruit cream as an example), and the suggested wine pairings were spot-on. Also, for a great wine-tasting (particularly for port lovers), try Muratie in Stellenbosch. Thoroughly non-commercial and looks like the tasting room hasn't had a spring clean in years, but very very good.

Tokara is a fantastic restaurant in Stellenbosch – about 25 mins drive from Hawksmoor. Views are to die for and food is fantastic so worth a trip even if the service is a little questionable. Other noteworthy destination is Overture, the restaurant at Hidden Valley – awe-inspiring setting and my fave. Be sure to book lunch way in advance though; they are pretty much booked out a month ahead. If you are visiting Franschoek do note that it is about a 45-minute drive from Hawksmoor so better to do during the day, as roads are very poorly lit at night. Grand Provence and Graham Beck were the stand-out vineyards there is my view, and to top it all, tastings were both free! Happy eating and drinking!

Ask the hotel to book you a table at the Tokara winery restaurant. They arranged lunch for us as well as transport. After a lovely wine and olive oil tasting session we were delighted to find that we had the best table in the house for lunch – on a platform with views down the valley The winery is located at the crest of the Helsoogte Pass. Lunch was one of the best meals we've ever eaten and very reasonable priced.

Great wineries in the Stellenbosch area are Tokara and Vergelegen. The tour of the state-of-the-art wine presses and cellars at Vergelegen is hugely informative and the 360 view from the viewpoint on the roof of the factory is stunning. Great restaurants are 96 Winery Road (10km south of Stellenbosch) which is a wine lover's mecca and serves the most enormous portions we found in South Africa. Cognito on Dorp Street, Stellenbosch, where the menu changes daily except for the signature (and delicious) Cape Malay chicken and prawn curry with caramelised banana! Friendly staff and chef-owner who came out to say hello to us and ask what we thought of the food. Stylish decor and excellent service.