As we left Cape Town on a cold and rainy Friday afternoon to head to Paarl for the weekend, all I could think about was red wine and a cosy fireplace. Cliché I know…but that’s why they’re cliché’s right?
As we pulled into the driveway of Cascade Country Manor, I could already tell that this was going to be a lovely weekend. Yes, the weekend included red wine and a fireplace, along with a few other special things that made it an extra special weekend getaway from Cape Town.
If you’re looking for Paarl accommodation, a spa in Paarl or just somewhere to have a lovely Sunday afternoon lunch in the area – Cascade Country Manor is definitely worth checking out. I’ll tell you why now 🙂
Cape Country Routes
Cascade Country Manor is part of the Cape Country Routes collection. Cape Country Routes is a collection of different hotels and activities based along different routes to explore in the Western and Eastern Cape. Cascade Country Manor falls into the Four Passes and Winelands route which explores food, wine and history in the region. The route is focused around Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek – all great wine and foodie regions!
Paarl Accommodation – Cascade Country Manor
The hotel is set in a century old Manor house in the heart of the Paarl Winelands, on a farm of 100-year old Olive orchards. Set against the backdrop of the Drakenstein Mountains, there is also a waterfall just 300 meters from the Manor house. There is nothing better than falling asleep to the soothing sounds of the flowing waterfall. You can also take a walk to waterfall where they have set up a small patch of grass with deck chairs and hammock to relax beside the waterfall.
The Rooms
There are only 15 rooms within the hotel. Most of them are housed in the main building, with a few in the same building as the spa.
We had a room located in the main building, just off the central courtyard. It definitely had one of the best locations as it look out over the front lawn and pool area of the hotel. It is also on the side of the hotel where the waterfall is located, so we could hear the faint sounds of the waterfall from the room.
The room was spacious and comfortable with a lounge area with a fireplace (yay!), a large comfy bed and a super spacious bathroom. It’s also decked out with all of the usual amenities like a flat-screen TV, minibar, tea-and-coffee making facilities, toiletries, bathrobes and Wi-Fi.
The Restaurant
The restaurant had a proper country hotel feel to it. Wooden floors, high ceilings, old-fashioned fireplace, cozy lounge in the corner, wine rack and book shelves. It’s fancy, yet down-to-earth and relaxed. Basically a place where you can feel comfortable while enjoying the delicious food.
We ate dinner in the restaurant on both the Friday and Saturday evening. Most guests seemed to eat at the restaurant only one night, as there are also other restaurants in Paarl to try out.
Each night there is a different three course set menu. The first night included butternut soup, steak and veggies or a pasta dish and then Crème brûlée for dessert. The second night was also a soup for starters, butter chicken or fish for mains and a cherry tiramisu for dessert. If you weren’t keen on the main dishes on offer, they seemed happy enough to give other options. All of the food was delicious – we really enjoyed each dish.
All rates at Cascade Country Manor include breakfast. The breakfast includes both a continental buffet and a hot breakfast. Buffet breakfasts at hotels are possibly my favourite thing about staying at a hotel! This one didn’t disappoint. The table was lined with different cereals, dried fruits and nuts, yogurts, cheeses, cold meats, different breaks a daily baked cake.
There is a lunch menu available which I can imagine would be great for day visitors who are looking for somewhere to have lunch in Paarl. You can see their menu on their website here.
The Spa
If you’re looking for a spa in Paarl, look no further than Cascade Country Manor. We arrived at about 4:30pm on the Friday afternoon with just enough time to quickly squeeze in a 30-minute massage before they closed. It was the perfect start to the weekend!
The spa offers a basic selection of treatments, which you can view here. It also features an indoor swimming pool and sauna. Even if you don’t book yourself in for a spa treatment, make some time to spend in the indoor pool/sauna area – I was so bummed that I forget to take my costume.
The indoor pool at the spa.
The Location
Cascade Country Manor is located on the outskirts of Paarl, beyond the Klein Drakenstein mountains. It’s about an hours drive from Cape Town, so a perfect weekend destination for Cape Townians. It’s about a 45-minute drive from both Franschhoek and Stellenbosch.
Besides from relaxing by waterfall or spending the day by the large swimming pool, there are also loads of places to explore in and around Paarl. The hotels offers a shuttle service to the Franschhoek Wine Tram, the Nederburg Wine Estate and the Ashia Cheetah Experience. They can also organise a private wine tour for you if you’re interested. We took advantage of the shuttle to go to Spice Route which was about a 20-minute drive away. I would definitely recommend visiting Spice Route – it features various different local artisans that you can visit in one convenient location – from gin, craft beer and wine tasting to chocolate, coffee and ice-cream tasting!
We also visited the Alpaca Loom farm on our drive back to Cape Town. They have over 300 Alpacas roaming around as well as a coffee shop and weave shop. If you have young children, definitely stop over here. The kids that were there were loving feeding the Alpacas. And if you don’t have kids but are just as obsessed with these funny looking animals, make a stop at the farm. They will definitely put a smile on your face 🙂
Not only is this hotel great for Paarl accommodation but it is also available for conferences, weddings and events.
Thank you to Cape Country Routes and Cascade Country Manor for sponsoring my stay. As always, all opinions are my own.
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