Under Oaks Estate — Attraction in Drakenstein Local Municipality

We were upgraded on arrival to room called Cabernet. It was an excellent size and good quality. The four poster bed was large and very comfortable. Bathroom was modern and spotless. There is a fridge/honesty bar with sensible prices. |This room looked out onto the lake. It was serene throughout out ten night stay. |The weather was cloudless every day. The pool was lovely to cool off in and was well maintained. |The grounds are also well looked after and the wild life in the area in front of the room was a delight to wake up to each day.|Breakfast was lovely and the hot offering changed each day. The walk over to the main house from the accommodation each morning was a delight. We did not take advantage of the complimentary wine tasting which was a shame. |The main attraction of Under Oaks is the tranquility of it all. Time by the pool or sitting in the comfortable chairs outside the room are a joy. This year we spent more time sitting, reading and enjoying a bottle of wine.|The Under Oaks restaurant was excellent as ever. We ate there quite a few times because of the quality of the food and the fact no driving was required. A real delight which greatly adds to Under Oaks as an excellent venue. |Under Oaks is well out of Paarl which we appreciated and it is also near other wineries which we used. |The excellent staff are also to be commended. We were only greeted with smiles on every interaction. There is a can do culture at the property and a friendliness that welcomes you back. We will return and I would recommend Under Oaks because it is...

We visited the Pizzeria and did not stay in the accommodation.

We did the wine tasting beforehand so that we could choose the perfect accompaniment for lunch. The five reds did not disappoint, and we especially enjoyed the Gemini blend and Cabernet Sauvignon. Tasting was a leisurely affair, and we enjoyed sitting on the stoep on a beautiful winter's afternoon.

There is a change in the air at Under Oaks Pizzeria, and it has been revitalised with new management and a revamped menu. The views remain wonderful, making it a splendid spot for some lunch. There is more to the Pizzeria than just pizzas with a small but lovely selection of salads, antipasti and pasta.

We opted for the pizza and they are an absolute winner - thin and crispy with a good selection of toppings, or you can build your own. We have tasted some amazing pizzas in Cape Town, but the Pizzeria is right up there with the best. Our only complaint would be that the toppings were a bit meagre, but this is preferable to an overloaded top, leading to a soggy bottom!

Desserts were a slight disappointment (I don't think that milkshakes qualify as a dessert!), and whilst my Panna Cotta tasted okay, the texture was too runny.

Otherwise, service was impeccable, the weather was perfect, and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience at both the wine tasting and at the Pizzeria. We look forward to a...

One of our favourite local spots. Lovely setting; consistently good food and service from great staff. Very good and well-priced wines from the estate. Our only complaints are as follows: the owner never gets up from behind his desk to greet his patrons or inquire about their experience; he only offers one type of pasta (penne) - which for an Italian restaurant is mildly irritating; and the seating offered outside should be more comfortable. We absolutely HATE benches with no backrests! Those were fine in student days..... With regard to this - they also have a very strange policy of not taking bookings for the inside of the restaurant. We often prefer to sit inside in summer, due to the more comfortable seating, or because of bad wind outside. However, they generally won't allow bookings because they prefer to keep the inside seating for those who've booked for outside and need to move in due to bad weather conditions. We have arrived on occasion, on the spur of the moment, when they are full outside, but empty inside - and they have turned us away because of this policy! As a result, we do not go there nearly as...