TRAVEL GUIDE | CABANA TRAVEL | WORLD OF CABANA
From her soulful farmstead, Sterrekopje Healing Farm, to the wild gardens and mountain trails of the Franschhoek valley, hotelier Fleur Huijskens shares a deeply personal guide to the Cape Winelands. Discover her favorite restaurants, characterful galleries and local hideaways, alongside a slower way of life shaped by nature, swimming, good food and the beauty of the mountains.
BY FLEUR HUIJSKENS | CABANA TRAVEL | 3 NOVEMBER 2026

My Favorite Place to Stay
Sterrekopje – the healing farm I co-founded with my partner, Nicole Boekhoorn, is our home and labour of love. It is the place we could not find in the world, so created it. Although it is also our work, the farm is a piece of paradise, that both we and our guests do not want to leave. The mountains here in Franschhoek are so majestic, so stunning. We can hike or just sit and watch them, and nature in general, for hours.
My Favorite Restaurants
We personally prefer more farm to table cooking, but you'll also find a lot of fine dining in Franschoek. Two of our favorites in the area are The Table at the Meye and Good to Gather, although the latter is almost always fully booked for months so do book in advance. We also like Hoseki, a Japanese restaurant in Stellenbosch.
And if you're visiting Cape Town on the same trip, we love Loading Bay for breakfast and lunch – all their produce comes from local regenerative farmers – and Fyn for fine dining.

Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden © Isabel Bronts
My Favorite Cafe or Coffee Shop
We usually make our own cacao or matcha at home and take a long walk across the farm with our son, and our dogs and cats, but when we go into town we pick up a chai and cappuccino at an little unassuming place called The Hoek and go for a hike in the mountains.
My Favorite Museum or Gallery
We love Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden. It’s the most beautiful gallery and garden, designed by Dylan himself to honor his incredible sculptures. A real highlight is a private tour by Dylan, during which he shares what, and who, has shaped his work. This is where we send our guests when they want to experience something special outside the farm. We love it so much because it has so much soul, character and depth.
My Favorite Shop
We love to go to Barn and Werf, where Vicky sources beautiful antique furniture, glassware and homewares. And when we're in Cape Town we love to go to Onsite Gallery.

My Favorite Way to Spend a Weekend in Franschhoek
Swimming in wild water is just the most delicious thing in life to us. And of course, sitting on the porch at the end of the day, seeing the mountains turn pink. Beyond that, we love to read, cook and hike.
My Favorite Garden or Green Space
It feels silly to say Sterrekopje again, but we just love our farm and gardens so much and we just don’t know another place like it. Most wine farms in the area have strongly manicured gardens and lots of lawn, which is so rigid, boring and unnatural to us. Our gardens feel wild, feminine, playful and freeing.