Last week I was invited to enjoy a one-night stay on Asara Wine Estate near Stellenbosch as part of the Klink Wine Awards which are currently being held. The awards let you vote for your favourite wineries in 15 short-listed categories.
The Asara Wine Estate is nominated as having the best accommodation on a wine farm. This award only goes to the best of the best, from exclusive five star hotels, luxury guest house, boutique style accommodation or Cape Manor House on a wine farm. The criteria include the highest standards in terms of location, style, service, quality and comfort, facilities, and add on attractions such as a restaurant, spa.
Voting is still open! – just by casting your vote you stand a chance to win great prizes!
Asara Wine Estate
The hotel houses 36 rooms with 5-star comfort & top class service. On check-in, I was presented with a glass of wine and shown to my room by the friendly staff. The room was both luxurious and homely. Each room at the hotel has a stunning view of the surrounding vineyards inviting you to relax and just forget your worries. Free wi-fi is available in all rooms should you want to stay connected with the world while the TV has selected DSTV channels as well as a DVD player.
On the coffee table, a big bowl of strawberries & selected Belgian chocolates were waiting for me. Wine, strawberries, chocolates and an amazing view – I was very happy!
Dinner & Breakfast
In the evening I headed over to Sansibar – the Whisky and Cigar Lounge located on Asara Wine Estate, where I enjoyed the last rays on the sun while reading my Kindle on the terrace. For dinner, I had a pure beef burger topped with lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, bacon & a fried egg. The beef patty was full of flavour and the sauce was incredible. On the side, there was a big portion of chips. All for R90.
The restaurant & lounge also offers 9 different cigar brands with 49 ranges of whiskies plus further wine based cocktails.
For breakfast, you could either choose to go with the buffet (R85) or order items from the menu (R80) which included dishes like Eggs Benedict, 3-egg omlettes & scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. I went for the buffet as I decided to go all out: Cornflakes, fresh bread & croissants, smoked salmon, yoghurt, fresh fruits – I was in my element!
Breakfast with a view!
Wine Tasting
After recovering from a big breakfast, I visited the tasting room where I tried the Merlot & Sauvignon Blac from the Vineyard Collection, their Rose from the Classic Collection as well as their signature wine from their Speciality Collection – White Cab. All four wines were fantastic. I loved the White Cab which had strong hints of apple & pear which I particularly enjoyed.
You can enjoy any three wines from their collections for R30 or five wines for R50. The tasting room opens at 10 am.
I had a incredible time at Asara Wine Estate: The room was fantastic, the service friendly & attentive; I enjoyed a great dinner and a huge breakfast. Before heading back home, I also had a chance to taste their amazing wines. I would call that a pretty decent weekend.
It gave me the opportunity to switch off for a bit, relax, and enjoy the beauty of Asara Wine Estate. They’ve got my vote!
