We stayed for three nights, there was six adults in our party. My wife and I stayed in a lovely two bed apartment by the breakfast room and the four others stayed in the two bed cottage next to the tennis court.
When we arrived we were greeted by Lavinia, who is the Lodge manager. Lavinia was very welcoming and nothing was too much trouble as she showed us to our rooms.
The acommodation was light clean and spacious and had plenty of facilities. We were really pleased with our rooms, but this was the tip of the iceberg. As we explored the gardens and paths it seemed never ending, leading to little lakes and pools, lots of private shaded areas and the highlight was the table situated right at the top which had views to die for overlooking the valley. It is truly a wonderful place which we fell in love with and look forward to our return.
There is a lovely pool to relax by and lots of seating tucked away in shade to read a book or just listen to the wildlife.
Dekraal is located in a lovely position and it's very easy to get to Stellenbosch and Franschoek. Ther are lots of winerys nearby, we tasted wine at Tokara and Delaire Graff and had the cellar tour at the latter. We also had lunch at these two establishments which was lovely.
A bit closer was Le Pommier where we had dinner, this was also lovely and well worth a visit. We all agreed Tokara was our favourite.
Ther is lots to see and do in this area, Franschoek is lovely and also Stellenbosch.
My daughter and I went horse riding at Delvera which was amazing, trekking with great views.
The Dekraal Country Lodge is a wonderful holiday location with lots to do and see all around and the staff are warm and friendly.
Thank you for a wonderful stay and we look forward to returning for another amazing visit, we will stay longer next time.

When it is the back room in a pool house. DeKrall advertised a poolside suite with pictures of the pool but when we arrived they put us in the back room of a pool house. We would have preferred to stay elsewhere since they were a bit pricey for the room and I went there based on the photo. In addition, the room sink was cracked plus you needed to use several keys to get over to the main area. In addition, it is a little bit out of town.

We spent two wonderful nights at De Kraal and were very pleased with everything. The Palm house cottage was spacious and clean. We particularly enjoyed exploring the gardens which are amazing - so much packed into the space, including pools, rock pools and swimming pool, hanging bridges, shady arbours, a boating lake, and fantastic vegetation. They were working on improvements to the garden,whilst we were there and I think this place will get better and better.
it was only a few minutes from Stellenbosch and we liked the fact that we were away from it all but everything so accessible. The views of the mountains when we played tennis were amazing.. Would definitely recommend and return in the future.

I was visiting the famous South African Wine lands around Stellenbosch for the first time and spent a couple of days at the DeKraal Country Lodge Bed&Breakfast as a base for my exploration trips. DeKraal at the moment is kind of a hidden paradise as it is (fortunately) not middle in the hustle and bustle of Stellenbosch but lies in a small side road of the main road between Stellenbosch and Pniel.
Upon my arrival there were still some of the overall 13 rooms free and I decided to stay in “Palm Tree 3”. To be honest - it was not a small Bed&Breakfast room as you usually expect it on premises like this, but it was in every dimension great bedroom with a built in full equipped kitchen. And due its two-floor maisonette-style it also would have offered to additional sleeping places for 2 more people (children): a perfect choice for a family affair – but a little bit too big for me as solo traveler.
The windows of the room and the door opened to the garden side and the lush green of bamboo plants created a unique atmosphere. My room shared with the neighbor room a small terrace equipped with a small dining table and place for four person, to eat, to talk or to share a late glass of wine. (In every room a free bottle of excellent local wine welcomes the new guest!)
The facilities and the services of the utmost friendly and helpful staff go beyond the expectations you can have with a 4star bed and breakfast. From fridge, television, safe, hairdryer and free Wi-Fi in every room to enough parking spaces for your car - there is no wish unfulfilled.
The core and real gem of DeKraal is the marvelous landscaped garden. It was created by and as a hobby of the Swiss owner, who himself spends some months of the year at DeKraal. In the landscaped area between the entrance and the slopes of the hill, there are some hundred meters of walkways, creeks, ponds, a natural and solar heated swimming pool, a children’s playground, a party ground even catering some dozen people (in case you plan your family reunion or your 20th weeding event here?) and almost thousands of local plants, trees and bushes. Between late October (Spring in South Africa) and late April (Fall) there are every time hundreds of flowers and plants in a blossoming stage - creating a colorful fairy tale embedded in a magnificent landscape and surrounded by the big mountains of Stellenbosch.

If you like shopping, City live, Disco's, then you have to jump into your rental car (you need one anyway to explore the west cape) and drive downhill to get to Stellenbosch in about 7 minutes. There you also find every kind of food stores and shopping malls. And as you stay in a bed and breakfast, you have an everyday choice of dozen excellent restaurants and food outlets in the area - from Gault Millau level to more local and basic (and cheap) restaurants.

Conclusion for myself: DeKraal for this region of South Africa was a real discovery and I will return, when I am in the area again.