Romance in Franschhoek

Nothing says romance like a weekend in Franschhoek!

For our 3rd Wedding Anniversary, Nick surprised me with a trip to Franschhoek. To my absolute shock, he booked us into La Paris Estate which I had become obsessed with as it was where Demi-Lee and Tim Tebow recently tied the knot. It only takes arriving at the estate to realise what a special place it is.

Upon arrival our bags were collected and we were whisked away on a golf cart to our lunch spot which turned out to be the most romantic picnic setup, on the small island in the middle of one of La Paris Estate’s dams. A beautiful picnic setup along with a feast of cheeses, cold meats, bread, dips, chicken wraps and homemade brownies were waiting for us, accompanied by a bottle of bubbly. It was a scorching day but the light breeze and the shade of the umbrella allowed us to sit there for hours just basking in the beauty of our surroundings and the sounds of the ducks swimming around us.

When we had eaten and drunk as much as we could it was time to see our bedroom. This is always my favourite part of a trip, seeing where we will be staying, and our room at La Paris was absolutely beautiful. Very mod and minimalist, it was just my style and I absolutely loved the beautiful simplicity of the decor. By now you may know I am obsessed with bathrooms, as this bathroom was one of my favourites – ALL WHITE!

We spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool, which we had all to ourselves for about an hour before 4 other guests joined. The pool, under the shade of trees, was the perfect escape from the scorching heat and really made us feel worlds away from real life.

It was then time to head back to the room and get ready for dinner (as well as squeeze in a quick sunset shoot!) I was desperate to head back to our picnic spot and take some couples photos with the sunset so we headed there and snapped a few great moments.

We headed into the town and had a lovely dinner at a family fave, from Joburg days, Allora. We had great food and service and they even gave us a glass of bubbly on arrival for our anniversary. Strolling the streets of Franschhoek at night is quite a magical experience, quiet streets lined with restaurants filled with people, it felt like a scene out of a movie.

The next morning we ate brekkie at the lovely La Paris Bistro which made me feel like we were in Bali for the morning. It wasn’t hard to see why the bistro is so highly rated in the area. We walked around the estate after breakfast and then headed back to the room where Nick surprised me with an in-room couples massage that he had arranged. It was just the relaxation I needed.

Post relaxation it was time to get ready for lunch.

We had lunch at the amazing Le Chêne, which is located on the incredible Leeu Estate. We had a table at the window with a view onto the immaculate gardens of the impressive estate. And the food, wine and service were all equally impressive!

Post lunch we headed down the road (still in the estate) to the Mullineux & Leeu tasting room where we did a Mullineux wine tasting and then walked around the gardens on the estate before heading back to La Paris.

The post wine tasting slump set in so we had a power nap before it was time to head to our secret dinner spot. Nico, from La Paris, picked us up in the golf cart and took us to one of the venues on the estate where him and his team had set up THE MOST ROMANTIC private dinner setting, accompanied by a personalised playlist, roses and candles. It was such an incredible surprise and the perfect end to the weekend. They served us a delicious dinner (tempura prawns for starters and fillet for mains) and truly ensured that it was by far our most memorable date ever!

I could not have thought of a more magical place to share our 3rd anniversary and I’m so grateful to have married a man who has no limit to the amount of romance he pours out for me.

I would highly recommend staying at La Paris, the estate is beautiful and you feel like you could be on a private island somewhere. The staff who work there are truly special and cannot do enough for you. It was a weekend I will never forget!

Thank you my love xxx