We visited South Africa as part of our Africa trip in June 2023 with Franschhoek as our first stop. With numerous boutique hotels in the small town in addition to several accommodations within the wineries, we took some time in order to decide on where to stay. After combing through various reviews online, we settled on Akademie Street Boutique Hotel due to the property’s highly rated reviews.
Akademie Street Boutique Hotel Stay Details
Table of Contents
Hotel Background and Information
Akademie Street Boutique Hotel is housed in several buildings including a heritage one named Oortuiging that dates back to 1860. Oortuiging is one of the earliest buildings in town and was once the office for the British Army in the Boer War.
The intimate property has only 9 suites in 4 cottages, with the breakdown of the room types as follows:
As its name suggests, Akademie Street Boutique Hotel is located on Akademie Street in Franschhoek, just a four-minute walk from Huguenot Street, the main street in town. The property is close to most of the main attractions in town, and is surrounded by many well-known restaurants in Franschhoek. It takes around an hour by car to reach the hotel from Cape Town International Airport (CPT).
Main points of interest in Franschhoek near the hotel:
- Huguenot Memorial Monument (3 minutes’ walk)
- Huguenot Memorial Museum (2 minutes’ walk)
- Franschhoek Wine Tram (18 minutes’ walk)
Being a town well known for its culinary scene, some of the notable restaurants near the hotel are:
- Ōku – Asian (5 minutes’ walk)
- Protege – Casual fine dining (4 minutes’ walk)
- Epice – Fine dining (4 minutes’ walk)
- Reuben’s Restaurant & Bar Franschhoek – South African (7 minutes’ walk)
- La Petite Ferme – Bistro fine dining (2 minutes’ Drive)
Booking Process and Pricing
The hotel has two offers running during the period of our stay with one of the offers being the Romantic Weekend Special, which offers a 50 percent discount on one of the nights for a two-night stay over the weekend.
Since our stay coincided with the weekends, we decided to book this offer to take advantage of the discount. The catch is that in order to take advantage of this offer, we had to email the hotel; booking online directly with the hotel will not trigger the discount which is a slight hassle. Fortunately, the hotel got back to us pretty quickly and we had a smooth booking process.
Check-in & Lobby
We reached the hotel at around 10:40am and upon arrival, we had to press the buzzer as the main door was locked. The door was unlocked shortly and Declan, the hotel’s general manager came and welcomed us personally.
Despite arriving much earlier than the standard check-in time, we were told that the room was ready as the guests occupying the room in the previous night left very early in the morning. A member of the staff came and assisted with moving our luggage to our room while Declan gave us a tour of the hotel before escorting us to our room.
Room: Uitsig
After a short walk from the foyer, we were at our room, Uitsig (the room type we had booked), which was housed on the second level of The Cape Dutch styled house Twyfeling, built in 1973. Declan gave us a room tour at this point and introduced the room amenities in detail before taking his leave after handing us our room keys.
After entering the room, there is a long walkway with some windows on the right, and the light switches, air conditioner controls as well as the bathroom entrance on the left.
There are two huge full length mirrors and a luggage rack on the right of the bathroom’s entrance.
To the left of the entrance are two separate enclosed areas for the toilet and the shower area respectively.
The shower area is equipped with a rainshower and a handheld shower head. Water pressure was strong and the water pressure was warm enough for a hot shower.
Toiletries are The Noir branded and comes in large pump bottles.
Bathrobes are hung opposite the shower area and this is also where the disposable slippers are placed.
Adjacent to this is a large cushioned armchair, a laundry basket and a heated towel rack.
Next to the armchair is a built-in bathtub which we did not use during our stay. The bathtub has a window beside it which looks out to the hotel’s pool.
In the same section of the bathroom is also where the double vanity is.
Toiletries provided by the hotel includes two dental sets with AME toothpaste, cotton pads and buds, shower caps, make-up remover, as well as The Noir branded handwash and body lotion.
The bedroom is really spacious, and has a poster bed as its centrepiece.
The room is equipped with a ceiling fan which is useful during warm weather.
There is a cabinet at the end of the bed which contains a television that can be brought up by a remote control when required.
Below is the list of television channels if anyone is interested.
The king-sized bed had a firm mattress which was quite comfortable. An electric blanket is also provided to keep guests warm during the cold weather.
An information folder is placed on the bed which consists of a map of Franschhoek, some information of the hotel and the town, as well as a do not disturb sign.
There is a wooden cabinet with several drawers on one side of the bed.
On the cabinet is a Bluetooth speaker that looks like a gramophone, a bedside lamp with its own power source which meant that it was unaffected by the power cuts, as well as a portable power socket with two 230V power outlets and six USB-A outlets among other miscellaneous items.
There is a dressing table on the other side of the bed which also doubles up as a bedside table and workdesk. A large mirror can be found in this area together with a bedside lamp with its own power source, and a tissue box.
A small rattan container is placed on the desk which is where various remote controls can be found.
Two locally made chocolate bars were placed on the dressing table as a welcome amenity.
Here is the WIFI speed in case anyone is looking to get some work done:
Moving clockwise, adjacent to the dressing table is a large wooden cupboard which serves as a wardrobe.
In the wardrobe, there are a couple of hangers, an ironing board and an iron, spare pillows, a hair dryer, and a safe.
A portable flashlight, first aid kit, and insect repellent can also be found in the wardrobe.
Next to the wardrobe is a sitting area with two single armchairs, a standing lamp and a side table.
A set of Dominoes is placed on the side table along with playing instructions.
There is a luggage rack and a small mirror that is flanked by two doors leading to the balcony opposite the bed.
In the other corner of the room is a fireplace which is great for keeping the room warm during winter. Also in the area is a second luggage rack, a bin, and a rattan bag for guest’s use.
Beside the luggage rack is the minibar which takes the form of a large blue cabinet.
All items in the well stocked minibar are complimentary (including alcoholic drinks) and replenished daily.
On the top shelve of the minibar is where a kettle, coffee machine along with 24 Nespresso capsules are placed. There are also a variety of teabags, full cream milk, and cutleries on this shelve.
On the bottom shelve are some glassware and snacks.
Also on the bottom shelve is the minibar fridge.
Like the rest of the minibar, despite all items being complimentary, the minibar fridge is generously stocked with various types of drinks, from water, to soda, fruit juices, and even alcoholic drinks. Our welcome bottle of champagne was also placed in the minibar fridge.
The hotel has provided two umbrellas in the event of rain which are placed beside the minibar.
One of the features of Uitsig is that it comes with a balcony which can be accessed by one of the two doors that’s opposite the bed.
The balcony is rectangular in shape and looks out to the street.
There are wooden louvers running the entire length of the balcony that can be drawn during adverse weather.
Two wired chairs with seat cushion and a side table are placed in the balcony to provide some seating options.
Also in the balcony is a built in wooden hot tub that is heated by firewood. Although we didn’t use it during our stay due to our packed schedule, we thought it would be a lovely way to relax during the cold weather.
Facilities
Akademie Street Boutique Hotel is equipped with following facilities:
The hotel has an outdoor heated pool that is located just outside the reception building.
There are a couple of sun loungers around the pool which we believe is sufficient considering the size of the hotel.
Next to the pool is a foosball table and a dining area which could be used for events during the warmer months.
In addition to the pool, the hotel provides bicycles as part of its amenities. These can be found around the hotel and are free for guests to use.
Breakfast
Akademie Street Boutique Hotel has one dining venue as follows:
The Orangerie is a beautifully decorated glasshouse that serves as the hotel’s breakfast and evening aperitif venue.
Serving as a lounge during evening aperitif, The Orangerie has a selection of board games should guests wish to partake in a game or two.
The Orangerie has sufficient seating for the hotel’s guests and we were seated immediately upon arriving for breakfast on both days.
Breakfast is an a la carte affair but despite that, there is a small pastry section in the venue for guests to help themselves should they feel peckish while waiting for their food to arrive.
We were presented with the menu as well as having our drinks taken as soon as we were seated. The breakfast menu reads as follows:
Shortly after our orders were taken, our drinks arrived as well as range of continental breakfast items which were served in addition to the mains.
Our mains did not take too long to arrive either and we ordered The Full Akademie and an omelette. Both tasted great and we ordered the same items the following day.
Evening aperitif are provided for all guests daily at The Orangerie as mentioned earlier. We did not partake on both days as we had enough alcohol for the day from our winery visits, but we did drop by to have a look on what’s on offer.
Overall Impression
We had an excellent stay at Akademie Street Boutique Hotel.
To sum things up:
Despite the hotel’s age, the hotel was tastefully decorated throughout the property and very well maintained.
Service at the hotel was excellent; we were greeted and given a hotel and room tour personally by the general manager (Declan) upon arrival and every staff we came across at the property were welcoming and friendly. Declan even offered us a ride to the Franschhoek Wine Tram terminal when we enquired on the ease of getting an Uber in Franschhoek, a gesture which was very much appreciated.
Overall, Akademie Street Boutique Hotel is a wonderful option in Franschhoek and we would not hesitate to recommend to anyone wishing to visit.
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