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Our Luxurious Stay At The Grande Roche Hotel In Paarl

See what it’s like to step back in time at the Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl South Africa where history and modernity collide in the best of ways.

Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl South Africa
Image: ©2foodtrippers

“Nobody does luxury better than Africa.”

Friends confided this opinion to us during our month in Cape Town. Seriously? Better than Europe? We had our doubts that luxury hotels in Africa were actually better than the rest of the world.

Within moments of arriving at the Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl, we knew that our friends had spoken the truth.

Grande Roche Hotel Review

Wine with a View at Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl South Africa
The view from our hotel room overlooked the Drakenstein Mountains. It was a no-brainer to sit outside and enjoy this view. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Our drive from Stellenbosch to Paarl was just half an hour, but we immediately felt like we were in a different world within moments of driving through the gates of the Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl. It’s not every day that the hotel staff greets us with warm smiles and chilled sparkling wine, but maybe more hotels should be like the Grande Roche Hotel.

The hotel’s Paarl location is stunning with its front-row view to Paarl Mountain beyond rows of vines that seem to never end. Although Grande Roche literally translates to Big Rock, the terrain is more than just one mountain. The lush, manicured grounds provided a wonderful respite for weary travelers such as us.

Grounds at the Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl South Africa
The grounds at the Grand Roche Hotel in Paarl are lush and well-manicured. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Hermanus Bosman originally owned these grounds as far back as 1715 and operated the property as a working wine farm. Many of the original buildings still stand including former slave quarters and carriage houses that have since been transformed into luxurious suites.

Our Suite

Empress Suite at Grand Roche Hotel in Paarl South Africa
Bedroom in the Empress Suite at the Grande Roche Hotel | Image: ©2foodtrippers

The Grande Roche Hotel has 36 suites of various sizes spread throughout the farm’s former slave quarters, carriage houses and stables. For our two-day visit, we stayed in the Empress Suite. Built in a classic Cape colonial style, this suite features a thatched roof, wide porch and a million dollar view of the Drakenstein Mountains.

We felt right at home with the suite’s plush, comfortable bed, flat-screen televisions, cozy lounge and loaded ensuite bathroom. Though we both normally prefer showers, Mindi couldn’t resist taking a decadent bubble bath in the bathroom’s freestanding bathtub.

Sure, we appreciated that the suite had air conditioning, Wi-Fi, satellite television and a coffee maker – all of the amenities that we expect 5-star hotels. However, on a more personal note, we loved that the suite also included wine, cookies and bottled water. The hotel provides these amenities for all guests.

Grande Roche Hotel Facilities

Pool at the Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl South Africa
Pool at the Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl | Image: ©2foodtrippers

If we had to use one word to describe the facilities of the Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl, that word would be elegant. There were no screaming kids on water slides or boisterous partiers drinking too many cocktails. Instead, our fellow guests peacefully coexisted at the hotel’s two pools and throughout the property.

We loved wandering around the hotel grounds, weaving through vines and discovering the on-site amphitheater. However, our favorite discovery was the hotel’s restaurant.

Bosman’s Restaurant

Bosmans Restaurant at Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl South Africa
Despite the formal decor and high level of service, the atmosphere is warm and friendly at Bosman’s Restaurant. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

The Cape Winelands has an embarrassment of riches in two areas – wonderful wine and outstanding restaurants. We enjoyed both at the Grand Roche during our dinner at Bosman’s Restaurant.

At first glance, Bosman’s Restaurant seems stuck in the past. The dining room is formally decorated and the crowd skewed a bit older during our dinner.

But all it took was one bite for us to realize that Bosman’s is an exciting, modern restaurant where Chef Roland Gorgosilich combines his Austrian heritage and classical French training to create new South African dishes grounded with locally procured, seasonally fresh ingredients.

Dinner Service at Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl South Africa
Dinner is served with style and grace at Bosman’s Restaurant. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Our four-course meal began with a creative Asian-inspired Ostrich Fan Fillet Tartare (see photo above), but that was just the start of a dinner that surprised us with every twist and turn.

As the meal progressed, we practically inhaled a bowl of Sweet Corn Langoustine Bisque and then quickly devoured the Morrocan Spiced Pork Belly and Seared Scallop combo.

However, our favorite dish of the night was the Poppy Seed and Sarawak Black Pepper Sous Vide Springbok Loin – a luxuriously tender piece of meat served with brussels sprouts, pumpkin purée and a semolina dumpling.

Pro Tip
Although the restaurant offers an a la carte menu, we recommend the Chef’s Choice Surprise multi-course menu with options of three, four and seven courses. We went for the four-course option.

Sommelier Duane Hendricks at Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl South Africa
Sommelier Duane Hendricks kept our glasses filled as the plates kept coming to our table. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

We didn’t expect such an exquisite level of food at a hotel restaurant, but, then again, the Grande Roche is not a typical hotel. Though not a surprise, the service was at the highest level from the servers who attended to our needs to the sommelier who kept our glasses full.

Breakfast

Breakfast Meat at Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl South Africa
Meat, Meat and More Meat at the Grande Roche Hotel Breakfast Buffet | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Not surprisingly, the Grande Roche puts out a generous spread for breakfast.

Options include a melange of freshly baked bread, local cheese and meat as well as hot food served buffet style, though hungry diners can also order omelets with ingredients like bacon, ham and smoked salmon.

This high-end Paarl hotel breakfast includes Méthode Cap Classique (MCC) sparkling wine, an appropriate touch since the hotel is smack in the middle of the Cape Winelands, and oysters.

Though we didn’t try them ourselves, we were tempted by the oysters. Let’s face it – there’s only so much food that even we can eat.

Nearby Attractions

Spice Route Map in Paarl South Africa
The Spice Route is a fun place to spend an afternoon in Paarl especially if you like food, wine and beer. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

As pleasant as it would be to stay on the Grande Roche property sipping wine and lounging at one of the two hotel pools, you really need to venture beyond the hotel’s gilded gates to see more of Paarl, the largest town in the Cape Winelands. In fact, the following nearby Paarl attractions should not be missed:

The Spice Route

Situated on a sprawling wine estate, The Spice Route is a busy complex with a range of restaurants, stores, and even a craft brewery. You should stop by the Spice Route for lunch at Bertus Basson though you could easily spend an entire day tasting beer, wine and biltong.

Main Street

Paarl’s Main Street is 12 kilometers long and is dotted with interesting architecture, cafes and boutique shops. You should spend a couple hours wandering along Main Street.

Wine Tasting

Just like the rest of the Cape Winelands, Paarl has a plethora of wineries that offer tastings of wines like Chenin Blanc and Pinotage. You should spend some time exploring these wonderful wines at Paarl wineries like Ridgeback Wines, Laborie Wine Farm and Avondale Wine.

Transportation And Logistics

Wine at the Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl South Africa
Our Welcome from the Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl South Africa | Image: ©2foodtrippers

If you have the opportunity to visit the Grande Roche Hotel, do not stop and think, just go. Your only questions should be “how” and “when” to get yourself to the Grande Roche, one of the best small luxury hotels of the world.

Getting To The Grande Roche Hotel

The distance from Cape Town to Paarl is just 60 kilometers or 40 minutes by car, making the drive to the Grande Roche Hotel quick and easy.

Although other transportation options include taking a bus, train, car service or Uber, we strongly recommend renting a car so that you have the freedom and flexibility to explore Paarl beyond the hotel and on your own schedule.

When To Plan Your Visit

Certain times of year are optimal in Paarl based on the weather and harvest season.

Spring is probably the best time of year, especially November when the area is in full bloom.

Another great time to visit would be during harvest between January and March.

Paarl Planning Checklist

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About The Authors

About The Authors

Daryl & Mindi Hirsch

Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on the 2foodtrippers website. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers their unique taste of the world.

Disclosures

Article Updates
We update our articles regularly. Some updates are major while others are minor link changes and spelling corrections. Let us know if you see anything that needs to be updated in this article.

Sponsorship
We thank the Grande Roche Hotel for hosting us to facilitate this article.

Original Publication Date: August 3, 2017

Susan Schwartz

Friday 4th of August 2017

This hotel looks amazing!! I am thinking of heading down to South Africa in the Autumn and will definitely have to stay here! Thanks for telling me about it.

Daryl and Mindi Hirsch

Friday 4th of August 2017

You should definitely stay at the Grande Roche Hotel if your travels take you to South Africa. It's a wonderful hotel, and you will surely love staying there.

Doreen Pendgracs

Thursday 3rd of August 2017

I've not yet been to South Africa, but the The Grande Roche Hotel certainly has all the elements of a place I would like to stay. Thx for sharing.

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