Leeu House

For a crash course in the good life, Franschhoek style, you could do a lot worse than Leeu House, a beautiful Cape Dutch guesthouse right at the top of the village’s central Huguenot Street. This is the in-town twin of the Leeu Estates vineyard resort, which means the luxe living on offer in its twelve sunny suites is complemented by a first-rate restaurant by chef Oliver Cattermole, where the dishes are accompanied wine list that's predictably first-rate.

In less capable hands this sort of thing could turn precious, but Leeu House makes casual elegance feel like the easiest, most natural thing in the world. The suites feel warm and organic even as they’re crisply designed and visually focused, and local artworks and furniture by South African makers fill all the estate’s spaces. The unifying theme throughout is perfect balance: not too sparse, not too extravagant, not too formal, but always refined.

The old house now encompasses the adjoining properties, which gives it space for not only an outdoor terrace but a private garden with a swimming pool as well. Dining options include not just the aforementioned in-house restaurant but Tuk Tuk Microbrewery next door and Marigold Indian Restaurant across the road, both under the same ownership as the hotel. And for all its rural-estate charm it’s still in the heart of a village with plenty of attractions of its own, from cafés and tasting rooms to the Wine Tram, a hop-on, hop-off winery tour excursion.