Saunas & cold plunges in Franschhoek

Franschhoek is a small valley with an unusually high concentration of serious hospitality, which means a guesthouse spa here is competing against real competition rather than against nothing.

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Small properties, high expectations

A twelve-room hotel in this valley is compared with international destination properties, so the suite has to be properly built rather than gestured at. One excellent sauna, a correctly cold plunge and a rest area with a view beats four thin rooms every time.

Documentation matters too: guests at this level notice a plant room that is looked after, and so do the people who write about the property.

Mountain water in winter

Water arriving from the mountains in winter is genuinely cold. A properly insulated plunge here sits in single figures for months with nothing running, which is both a cost saving and a better product than a chilled tub.

Building around a full house

The valley is busy most of the year. We phase by room, screen the work and agree noisy windows, because the corridor is in view of guests paying a great deal for quiet.

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