Akademie Street Boutique Hotel

The staff provides exceptional service, making guests feel welcome. The rooms are exceptionally comfortable with luxurious amenities. Guests praise the high-quality, delicious breakfast.

I spent a lot of time tormenting myself about where to stay in Franschhoek. Sterrekopje Farm was closed for winter break. Babylonstoren seemed like it had become too big and commercial. The other obvious luxury wine estates while nice looked like they came out of the same transitional design catalogue. Been there, done that. Plus we were only going to be in the area for 2 days, and being in town sounded appealing. I stumbled upon Akademie Street Boutique Hotel and its  5 star review. A hotel with a tagline - and particularly theirs -  "your home from home" also invited suspicion. Was this all a red flag or the real deal? But looking at the photos I was intrigued. It had all the right luxury notes but also a bit of quirkiness to make it seem both intimate and interesting. And sure enough, immediately upon being greeted at the front door by the hotel manager Declan, my intuition was confirmed. This is a hotel that can only come from a deeply personal vision and passion .And Declan and his partners have spared no expense to achieve that vision.  Every object is beautiful and intentional and has a story, and if you're curious enough, listening to Declan tell it is an amazing part of the experience. Or if you prefer privacy, Declan offers everything at your disposal and even more so you can just enjoy it. Spoiled with a stocked fridge, plush robes, heated floors, my own private wood-fired hot tub, and even my own private Wimbledon home theater, I reluctantly packed up my things and left thinking that tagline should really be "your home but even better."

This was our second visit to the Akademie Street Boutique Hotel and if we thought the first was impressive, this visit was exceptional. As our daughter was with us we had booked the Oortuiging Cottage with both suites as we enjoyed this the first time, for its private pool, very comfortable suites and with its historical setting its really unique as hotel accommodation goes. Luxury is an understatement for what Akademie is about. The suites have a full range of tea, coffee and mini bar as well as a good stock of snacks. all with a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine (we are not allowed to say champange in SA LOL). the is also a sitting room between the suites and a small area to cook if you need to. Declan and the team of staff are excellent in everything they do to make your stay as wonderful as possible. Charlene and her housekeeping team are one of the best we have had the pleasure of being with. the rooms are clean and serviced and you want for nothing. My daughter suffers from a number of and we are allergies so we always have to be careful of where we go. This was not even the slightest problem for the staff here. Thank you. Breakfast is always a great experience here as they provide one of the best we have ad anywhere on our travels and it has now become the benchmark for how we see other hotels. The variety of fruit is second to none and uniquely prepared and the fruit juice blend is always delicious. The choice of hot breakfasts are also great and you never need to have two of the same. although having said that once you taste the delicious full English, its difficult not to have it everyday. Our daughters breakfasts were prepared separately and she enjoyed this special treat thanks again to Charlene and her staff for going the extra mile, we don't always get this kind of service. The drinks in Orangery before heading out are always a pleasure. Especially when Niki is there playing the piano. It's just one of those special things that you appreciate when you stay at the Akademie. You can lose yourself in her playing and not see time pas then have to rush off to dinner. Within easy walking distance to the main area of Franschhoek town, as well as the Huguenout Museum. Along with views of the mountains that surround the valley. Sadly our four nights passed too quickly, but not before we were planning our next visit. This is definitely the best boutique hotel we have stayed in and the list of awards as you enter the hotel speak for them selves. Your home from home is not just a slogan with the staff at Akademie, they walk the talk TALL!!