PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

African Valley is an up-tempo addition that opened in 2006, and -- with 12 large suites -- more boutique hotel than guesthouse. Decor is modern, with each suite designed around a single color theme (predominantly acid pastels). Suites are very generous -- each with its own private sitting room and outside patio; on chilly nights you can turn up the heat with under-floor heating, switch on the gas fire, and open a bottle of red chosen from the wine list. Or take an evening dip in the heated swimming pool against the imposing silhouette of the Simonsberg Mountains. Set-menu dinners are on offer, but the center of Stellenbosch is a 2-minute drive away; Franschhoek is 20 minutes in the opposite direction, along the lovely Helshoogte Pass. Some suites have three beds, making them suitable for small families.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's South Africa, 5th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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