Villas in a Vineyard

La Residence

Renting a villa in wine country is a classic life experience everyone should have at least once. But luxurious villas are no longer confined to Napa, Provence and Tuscany. Sumptuous La Residence, set in South Africa’s Cape Winelands, recently unveiled six plush villas to complement its 11 suites. A longtime Harper favorite, La Residence stands amid a 30-acre wine and olive estate near Franschhoek. Its richly decorated villas range in size from one to three bedrooms, accommodating honeymooners, families or groups of friends. Four villas boast private swimming pools.

La Residence

All six villas overlook the idyllic vineyards and craggy peaks of the Cape Winelands, one of the world’s great wine areas. Andrew Harper describes it as “… a dramatic region of cloud-wreathed mountains lying less than an hour’s drive [from Cape Town]. More than 100 wineries and numerous dignified Cape Dutch farmsteads dot the enchanting landscape. The unspoiled town of Franschhoek … was founded in 1688 by Huguenot refugees. Today, it is an enchanting place of bookstores, galleries, antique shops and delightful small bistros.” A few relaxing days in the supremely civilized Cape Winelands can be the perfect contrast to a safari. La Residence’s sister safari lodge, Royal Malewane, offers an ideal location for game-viewing in the private Thornybush Game Reserve on the fringe of Kruger National Park. Complete a circuit of the best of South Africa with a stay at Birkenhead House, La Residence’s other sibling, perched on a point overlooking Walker Bay along the Garden Route.