Stellenbosch is internationally renowned for its beautiful environment, many places of interest, wine farms, street cafes, restaurants, quality wines, historical houses and buildings and excellent educational institutions. Situated 50 KM to the east of Cape Town, Stellenbosch town is - after Cape Town - the oldest town in South Africa.
The heart of South Africa's wine industry, Stellenbosch is a place of great beauty and culture that is steeped in South African tradition. The Stellenbosch Wine Route is arguably the country's most famous, and the Stellenbosch Wine of Origin area includes 106 cellars - most of which are open to the public. The heart of the town lies somewhere near the oak-lined Dorp Street. With its venerable old buildings, this is the University's main thoroughfare, where modern student life sits comfortably side by side with history and architectural heritage.
The University - Maties - has produced many of the country's great sporting heroes, including more than 155 rugby Springboks, and Stellenbosch offers almost every outdoor activity you could desire. Several hiking trails within the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve tempt the hiker they range from an easy 5,3 km scenic walk to the challenging 17.1 km Panorama Trail and the 18 km Swartboskloof Trail.
An important cultural centre, Stellenbosch has many galleries and museums housing important national and international art collections and the Stellenbosch Conservatoire is the country´s oldest music school.
Stellenbosch?s climate is one of warm languid summers and mild, moist winters ? conditions that perfectly sum up the Mediterranean climate of the Western Cape.
Stellenbosch is surrounded by a number of golf courses, all within a 30 km radius. In Stellenbosch itself, the choice is between Stellenbosch, Devon Vale and Spier/Kleine Zalze.
The Stellenboshc Golf Club which has already celebrated its centenary, but it was only in 1953 that it grew from a 9-hole course into 18 holes. It has a championship layout that has hosted many prestigious tournaments in the past. Amongst others, the South African Open and South African Masters were hosted at this picturesque 18-hole layout. The 1999 SA Open at Stellenbosch Golf Club proved to be one of the toughest Opens in the last decade. The Golf Club features aesthetic views of the mountains from the clubhouse balcony, surrounded by vineyards and nestled in the heart of some of the world's most famous wine farms.
Stellenbosch also offers quality accommodation for holiday and business travel. Stellenbosch accommodation options include hotels, lodges, guest houses, bed and breakfast and self catering accommodation including holiday homes, apartment rentals and suites. The various self catering options provide an elegant home-away-from-home feel without sacrificing the elegance, comfort or convenience of a luxury hotel suite. Set amidst beautiful oaks and quaint cobbled pavements, the apartments offer the traveler a feeling of quiet opulence, unrivalled in this most historic gateway to the Western Cape Winelands. Situated in the heart of the 'old' and the 'new' Stellenbosch, the apartments are all literally a stone's throw from the top restaurants, wine bars, internet & pavement cafés, quaint bistros, shops, cinemas, book shops and banks.
