W-Collection Franschhoek At L'ermitage

“Magical 🫶🏻”

Our stay at L’Ermitage Château in Franschhoek was exceptional. The villa was spacious, beautifully designed, and offered breathtaking views that made for a peaceful and indulgent escape in the Winelands. A special mention to Jevon in the restaurant, whose outstanding service, warmth, and attention… more

Our stay at L’Ermitage Château in Franschhoek was exceptional. The villa was spacious, beautifully designed, and offered breathtaking views that made for a peaceful and indulgent escape in the Winelands. A special mention to Jevon in the restaurant, whose outstanding service, warmth, and attention to detail truly elevated our experience. He is a valuable asset to the team. We look forward to returning.

less

“Great location and friendly staff, but too many small oversights to live up to the luxury promise.”

I don't usually review stays, but this is one of those where you feel compelled to do so, not because it was terrible. We really enjoyed ourselves, but it's one of those missed opportunities and expectations that needs to be explained to the establishment to maybe think about their offerings. L'Erm… more

I don't usually review stays, but this is one of those where you feel compelled to do so, not because it was terrible. We really enjoyed ourselves, but it's one of those missed opportunities and expectations that needs to be explained to the establishment to maybe think about their offerings. L'Ermitage is a story of, it's almost great but not quite there. It's presented as luxury, but just misses the boat. It ends up more like a low-end holiday resort experience than a luxury hotel and villa. It starts with a comical inventory process in the room that reminds me of a cheap seaside holiday resort, where on arrival you have to take inventory. This is important as there is a very lengthy checkout process where you have to call reception so they can send someone to come and count the items in the villa. This takes a long time and doesn't give you the nice streamlined and luxury checkout experience. It rather gives you an impression they're more worried about their spoons and bowls than the actual experience. Not one of luxury, but leans more towards a cheap holiday experience to get your deposit back (which you are also charged). Remember to allow at least 20 minutes for this process before you actually head to check-out. You are also asked on the phone while arranging this: "Are you packed? Can we do the room inspection?" — instead of what you expect at any hotel, even the 2-star ones: "Can we send a porter?" Luckily you have the 20 minutes to load your car while you wait with nothing better to do. The villa itself is really nice. However, it also misses the mark on the full luxury experience as the lounge literally has a clothes dryer, ironing board and iron on the floor. This also seems to be a feature as the staff tell you about it immediately on arrival that you have an "ironing board." The kitchen is well equipped; however, simple details such as towels are not included in the kitchen. You are reminded of this oversight each time you have to go upstairs to dry your hands. Remember to pack a kitchen towel on your next visit. Also, simple details such as: there's a kitchen counter which you can't use as there are no "bar-style" chairs for it. This probably all leads back to general staff training in the hospitality industry, especially for this type of "luxury accommodation." The staff are really nice and friendly. They try to do the correct things, but you do definitely sense a lack of training. There's also no sense of any sort of managerial staff visible. The dinner restaurant food is really good, and I had one of the best sirloin steaks I've had in a while, but the experience around that is not great. You will receive a glass of Sauvignon Blanc when asking for Cabernet Sauvignon. Banana milkshakes instead of vanilla, etc. This is all likely down to staff training. The restaurant is also eerily empty, with just us there. Have to wonder why? The staff also seem very casual — some in uniform, some just in random hoodies and casual clothes where you don't actually know they work there. A touch of class missing here, which you definitely notice when travelling to the other hotels and restaurants in Franschhoek. It's a stark contrast in professionalism. The breakfast experience is a strange one. You arrive at a buffet table with mostly crumbs on it, with a promise that there's "more at the back." A word of advice: guests like to see a buffet before opting into it. And what's on display is not great. It could be because, as mentioned for dinner, the restaurant is empty too. There is however an à la carte menu. I had a good full breakfast. The wife unfortunately ordered the eggs Benedict, which ended up more like two hard-boiled eggs even when asked how the eggs should be done. The waiter did correct this, however. Both the breakfast and dinner were "ok," but resulted in us only going once for each during our stay. You can definitely get a better experience in the town. Maybe also something for the management staff to think about, and the answer to "why is the restaurant so empty?" A note for anyone with a car: parking seems really limited. You may encounter a problem with more than one vehicle. There were cars parked "in the street" of the estate — not off-street, literally in the street. Luckily we had only one vehicle, so it wasn't a problem. We had the seemingly impressive garage with a door allocated to the villa we stayed in. Again, it missed the "great" experience — the garage door remote was missing to open and close it. On arrival, we asked a few times for it, but it never materialised. Really not sure why it's not attached to the room key, which is a physical key on a keyring. Notes were left with "management," but it never arrived. Just another oversight experienced. There also doesn't seem to be reception parking either, so arrival involves using another villa's parking space. Something else for the establishment to think about with the "arrival experience" and "checkout experience." The location is amazing. It's walking distance to Franschhoek, so you can take a stroll into town. A definite plus. This is a seemingly negative review, but we had a good time. Others will too. It's just a case of L'Ermitage Franschhoek Château and Villas having an identity crisis. I really don't think they intend to give off a "low-end holiday resort" vibe, but they are. Just a few obvious details attended to and it could be great.

less

“Lovely views and huge rooms are its strong points”

The hotel is just outside the village, a very quick Uber ride away or a 10-15 minute easy walk during the day. It's in a beautiful spot and our room in the main hotel was huge. Service was a little hit and miss and the restaurant was disappointing. We had a nice stay and it's a perfectly ok option … more

The hotel is just outside the village, a very quick Uber ride away or a 10-15 minute easy walk during the day. It's in a beautiful spot and our room in the main hotel was huge. Service was a little hit and miss and the restaurant was disappointing. We had a nice stay and it's a perfectly ok option but if we went again I would book a hotel in the centre of the village or at a vineyard.

less