La Residence

The amazing staff and rooms made the stay amazing!

It was an absolute privilege to be able to stay in the three-bedroom vineyard suite. Part of the collection of luxury hotels and lodges that make up The Royal Portfolio, there are five Vineyard Suites in total. Each is tastefully decorated in a way that manages to blend luxurious comfort with a homely feel. The best part for us - children of all ages are welcome. As a family of five, it was refreshing to find luxury accommodation where children are not only accepted, but loved and cared for in a way we have not experienced previously. When we were still finishing up our breakfast our children were each given a little canvas and paint brush, and made their own art works to take home. The mini bar in the suites are well-stocked, Nespresso coffee can be made from the rooms, and the restaurant is a stone's throw away (breakfast is included). Another plus were the complimentary transfers into the village of Franschhoek, which meant a boozy lunch was not out of the question. It was unfortunate that it rained for most of our stay, but this is where the thoughtfulness of the staff was evident again: upon collection from lunch at Monneaux, they had brought us umbrellas. We were sad to leave after our two night's stay, and will definitely be back.

There seems to be no shortage of great places to stay in Franschhoek, but I was really happy with my choice of staying at La Residence. Somehow from the photos I’d gotten the impression it was one of the larger resorts, but it’s actually quite a small, intimate hotel with just 11 rooms, which was a really pleasant surprise. I really loved the ambiance throughout the property, especially in the beautiful open-plan lobby area, with a cosy study / lounge on one end and the dining room on the other. One of my favourite things about it were the roaming peacocks, who aren’t shy at all about coming straight into the lobby to investigate what you’re up to! I stayed in two different rooms as I extended my stay last minute - rooms 3 and 5. Both were fantastic, and one of the great things about the hotel is that every room seems to have its own unique decor, all in keeping with the property’s distinctive style. It’s really a matter of taste which room you’d like the most - of the two rooms I stayed in, I’d guess most people would prefer room 3 as it’s a very spacious corner room on the ground floor, but I personally liked room 5 even more - generous proportions (as all the rooms seem to have), slightly smaller than room 3 but with a lovely pitched roof and a slightly darker colour scheme, and beautiful orange curtains. It’s especially cosy at night, and one of my favourite hotel rooms I’ve stayed in for a very long time. The food is also really good - I actually wish I had more of my meals there. The breakfast selection is relatively small but had everything I’d want - quality over quantity! The iced latte was one of the best I’ve had in several months in Africa. My spa treatment was also excellent and reasonably priced. I did have a few complaints: by far the biggest, was the hotel does a very poor job of keeping mosquitos out of the rooms, since they do turn down service with doors wide open and lights on. This completely ruined my first night - I woke up covered in bites, and slept a total of around 2 hours, which left me tired the next day. Another slight nuisance was I really wish the hotel pianist would play some music that didn’t conform so strictly to the lobby schmaltz genre - for example, some actual classical music which I’m sure he’s capable of. The piano is also in poor condition - out of tune and in need of some repair, although I am grateful to the hotel for allowing me to try it. Also - the pool could really stand to be heated up a few degrees. Lastly, on departure one of the managers, on hearing that I was planning to visit a Singita lodge in Kruger, suggested I book a night at one of the properties there in the Royal Portfolio, stating that they price slightly under Singita. While the manager seems like a very nice guy and I’m sure was just trying to be helpful, this was simply factually incorrect - they are significantly more expensive than Singita, and it took me quite a bit of back and forth over WhatsApp to discover that.

Beautiful and peaceful setting. Fantastic staff. Lovely facilities. Excellent food and wine. I can’t fault anything.

There is nothing to find fault with.

Our stay at La Résidence in Franschhoek was a mix of positives and disappointments, leaving us with an overall underwhelming impression of this highly-rated resort. To start, the laundry service was a major letdown. A brand-new T-shirt, worn only once, was returned to me completely ruined, covered in bleach stains, and rendered unwearable. I had provided the hotel with photos of the T-shirt before sending it to the laundry to show it was in perfect condition, but this made no difference. For a hotel of this caliber, such carelessness is unacceptable, and no satisfactory resolution was offered. Another major disappointment was the food. Given the reputation and price point of La Résidence, we expected a high culinary standard. Unfortunately, the food fell far short of those expectations. While the ingredients were fresh, the dishes lacked flavor and creativity. The meals were bland, flat, and entirely unremarkable – far below the standard you would anticipate from a hotel of this level. In fact, we chose to eat out at other restaurants in Franschhoek every evening, where we enjoyed far superior dining experiences. This speaks volumes about the underwhelming quality of the food at the hotel. Additionally, we traveled with our children, but it was not made clear before booking that children are not welcome in the main building of the hotel. Instead, families are housed in a separate section, described by the hotel as “more suitable for children.” In practice, this policy felt like an attempt to minimize any potential inconvenience children might cause to other guests. While the facilities in the separate area, such as a dedicated pool, were good, the overall setup felt segregated and not particularly welcoming. We strongly believe this policy should be communicated more transparently on the hotel’s website to avoid misunderstandings. While the resort’s surroundings are undeniably beautiful and some facilities are excellent, these issues overshadowed our stay. Families should be aware of the hotel’s policies regarding children and consider whether the setup aligns with their expectations. Additionally, the food and laundry service both failed to meet the standard one would expect from a luxury property. For the price point and reputation, La Résidence did not deliver the exceptional experience we had hoped for.

Most beautiful place - coming back

They steal directly from the safe in the room. We were here from 11/22/224 to 11/25/24. A department of 18 people. Money was stolen from safes from 5 people (they have different citizenships) from $ 1,500 to $ 3,200 on different days and times. The hotel administration, headed by Mr. Greg, does not care at all. They encourage theft from their clients and do nothing to stop the robbery. In some cases, the administration requires that all valuables be kept in safe rooms and does not ensure the safety of the stored items. We wrote a statement to the police and the hotel (there is a copy of the statement and a video). But no one is looking for anything. They are probably waiting for more clients to rob. So be careful! They steal from hotel safes here!