Lynx Wine Estate — Attraction in Stellenbosch Local Municipality

We loved our stay here - it was absolutely fantastic!

Thank you Shaun, Jo Anne, Francis, JD and everyone!

This little wine estate is something a bit magical, and the perfect place to stay if you want a peaceful and relaxing, high-quality, very friendly, and serene experience in the Franschhoek countryside (it's only an 8 min drive into town).

The staff and general manager are just awesome, beautiful people, who can't do enough to make sure you enjoy your stay. Very friendly, happy, and attentive.

Obviously, the wines and food are superb (I thoroughly recommend the gourmet experience when you book).

We stayed in a grand suite which was just amazing - effectively an apartment (3 rooms), very high-spec, and very comfortable, with underfloor heating in the huge luxurious bathroom and full range TV services, plus a mini kitchen.

They also have a large pantry stocked with wine, beer and a high-quality coffee machine which is available 24/7 on an "honesty" basis (the coffee is complimentary). NB: It is important to remember that this is not a hotel with 24/7 concierge, but that was not the experience we wanted, which would be more stale and far less homely/cosy. And even that said, Shaun was more than happy to create a cheese platter for us late into the evening, when we needed a bite (he might hate me in the future for mentioning that 😆).

The location is very convenient and only a very short drive into Franschhoek town itself.

All in all, this was probably the best place we stayed at during our 2 week trip around the Western Cape, and we stayed at some lovely places. This one just has an edge to...

When we arrived at the guest house there was no signage to reception. The obvious way in seems to lead to private rooms and, being an architect we rather then chose to walk back to the packing shed where we thought reception may be. It wasn’t. So we were sent back to the main building and walked through the (private looking courtyard with absolutely no reception signage) to find what looked like a pool room or dining room. Our lady host was there. I mentioned there were no signs. And without hesitation she dismissively said that “ there were signs everywhere”. I told there there was not one reception sign. She raised her voice and said I will Show you. I then again later confronted her and we got into quite a heated argument. You see I am recovering from ankle surgery and am wearing a prosthetic boot so all this unnecessary walking was irritating and then to be treated as if I had somehow offended her by this this obvious omission on the estates behalf. (You will see there is not one reception sign. I later checked). Then she blatantly ignored us whist receiving two other guests. Breakfast however was even worse. The surly waitress and lack of client awareness and blatant disregard for the customer experience was the final straw. This place is printing money. It pretends to empower underprivileged employees but they have no guidance. No training. It’s a sham. The owner must not live on the property is what we concluded. And it turns out that is correct. An appalling experience....

When we arrived at the guest house there was no signage to reception. The obvious way in seems to lead to private rooms and, being an architect we rather then chose to walk back to the packing shed where we thought reception may be. It wasn’t. So we were sent back to the main building and walked through the (private looking courtyard with absolutely no reception signage) to find what looked like a pool room or dining room. Our lady host was there. I mentioned there were no signs. And without hesitation she dismissively said that “ there were signs everywhere”. I told there there was not one reception sign. She raised her voice and said I will Show you. I then again later confronted her and we got into quite a heated argument. You see I am recovering from ankle surgery and am wearing a prosthetic boot so all this unnecessary walking was irritating and then to be treated as if I had somehow offended her by this this obvious omission on the estates behalf. (You will see there is not one reception sign. I later checked). Then she blatantly ignored us whist receiving two other guests. Breakfast however was even worse. The surly waitress and lack of client awareness and blatant disregard for the customer experience was the final straw. This place is printing money. It pretends to empower underprivileged employees but they have no guidance. No training. It’s a sham. The owner must not live on the property is what we concluded. And it turns out that is correct. An appalling experience....