08/09/2026
๐๐๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฅ โ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ' ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ
Recently, our Cape Town team spent the day at Brookdale Estate in Paarl - a first visit for many of the team and an opportunity to spend some proper time getting under the skin of both the property and the destination.
And that's important, because Paarl can sometimes be one of the more challenging parts of the Winelands to sell. Franschhoek often steals the spotlight - and Stellenbosch tends to be the familiar favourite. But Paarl offers something a little different - a slower pace, bigger landscapes, fewer feet and a sense of space and quiet. Brookdale captures that beautifully.
Set amongst vineyards and mountains, the estate feels wonderfully removed from the busier Winelands routes, yet remains easily accessible. What stood out most to the team was the sense of tranquillity. Beautifully appointed accommodation, thoughtful hospitality, excellent food and w**e, and room to properly unwind.
As Tam aptly described it... "๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ด ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ฑ๐ข๐ด๐ด๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ข๐ด ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฐ๐ญ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ค๐ช๐ข๐ญ - ๐ข ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ธ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ต๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ด ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ด๐ญ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ, ๐ด๐ฆ๐ต๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐น๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ช๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ด๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ฑ๐ฆ ๐๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ด. "
For some, it will be the exclusivity of the Owners' Lodge or Manor House. For others, the w**es, the gardens, the mountain views or a long lunch at The Bistro. For us, it was a reminder of why getting out and experiencing product first-hand matters so much.
Some destinations reveal themselves immediately, and others take a little longer to appreciate. Paarl is often one of those places.
A huge thank you to Yvonne, Gary and the Brookdale team for hosting us so generously and sharing a little of what makes this corner of the Winelands so special.
