Discover Stellenbosch

nadiahansell
Apr 10, 2022
5 min read

#Discover Stellenbosch

Nestled between mountains and vineyards Stellenbosch, known as Stellies to the locals, is a picturesque town with a lot to offer. Holden and Hette - Lize, Shaun’s Dad and step mum as well as Shaun’s sister Tanya and brother in law, Fred are blessed to call this town home! After the wedding in Elgin we will be heading back to Stellies for a few days before heading off on honeymoon. We’ll also be making a plan to celebrate Nadia’s 30th here on the 3rd January.

#Things to do in Stellies…

Stellies has a very vibrant outdoor scene with almost every activity offered being an outdoorsy one. From walking, hiking, cycling and drinking everything can be done in the beautiful scenery in and around Stellenbosch.

It’s almost impossible to create a list of each individual activity and hiking/walking route. What we suggest is heading to the Adventure Center along the canal, they will be able to help you with guided walks, solo walks, e-biking, wine tours and everything else. Please be conscious of the public holidays around the wedding and maybe look into some things in advance.

#Markets…

If you are looking for a less active activity, there are a number of amazing food/craft markets in the area usually on the weekends so check before you go. The majority of these markets are hosted at wine estates and so offer a great day out. The iconic markets are Route 64 market and Blauklippen Food Market, both of these are situated between Stellies and Somerset West.

#Good Eats…

When it comes to food, Stellies has a never ending supply of fantastic restaurants, there’s a huge variety spread throughout the area. We would suggest an exploration walk around the town before choosing a place to eat, but you can’t really go wrong with where you choose. Personally, we would just avoid the chains as it’s a bit of a waste (Mc Donalds, Wimpy, Burger King etc..) The local places are much better. Below we’ve made a small list of places that we would recommend, but again, the list is endless so please just explore and choose what you like.

The Fat Butcher - an iconic steak house in Stellies, this restaurant requires at least a week in advance booking but is undoubtedly worth it.
Decamaron - a stunning family run Italian restaurant located in Stellies town. It has been a long standing venue with great reviews.
Cognito - a local vibrant coffee shop run by an ex-SA pro mountain biker. A great place to stop for a coffee, breakfast, brunch and even dinner (no dinner on Monday’s).
Meraki - a beautiful brunch spot that has some lovely light food options and some great coffee located in the town center.
Blue Crane - a great breakfast stop with some lovely cakes.
Yaya - another great breakfast/lunch option.
Vorkskombuis - a locally based cuisine dinner spot that has a focus on traditional SA food.
Babylonstoren - Has splendid gardens where they grow their own veggies for the restaurant. A winning spot for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Lots of space to explore with a farm store and ice cream shop as well. A great all-rounder but out of town so you will need a car or Uber.
The Spice Route Cafe - 25 mins out of town this is a complex with many kid friendly restaurants, ice cream/chocolate shops and play areas.

#Wine Estates in Stellenbosch

The Stellenbosch and Franschhoek area is world renowned for its wine estates. Attempting to create a list of the best estates is almost impossible, the estates can range from places with great wine tasting options, food options, food and wine options, picnic spots, kid friendly areas and estates with great gardens. Below we have created a list of wine estates that we feel are worth visiting for different reasons.

Spier is a great wine estate with good food that has beautiful gardens and picnic spots as well as a raptor rehabilitation centre, making it a great spot for families and kids but by no means limited to.

Blauklippen is another fantastic area with great gardens and picnic spots for everyone.

Joostenberg is a wine estate that also houses a craft beer brewery on the estate in-case wine isn’t your favourite. It is also located opposite Butterfly World which would be a good stop for kids.

Rustenvreede is a slightly more upmarket modern venue with stunning wine tasting options and a six course fine dining experience. This venue is not overly kid friendly and is aimed more towards those who enjoy great wines and fine dining. The fine dining experience including wine would be around £120 for 2 people.

Mont Marie is another great wine venue with an Al-a-Carte menu.

Delheim - A very traditional wine farm. Fancy and beautiful to see. Next to Dalheim you will find Muratie Estate which has some of the oldest original buildings so a great stop for those interested in the history of wine making.

More towards Franschhoek on Helshoogte road you will find Zorgvliet, Tokra, Molenvliet, Delegraf all with stunning views and good food. Geographically you could easily tie a couple of these in on your way out to Franschhoek (another beautiful town to visit)

As we’ve said the list really is endless so just take your pick!

#The Wine Tram

An absolute MUST DO! Starting out in the beautiful town of Franchhoek, about 25 minutes from Stellies, this hop on hop off tram travels through stunning winelands. It’s a great way to spend the day stopping off at wine estates of your choosing at your own pace. There are three different ‘colour’ routes you can take and we recommend you book online in advance and Uber too and from.

We have preliminary plans to spend the 3rd January on the tram for Nadia's birthday and would love you to join if you fancy. We’ll let you know our chosen route and start time closer to the time. It will probably be the route with La Petit Provance on as it has amazing food platters and a champagne and oysters tasting for something a little different.

#Places to Stay

Although a lovely town, it must be said that Stellies is quite small and over this time of the year it is generally quite busy. With this in mind it would be a good idea to book your accommodation as far in advance as you can. Stellies does have a variety of accommodation options from BnBs, AirBnbs and wine estates, places can be found both within and outside of the town.

Many wine estates have places to stay on site and any of them would be a great place to stay (providing you have a car or are happy to Uber). When looking at airBnbs and such we recommend looking within the town centre anywhere south of Merrieman Road. Dorp street is the main coffee shop road and Plein street has most of the restaurants.

#Top Tips…

Stellies would be a good place to visit after the wedding or before Christmas as many of the restaurants and shops are independently run and will close between the Christmas and New Year period.
Uber is available throughout Stellies especially in the morning and throughout the day, however after about 23:00 on a week night and 01:00 on the weekends you may struggle to get one.
Best to undertake any hikes etc in groups just like in Cape Town.