The Spier 1692 Hotel on the historic Spier Estate offers plenty to do without needing to venture off the estate. It lies in the heart of the Cape Winelands only ten minutes drive from the historic university town of Stellenbosch and also within easy distance of Cape Town and the airport. The gracious Cape Dutch buildings of Spier, built, not unsurprisingly, in 1692, have been restored to their former glory.

Cottage-style rooms are clustered around six courtyard gardens each with its own swimming pool. They are designed to recreate the intimate, relaxed atmosphere of a small village. The spacious rooms are decorated in an unassuming manner with simple wooden furniture in a Mediterranean style. The superior rooms are on the ground floor with easy access from your covered patio to the courtyard pool and garden. These rooms also have coffee machines. The standard rooms are on the upper floor so that access to the pool is not as easy but they are similar in size.

The surrounding landscaped grounds offer loads to do such as segway tours through the vineyards, hiking on the estate, swimming, golf at the nearby De Zalze estate, wine-tasting at the Spier wine centre or visiting the Birds of Prey rehabilitation centre. The estate is also a cultural centre, with a well-known art collection in the old Manor House and an open air amphitheatre featuring summer music concerts on selected evenings. There's an open air craft market selling good quality African arts and crafts. Alternatively the Camelot Spa at the Spier Hotel provides a variety of massage and holistic treatments.

We often recommend Spier for families because of the child-friendly activities on offer. The hotel allows one child to share with parents but it also has a number of inter-leading rooms and offers special rates for children in their own room, thus it's particularly good for larger families.