Planning a Honeymoon in South Africa? An Insider’s Guide
We spend a lot of time in South Africa traveling through the Winelands, visiting producers, eating at the restaurants we’re most excited about, and staying in the places we’d actually recommend to friends. Over the years, we’ve gotten a pretty good sense of what makes a trip there truly special and what can turn an ambitious itinerary into an exhausting one. So if we were planning a South Africa honeymoon today (or aiming for the trip of a lifetime), this is how we’d do it, where we’d spend our time, how we’d approach the wine country, the wineries and restaurants we’d prioritize, and where we’d slow down and leave some room for the unexpected.
Start in Cape Town, but don’t make it a checklist
Cape Town deserves at least three or four nights, particularly if it’s your first visit. Yes, you should see Table Mountain and drive the Cape Peninsula, and there are plenty of neighborhoods, beaches and cultural attractions worth exploring. But one of the reasons we love Cape Town is that it doesn’t require you to spend every minute sightseeing.
Leave yourself an afternoon to wander. Have a boozy jazz brunch at Mount Nelson. Sit somewhere with a view and drink a bottle of wine. Find a great restaurant and make a night of it. You’re on your honeymoon, after all.
It’s also worth remembering that Cape Town is a fantastic place to start drinking South African wine. You don’t have to wait until you’re surrounded by vineyards to start exploring the country’s wine scene. The city has excellent wine bars (like Leo’s – don’t let the intentionally ridiculous website fool you!)and restaurants with lists that go well beyond the familiar names you’re likely to see in the United States.
One of the things we always encourage people to do in South Africa is ask the people working in wine what they are drinking. The most interesting bottle on the list may not be the one you’ve heard of before, and that’s exactly the point of going all the way to South Africa.
Give the Winelands more than a day
If you’re a wine lover, this is probably the biggest change we’d make to a typical honeymoon itinerary.
You can certainly visit Stellenbosch or Franschhoek as a day trip from Cape Town, but we think you miss something by doing it that way. The Winelands are a place to slow down, and there are enough great hotels, restaurants and wineries that you can easily spend two or three days without running out of things to do.
More importantly, you don’t have to spend those days racing between tasting rooms.
One of the things that makes wine travel in South Africa so enjoyable is that many of the best properties are experiences in themselves. You can visit a winery in the morning, sit down for a long lunch, walk around the property, have another glass of wine and suddenly realize it’s three in the afternoon. That’s a much better wine trip, in our opinion, than trying to squeeze six tastings into a single day.
We’ve put together a much more comprehensive guide to wineries, restaurants and places to stay throughout South Africa, but the most important thing to know is that there isn’t one right way to do the Winelands.
If you want beautiful scenery and a leisurely lunch, there are wineries for that. If you want to meet the winemaker and taste through small production wines, there are producers for that too. If you want to stay somewhere surrounded by vineyards and mountains, there are properties where the hotel itself is part of the experience.
The trick is figuring out what kind of day you actually want to have before you start booking wineries.
Don’t plan your South African wine trip like a Napa trip
This is probably our strongest piece of advice for American wine drinkers.
South Africa is not Napa, and you shouldn’t approach it as though it is. The Cape has a long wine history, but there is also an incredibly exciting modern wine movement happening there right now. Some of the most interesting producers are working with old vineyards, lesser known varieties and a much broader range of styles than the average American consumer probably realizes.
Drink Chenin Blanc and Cinsault. Try Pinotage. Look for old vine wines. Drink Cap Classique. Try something you’ve never heard of.
And don’t assume that the most famous estate will necessarily be your favorite stop. There are plenty of beautiful, established properties in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek that are worth visiting, but some of the most memorable experiences can come from smaller producers in places like Swartland, Bot River, or Hemel-en-Aarde, where you actually have a chance to talk to the people making the wine.
That’s one of the reasons we love South African wine so much. There is still a sense of discovery there. You can go into a tasting without having already decided what you’re supposed to think.For a honeymoon, that can be particularly fun. You’re not just visiting a winery. You’re discovering something together that you may not be able to find when you get home.
Book your winery visits before you arrive
One thing that catches people off guard is that some of South Africa’s most interesting wineries don’t operate like the large tasting room estates Americans might be accustomed to.
Some require appointments. Some have limited tasting availability. Some are much more focused on wine production than tourism. That doesn’t mean they aren’t worth visiting. In fact, it can mean the opposite. But you need to plan ahead.
If there are a few producers you are particularly excited about, reach out before you leave. And if you’re serious about wine, consider hiring a wine focused guide or driver for at least one of your days.
This is one of the places where spending a little extra money can completely change the experience. You can both taste, you don’t have to worry about driving, and a good guide can connect the dots between the wineries rather than simply taking you to the most obvious stops.
They may also know a producer you would never have found on your own.
And if you’re looking for specific ideas, our South Africa winery and restaurant guide is where we’d start. We’ve organized it around the places we actually love to visit, not simply the wineries with the biggest names.
Build your wine itinerary around lunch
This may sound like an excuse to eat and drink all day, but hear us out.
Some of the best meals we’ve had in South Africa have been in the Winelands, and some of the best wine experiences have happened around a table rather than in a tasting room.
Instead of asking yourself how many wineries you can fit into a day, start with the lunch you want to have and build around it.
That might mean a morning tasting, a long lunch overlooking the vineyards and then one smaller producer in the afternoon. Or it might mean spending practically the entire day at one property.
Babylonstoren is a great example of this kind of experience. The wine is only one part of the attraction. The gardens, food, architecture and overall property make it a destination in its own right. Brookdale is another place we’d happily spend considerably more time than a standard tasting appointment, particularly if you are looking for a combination of wine, food and a beautiful place to stay.
There are countless other examples, which is why we’ve put together our South Africa wine travel guide. We’re much more interested in helping you put together a few memorable experiences than giving you a list of 25 tasting rooms to check off.
Don’t limit yourself to Stellenbosch and Franschhoek
Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are the obvious choices, and for good reason. They’re beautiful, they’re easy to reach from Cape Town, and there are an enormous number of great wineries and restaurants.
But if wine is a major reason you’re traveling to South Africa, don’t stop there.
Swartland is essential if you’re interested in the modern South African wine movement. It’s a very different landscape and has become home to some of the country’s most influential producers. The area around Walker Bay and Hemel en Aarde offers another completely different perspective, particularly if you’re interested in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Depending on how long you have, you can even incorporate these regions into a road trip rather than thinking of wine country as one discrete stop on the itinerary.
If you’re heading south toward Hermanus, for example, you can combine beautiful coastal scenery with some of the Cape’s most exciting Chardonnay and Pinot Noir producers. If you have more time and want to explore the Swartland, you’ll find a completely different landscape and wine culture.
We’ve included some of our favorite producers and places to visit in these regions in our South Africa wine guide, and this is one area where we’d encourage you to go a little beyond the standard honeymoon itinerary.
A few wineries we’d put on the list
We don’t think you need a definitive list of the ten best wineries in South Africa. In fact, that’s the opposite of how we’d plan the trip.
Instead, think about what kind of experience you’re looking for.
For a beautiful property with exceptional food and a chance to really settle in, Babylonstoren is hard to beat. It is one of those places where the gardens, restaurant, hotel and wine all come together, and you could easily spend most of a day there.
Brookdale is another favorite, particularly if you’re looking for something a little more intimate. The property, wines and food make it a great example of why we’d rather spend time at a few places than rush through a dozen.
If you’re interested in the modern South African wine movement, we’d look beyond the obvious names and seek out producers such as Scions of Sinai, Rall, Mullineux, Sadie Family, Craven and others. These are the kinds of producers that help explain why South African wine has become so interesting in recent years.
And if you’re traveling south, the wines of Walker Bay and Hemel en Aarde deserve attention. Producers such as Luddite, Genevieve and Maanschijn offer another perspective on what the Cape can do.
There are far more wineries we’d recommend than we could reasonably list here, which is why we’ve put together the full guide to our favorite wineries, restaurants and places to stay in South Africa.
Then go on safari
After a few days of wine, food and restaurants, safari provides a pretty spectacular change of pace.
We generally think three or four nights is enough for a first safari, although you can certainly do longer. If your budget is limited, we’d rather see you spend three nights at a really good lodge than stretch that into six nights somewhere that doesn’t offer the experience you’re looking for.
The lodge matters, but so does the reserve, the guide, the size of the property and how many other vehicles you’re likely to encounter on a game drive.
And don’t underestimate the value of doing very little between game drives. Safari isn’t a series of activities you have to fill your calendar with. It’s early mornings, long afternoons, sundowners, dinner around a fire and watching the bush change as the day goes on.
If you’re looking for more detail on how to choose a safari and build that part of the trip, we’ve written a full guide to planning a South African safari.
Don’t automatically add Mozambique
Once you start researching South Africa honeymoons, you’ll notice that a lot of itineraries follow the same formula: Cape Town, Winelands, safari and then Mozambique.
And Mozambique can be fantastic. If you have two or three weeks and want a few days of beach at the end, absolutely consider it.
But if you only have ten days, don’t feel like you have to add another country because you’re on your honeymoon. South Africa already gives you beaches, mountains, wine country, wildlife, great food and plenty of luxury.
We’d rather see you spend an extra night or two somewhere you love than lose a day traveling to another destination simply because you decided you needed a beach extension.
If you have 14 to 18 or more nights, however, a beach extension can make a lot of sense. Just make sure you’re adding it because you want it, not because you think you’re supposed to.
Don’t underestimate how much you’ll want a day off
This is something nobody thinks about when they’re planning the trip.
You are probably going to fly halfway around the world, spend a few days exploring a new city, drink a fair amount of wine, eat extremely well, drive around the Cape, wake up before sunrise for a safari and generally try to make the most of every day.
At some point, you’re going to want to do absolutely nothing.
Build that day into the itinerary.
Sleep late. Have breakfast. Sit by the pool. Open a bottle of wine. Take a walk. Read a book. Order room service.
You don’t need to justify it.
Some of the best memories from a honeymoon are the things that weren’t on the itinerary.
Spend your money where it actually matters
South Africa offers an interesting opportunity for honeymooners because you can spend a lot of money on the trip without necessarily needing to spend a lot of money on every part of it.
We’d rather see you splurge strategically.
Maybe that’s an incredible hotel in Cape Town, a beautiful Winelands property and a safari lodge where you know you’ll be blown away. You don’t necessarily need the most expensive room in every destination.
The Winelands are a particularly good place to spend a little more on accommodation because the property itself can be part of the experience. Places like Babylonstoren, De Zeven, Leeu and La Petite Ferme offer very different versions of wine country luxury.
If wine is important to you, put some money toward a great guide, a private tasting or a special lunch. Those are the things you’re actually going to remember.
When should you go?
This is where planning gets a little complicated because there isn’t one perfect month for every version of a South Africa honeymoon.
Cape Town and the Winelands are generally at their best during the warmer, drier months, while safari in much of the northeast tends to be strongest during the dry winter season. That means the ideal timing depends on which parts of the trip matter most to you.
If you’re primarily coming for Cape Town, wine and food, we’d lean toward the warmer months. If safari is the centerpiece, the dry season becomes more attractive. The shoulder seasons can offer a very nice compromise if you want a little bit of everything.
The important thing is to decide what you want the trip to be about before you start looking at dates.
And if wine is a major part of the honeymoon, remember that the Winelands change throughout the year. Harvest season brings a completely different energy to the Cape than the quieter winter months, while spring brings green vineyards and wildflowers to many parts of the region.
Three ways we’d build a South Africa honeymoon
If you have 7 nights
First off – go for longer. But if you REALLY can’t, keep it simple: three nights in Cape Town, one or two nights in the Winelands and three nights on safari.
It’s a quick trip, but you get the three experiences that make South Africa such a compelling honeymoon destination. We wouldn’t try to add the Garden Route or another country.
If you have 10 nights
This is probably our sweet spot: three nights in Cape Town, two nights in the Winelands and four nights on safari, with a little flexibility built into the schedule.
If wine is a major priority, we’d be tempted to steal that extra night from somewhere else and give it to the Winelands.
If you have 14 nights
We’d consider four nights in Cape Town, two or three nights in the Winelands, two or three nights somewhere along the coast or around Hermanus, and four nights on safari, with the remaining time used wherever you find yourselves wanting more.
This is also where a beach extension starts to make more sense if that’s important to you.
If we were planning a wine focused South African honeymoon today
We’d start in Cape Town for three or four nights, stay somewhere we love, eat well and spend at least one day without a real agenda.
Then we’d head into the Winelands for two or three nights and hire a driver for at least one day. We’d choose two or three wineries based on the kind of experience we wanted rather than simply picking the most famous names, and we’d make sure at least one day revolved around a really great lunch.
If we had more time, we’d head south toward Hermanus and Walker Bay or make the trip into Swartland. We’d seek out producers who are doing something distinctive rather than trying to collect famous labels.
Then we’d finish with three or four nights on safari.
That itinerary gives you an incredible range of experiences without making the trip feel like you’re constantly moving.
And most importantly, it gives you time to drink some really good wine.
The best South African honeymoon isn’t the one where you see the most
It’s the one where you remember the most.
Maybe it’s the bottle of Chenin you drank overlooking the vineyards. Maybe it’s the winemaker who sat down with you and poured one more bottle. Maybe it’s the long lunch that turned into a three hour afternoon. Maybe it’s a restaurant in Cape Town that you still talk about years later.
Maybe it’s the leopard your guide somehow spotted before either of you did.
Or maybe it’s the afternoon when you were supposed to go somewhere and decided to stay by the pool instead.
That’s what we love about South Africa as a honeymoon destination. You can have the adventure, the wine, the food, the wildlife and the luxury, but you don’t have to choose between them.
Just don’t try to do all of it in ten days.
And whatever you do, don’t leave the Winelands as an afterthought.
Give yourself enough time to slow down, drink deeply and discover why South Africa is one of the world’s most exciting wine countries.
If you’re looking for specific recommendations, start with our guide to the best wineries, restaurants and places to stay in South Africa. Pick a few places that genuinely excite you, and leave enough room in the itinerary to stay a little longer when you find one you don’t want to leave.
