Cape Town - Without having to get passports stamped, Fancourt offers an affordable yet luxurious resort-style holiday for families on the Garden Route.
Most people wouldn’t expect to trace a family travel bargain to a plush hotel suite on an exclusive golf estate. The Fancourt Hotel, situated on the perfectly manicured Fancourt Estate in George, may be just the ticket for hard-working parents who can’t face another self-catering holiday.
During the school holidays this luxury hotel offers surprisingly competitive rates for parents travelling with children – especially if the kids are under 12 and still eligible to share a room.
As a base to explore the Garden Route’s many attractions, George is ideal. Backed by dramatic mountain scenery, it is close to excellent swimming beaches, top surfing and fishing spots, and numerous hiking and biking trails that wind through indigenous coastal forest. Once we checked into our newly decorated one-bedroom suite, we didn’t want to go anywhere. With beds for the children, a mini bar, tea station and desk in a spacious lounge, and a separate main bedroom and large bathroom with a separate shower and loo, we could spread out and truly relax.
Fancourt is almost as much fun in the rain, with golf carts to ferry guests between room, restaurants, golf tee-offs and the spa. There is also a sports and leisure centre with a heated indoor pool, mini cinema with surround-sound, gym and pilates studio, a well-run kids’ club with indoor and outdoor jungle gyms, and a chill-out zone with table tennis, pool, and TV games for tweens and teens.
Fancourt is heaven for golfers, with easy access to its three top-rated, Gary Player-designed golf courses – the flagship Links, Montagu and Outeniqua courses. Located at the foot of the Outeniqua mountains, the sprawling 230 hectare property is a synergy of perfectly kept fairways and greens and swathes of bird-filled indigenous gardens. Non-golfers have plenty of diversions to keep active too, from well-marked nature trails, to cycling, swimming and tennis.
The spa has 10 treatment rooms and a menu of indulgent face and body treatments using imported product ranges – most notably the German-made !QMS medicosmetics for super-hydrating collagen facials. The hydrotherapy facilities are centred around a large indoor, ozonated Roman bath.
As a parent, it didn’t take long to appreciate the many advantages of staying in a hotel that is on a secure estate. Being slightly older, our children could enjoy a much higher level of independence and freedom than they are accustomed to in a city environment. No sooner had they hired bikes than they were off to explore the grounds. Both mountain bikes and tennis racquets are available to hire from the hotel, but it is definitely cost effective to bring your own.
There’s a choice of two restaurants, open either for lunch or dinner, as well as a clubhouse lounge for drinks and fuss-free meals like chicken pie or a hamburger. The eclectic menu at Morning Glory Restaurant, a good choice for lunch, includes fresh sushi and grilled line fish, a Malay chicken curry and a decent Caesar salad. There is also a buffet of sweet treats, from meringues to macaroons, to enjoy at tea time. Lazing at the pool, a hot dog or toasted sandwich from the Poolside Cafe kept my family happy until dinner. Most nights we booked at La Cantina, thanks to its crowd-pleasing menu of Italian regional specialities and impressive wine list with a few good choices by the glass. Listed in Eat Out’s current restaurant guide, La Cantina also scores points for its friendly, switched-on service and elegant yet unpretentious ambience. It’s the sort of place where the kids are invited to shape pizza dough into bread, before handing it over to the pizza chef to cook in his oven. Breakfast is also served at La Cantina, comprising of a comprehensive continental spread, a hot breakfast buffet and a few a la carte options.
For our son, who is learning to play golf, discovering the brand-new golf academy with its driving range, variety of putting and chipping greens, and short course, was all he needed to declare Fancourt the coolest place on earth. A highlight for him was a private lesson with PGA professional Adam McKinlay, who heads up a team of coaches. McKinlay also offers a world-class junior coaching programme where the emphasis is on having fun and encouraging diverse movement skills rather than focusing on early specialisation. “Taking a playful, games-based approach to teaching golf allows kids to see the game for what it is: challenging but fun,” explains McKinlay. For mature golfers, the academy’s facilities provide practice and tuition for virtually every shot one might need to play a stellar round.
What to do in George
The long, sandy beach at Wilderness is ideal for walking, building sandcastles and taking a dip in the shallows.
Victoria Bay’s beach is small, but has the advantage of rock pools at low tide. It is also an excellent surf spot for experienced wave riders.
The Outeniqua Farmers Market (Saturdays, 8am to 2pm) is an impressive showcase of local talent – all goods on sale have to be produced or grown in George or the surrounding region – that ties in with the Garden Route’s expanding gourmet culture emphasising what’s local, seasonal and organic. Fresh, organic vegetables, handmade cheeses, artisanal breads, olives, craft beer, coffee and much more make for a foodie outing that's family friendly in a rustic setting close to the Garden Route Mall.
For more information see www.outeniquafarmersmarket.co.za. - Weekend Argus
Special offer
From June 27 to July 20, Fancourt is offering families a special rate of R1 799 a night, valid for South African residents only. This includes accommodation for two adults sharing with up to two children (under 12), in a one-bedroom family suite and includes breakfast for the whole family. Note that this offer is valid for a minimum of two-night stays. See www.fancourt.co.za