AN UNRIVALLED WINELANDS ESCAPE

There is no better destination to escape to this summer than Franschhoek, the jewel in the crown of the Cape Winelands. Renown for its breathtaking beauty, it is a wonderful place to spend time enjoying exceptional wining and dining experiences, soaking up the local culture, exploring the stunning natural landscape and simply relaxing in a spectacular setting.

It was this extraordinary village, lying in a valley framed by majestic mountains, that captured the heart of Analjit Singh, founder of the Leeu Collection, as soon as he set eyes on it in 2010. As he explains, “Visiting Franschhoek for the first time, the town and surrounding area immediately held a gripping beauty for me and I felt an immense sense of place. It is in my DNA to build, to create, to develop. The Leeu Collection is the manifestation of my vision for sophisticated escapes and unique guest experiences steeped in passion and pleasure”.

The first property to launch – in December 2015 – was Leeu House, followed quickly by the acquisition of the neighbouring Le Quartier Français. These two hotels, located right in the heart of Franschhoek, offer oases of peace just a few steps from the bustling main road of Huguenot Street, with its eclectic array of restaurants, shops, art galleries and Saturday morning market.

Then, in June 2016, the flagship hotel Leeu Estates opened on the outskirts of the town. It epitomises Leeu Collection’s strategy of focusing on lifestyle aspects, such as beautifully curated interiors, exquisitely landscaped gardens and stunning pieces of art, while partnering with experts in the fields of food, wine, culture and wellness to create exceptional guest experiences.

As a result, Leeu Estates is home to two exceptional restaurants: Le chêne (The Oak), located in the hotel’s main building called the Manor House, that serves French-inspired dishes made from local produce, while La Petite Colombe – sister restaurant to the award-winning La Colombe in Constantia – serves up a gourmet tasting menu like no other. La Petite Colombe shares a building with Everard Read - Leeu Estates, an art gallery that focuses on exhibiting the work of some of the country’s best contemporary artists, while displaying monumental sculpture amid the hotel’s immaculate gardens and vineyards, as well as the natural fynbos, putting the property on a cultural “to go list” in its own right.

At the opposite end of the Estates, the tasting room known as The Wine Studio provides a truly luxurious environment for guests to taste the wines of Chris and Andrea Mullineux – their eponymous winery is the only one to have been awarded Platter’s Winery of the Year four times (in 2014, 2016, 2019 & 2020) – and Leeu Passant, the winery created by the Mullineuxs and Analjit Singh.

Meanwhile, close to the Manor House, globally renowned spa and wellbeing brand Healing Earth oversees the Leeu Spa. Healing Earth harnesses the restorative powers of Africa’s rich natural (and often organic) resources, such as minerals, flowers, herbs or natural oils, to create unique and fully immersive holistic treatments that go far beyond outer beauty to facilitate a harmonious connection between mind and body. So imagine this: a day spent having a calming spa treatment before sampling La Petite Colombe’s delights, followed by a meander through the Estates to admire the impressive sculptures and beautifully manicured gardens, and then a wine tasting prior to a drink on the Manor House terrace while watching the majestic mountains opposite change colour as the sun sets, before dinner in Le chêne … that would be a day spent very well indeed.

For more information, visit www. leeucollection.com/SA