Our Kid-Friendly Stay at Hazendal Estate

Hey. I’m Caryn, first time writer, full time mom to a very busy 2.5 year old.

We spent a magical weekend at the gorgeous Hazendal Wine Estate a few weeks ago and I just couldn’t resist writing about our experience… from a mother’s perspective.

Hazendal is spectacular wine farm, just 30min from Cape Town towards Stellenbosch. An easy commute with a busy toddler.

The current owner had a vision to make Hazendal a luxury retreat where families with kids would feel especially welcome. As a parent it’s so lovely to spoil yourself with a 5 star stay, but this usually needs to be done without kids, or at the expense of very bored toddlers. The vision behind Hazendal’s child friendly approach, was to give parents a luxury retreat, where their kids would feel equally spoiled and welcomed in their own way, making the trip even more relaxing for the parents.

From arrival I was absolutely blown away by the hospitality and warm reception that we received….

… from the incredibly friendly staff to the special camp cot set up with the most adorable mini hotel bedding and a special letter and welcome pack just for him, my heart positively melted at the mini gown hanging alongside the adult gowns and the little child friendly Africology bath wash and lotion just for him.

For my very fussy eater, I arrived geared with an entire cooler bag full of his favourite foods and snacks… which returned home with us untouched! Never, have I seen my son eat the way he did during our stay. I was wildly impressed by the kids menus at both the hotel restaurant and deli, which covered all the tried and tested kids favourites and then some.

While we’re on the topic of food and fine dining with a toddler… Is there anything more stressful than trying to contain your toddler in a fancy establishment!? On our first dining experience I was really concerned about this, but my fears were soon squashed as the hotel staff hurried over with a high chair and kids menu, and began to engage animatedly with my little one, treating him like an esteemed guest. We may or may not have played hide and seek under the table, with no side eye given… while I also got to indulge in food heaven [read the full restaurant review here]!

Let’s talk kiddies entertainment.

We were absolutely spoiled for choice with activities for the little one. Actually, just getting him to leave the room, which was situated right on the lake with a gorgeous little terrace and swinging chair was the first step. He was very content to play on the swing and would jump up excitedly every time a new bird landed in the lake. I could have sat there with him for hours too. The view was breathtaking, and I felt so at peace sitting out there enjoying my coffee while he played.

Free entertainment

Playgrounds – Hazendal has 2 gorgeous and very different outdoor play grounds. One situated right by the deli for a more relaxed dining experience for mom and dad, the other next to the put put course. Both very different from each other, and also different to any playgrounds I’ve experienced before, offering far more than your average park. The one near the Deli is compiled almost completely of a series of net structures for climbing. What I really appreciated was that it was safe, I didn’t need to hover close by incase he fell, as the climbing was contained within the nets, making any accident almost impossible. The park at the put put is a more traditional wooden park, but has been taken to a whole other level with the variety of different little houses to explore and hide in, and also really cleverly designed from a safety perspective as I also felt very relaxed to watch from a distance.
Lush fields, a little river walk and a gorgeous lake. Open fields at the wine tasting and deli areas for running out energy and exploring. We played a lot of hide and seek around the grounds. The river had a couple of spots where you could cross by jumping stone to stone, which we really enjoyed.

I loved that from the seated area I could have eyes on him for a large distance and didn’t need to worry about cars or safety. Of course close to the water we needed to be more vigilant, but even at the water feature they had placed a shallow net across the entire base to ensure safety for all.

The hotel has an incredible entertainment offering as well:

Stunning pool with kiddies pool included
Ping pong
Screening room with Movie nights for kids
Paddle court

Payed fun on the Estate open for Day Guests as well.

Put Put. The beautiful put put course also had a lovely seating area, which would make a great party venue. The put put course itself was immaculate, with beautiful greenery between each section and a breathtaking view to enjoy while we played. They had cute little bunny statues all around the course as well, which I think my son may have enjoyed even more than the put put.

Wonderdal. For kids aged 5 to 13 there is the magical Wonderdal edutainment centre where you can drop your kids off and experience the wine farm kid free while they are very well looked after and entertained. Even as an adult I found myself entranced by the magical fantasy land they have created. Wonderdal has been designed to be both educational and entertaining. They have incredible staff to guide the kids through the activities offered. There is a range of enticing activities, from the unusual climbing structures, to musical fun, gorgeous reading nooks with both audio stories and a vast library, fun science activities like building electrical circuits, making and testing out your own parachutes and building marble runs… just to name a few.

Going the extra mile

What impressed me the most, was that even the very adult centered activities were quickly and eagerly adapted by the staff to accommodate our little guest such as offering virgin cocktails and sparkling grape juice during tastings, even the grown up activities ended up being fun for the whole family.

I didn’t want to leave, we had the most magical and easy weekend keeping the little guy happy while getting to do everything we wanted to as well. It was “mom-guilt free” weekend of relaxing indulgence with an equally happy and indulged toddler.

Bottelary Road, Stellenbosch