DIY Stanford, Western Cape

Stanford is a picturesque village in the Western Cape 20 minutes east of Hermanus and 1.5 hours east of Cape Town. Nick and I spent a week here in his parents beautiful cottage in the centre of the village right next to the church.


Garden view of the Claude cottage

Here's also a short video of the house: 6 Church Street 

Stanford is a perfect place if you want to explore the Cape outside of Cape Town. All the famous wine estates around Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are only 1.5 hours away, but there's plenty to explore closer by. Up the road from Stanford lies Raka Wines with excellent reds and whites to taste and take home http://rakawine.co.za/ On the same road, if you want a tasty gouda or gruyere to accompany your wine, you find a lovely cheesemaker at Riviersonderend.

In Stanford itself there are plenty of places to explore, for restaurants have a look at this site: http://www.stanfordvillage.co.za/eating_out.html

Between meals at Springfontein

But the best meal we had was at Springfontein, 5 kms south of Stanford: http://www.springfontein.co.za/content/springfontein-eats The German Michelin star chef and his wife offers you an unforgettable food and drink experience. Utterly delicious!    Stanford is also a place to chill. Go for walks in the neighbourhood and have a proper Italian gelato at the recently opened Don Gelato on the main street. http://www.dongelato.co.za/ The icecream maker's name is Lionello who moved to Stanford from Venice whith his girlfriend, his father and mother not long ago.

 

 

If you travel further east from Stanford you come to De Kelders, where you can spot Southern Right Wales in September and October. Right next to De Kelders lies Gansbaai, famous for its great white shark diving: http://www.gansbaaiinfo.com/

 

Further on east you come to Pearly Beach, a lovely white sandy beach, about 20 kms from Stanford.

 

There are plenty more to explore in Stanford, like the African Queen River Cruises, http://www.africanqueenstanford.co.za/ but there has to be things for you to discover on your own. Enjoy!

 

Here you can book the Claude cottage: http://www.stanfordcountrycottages.co.za/claudes-on-church