Skilpadvlei Wine Estate image

Skilpadvlei Wine Estate

Restaurant Guest house Wedding venue Winery

One of the Most Reviewed Guest houses in Stellenbosch Local Municipality


Address

Skilpadvlei Farm M12 Polkadraai Road Stellenbosch, Cape Town, 7604, South Africa

Website

www.skilpadvlei.co.za

Contact

+27 21 881 3237

Price rating

$$ $$

Rating on Google Maps

4.20 (1.9K reviews)

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Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: service (19) good (15) kids (14) great (14) play (12) experience (12) area (11) nice (9) time (8) restaurant (8)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 Kurt W. 5 months ago on Google
    A fantastic place to sit down, relax and have a meal. The scenery, the view, the atmosphere and the vibe is so calm and serene. The staff are welcoming and friendly and the food was fantastic. We had Lasgane with a salad, as well as a surf and turf and the portions were generous. The seating areas are huge and there's a massive outdoor play section for the kids. This is a huge plus as the kids keep themselves occupied and they get to experience some lovely outdoo play time. There is plenty of parking available and the trees provide plenty of shade when.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Trudy-Jo D. 1 year ago on Google
    I love that Skilpadvlei has really considered family outings. Our toddler (3yrs) loves playing on the wooden jungle gym. There are two areas - a larger, more intricate play gym for older kids and a slightly smaller one for toddlers. There's even a soft play area for smaller tots and a large sandpit area. I wish there was a trampoline dedicated to the toddlers as this was the only area where there's a bit of a clash between older kids (6+) and the toddlers. The food is amazing every time and the kids menu has a big enough range at an affordable price. I only wish they had a bigger mug for my coffee 😉🤭☕ (*hint hint) The setting is great and if you're outside you're overlooking the vineyard. This is a great venue for the whole family
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 charlene c. 1 year ago on Google
    We had a wonderful time. Great menu, something for everyone. Relaxed atmosphere and a huge fun play area for kids. Perfect family day out. And....an outside bar area with table seatings, where you can relax and keep an eye on the kiddies. Amazing Red Cappuccino!! We will be back. Thanks so much.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 2/5 Celia S. 1 year ago on Google
    Skilpadvlei restaurant has been a favourite for many years but we have not been impressed this morning after an exceptionally good experience at another restaurant in Stellenbosch yesterday. I had to ask the waiter to wipe the table, which has been done half heartedly with a dry cloth. Waited quite a long time to be served and had to call the waiter (one out of three actually doing something) for our orders as well as payment after the meal. The food great but the service needs serious attention. Maybe Mondays are slow but we invited guests for a birthday celebration and we were rather disappointed with the service.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Suretha van der S. 1 year ago on Google
    A spur of the moment outing turned out to be a most wonderful dinner experience! We'll definitely be back for the comfortable setting, the delicious and well-prepared food (my son inhaled his California pizza) and the effective but unobtrusive service. We have to mention the flagship red, too, which was a perfect blend of Cab Sauv and Merlot. Thank you, Skilpadvlei!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Nicole C. 1 year ago on Google
    What an awesome experience. Had the soup and wine pairing and then coffee and cake. Stunning views and excellent staff. Thanks to Mel she made us feel so welcomed and that added to the experience
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Nadine N. 1 year ago on Google
    We went to Skilpadvlei last night for Juan Boucher show. We decided to make a booking prior to the show at their restaurant. Our order is as follows: My dad & Husband ordered the flame grilled steak with potato and onion rings, both medium. My mom and myself ordered their basket after ensuring that none of the food comes with any peri peri or burn spice as we are both very sensitive to this. Our waiter ensured us he will make sure none of it burns. I asked for BBQ wings and my mom plain. When the order came my moms wings was clearly peri peri and it burned like ****. We immediately sent it back and he apologised. While waiting for my moms food to return my dad and husband started eating and both their steaks were cooked so much it was white. This got sent back. My calamari was peri peri although asked not no be. My ribs was so dry it was not edible. The manager came to our table making excuses as to why the wings burn and said the pre-spice all wings and that is why they burn, and thus even my BBQ wings burned like fire and I returned it as is. My moms second try came out and the wings AGAIN burnt like fire. At this point she just sent the wings back. My husband sent his potato back as well as it was like glass hard. After all this the manager said we can have cake which we declined as we did not want to taste ANYTHING again of theirs. Overall, this was one of the worst experiences I have had and the food was truly awful especially for a bill over R1000 after the wings were removed. Show was good but not due to them as they were unorganised and did not even have anyone there to ensure people stay of the stage while the performer sings. DISGUSTING SERVICE

  • 4/5 Dorothy D. 5 months ago on Google
    Main courses - dinner was very good. A side order of fried onion rings was served AFTER the dinner plates were removed and just as we'd asked for the dessert menu However, 1 x portion of Malva pudding with custard was not good as the Malva was burnt and therefore wasn't paid for. While the evening was enjoyed, the service wasn't great, unfortunately.

  • 1/5 Jan Van Der M. 8 months ago on Google
    We booked for Sunday lunch but the waitress was absolutely out of her depth. Totally lacking in knowledge of menu and service etiquette. We on numerous times had to repeat our orders. Request for dessert menu was totally ignored. We cannot recommend such an establishment as one cannot live with non service delivery

  • 1/5 Masego M. 5 months ago on Google
    DONT GO THERE!Our family booked a table of 15 people at the restaurant. One of our kids had hair on her food and threw it away before letting us know. When I informed the waiter they took the plate to the chef to “investigate”. The plate came back untouched with a “they can’t see anything” and they said because they can’t see the hair and we can’t prove it, so there’s nothing they can do. I asked them why would we lie when only 1 person experienced this. The manager(African female) said they can’t do anything about it. That’s the kind of service you’ll get if you go there. My advice, DONT GO THERE! They don’t know how to treat customers. Their online menu and physical menus are not updated so if you go prepared with what you’d like, you might not find it and will have to get an alternative. Not the best experience on a wine farm. There’s better farms with better service in the neighborhood.

  • 5/5 leonie a. 3 months ago on Google New
    All I can say to describe the fantastic, kind service provided by Sumare and her crew at Skilpadvlei is “Wow”. You guys undoubtedly had a significant impact on how special the wedding turned out to be. Dealing with Sumare was simple and knew precisely what we wanted from the beginning. Remind yourself and your group that you have what it takes to make any event unforgettable ❤️.

  • 2/5 Gerhard du P. 6 months ago on Google
    We went there for a wine tasting and something light to eat. The tasting we did in the restaurant (they helped us as we wanted to eat as well) The wines and the explanation was great the food,Pizza's were also very nice. The service from the waiter was not so good that put a damper on the outing. Some side plates were dirty we had to wait a long time for a glass of water and when the bill came they did not have the correct mints for the patrons. They need to sharpen their service and pay attention to detail.

  • 5/5 Chandre B. 6 months ago on Google
    I had a wonderful experience, the service was very good. Our waiter was Chris, he was on top of things at all times. All staff were friendly and helpful. Food was great. We celebrated my mom's birthday. Thanks skilpadvlei my family and friends had a great time 👍👌

  • 5/5 Tendai C. 4 months ago on Google
    The worst experience ever.l booked a table and on arrival no one assisted us after 30 minutes of waiting we were told to come back when its quieter but to my suprise people kept walking in and been assisted. They ruined our wine testing experience. However the restaurant was much better once we changed a waiter as the first waitor openly told us to order fast because he is busy 😔

  • 4/5 Natalie Van D. 1 year ago on Google
    Kids friendly restaurant with lots of green shady trees 💚 Various play areas for kids all ages, from a sand pit to rocking horses and jungle gyms. Even an indoor play area for rainy days. We had breakfast and was very happy with the big portions.

  • 5/5 Tim M. 1 year ago on Google
    This place is huge and expansive. We took the electric bike tour from here and really enjoyed the experience. Great local guide. Can’t recommend the ride enough. Wine tasting is good as well with a nice food pairing and knowledgeable host. Recommend giving yourself time to explore this place. Seems good for long hangout with turtle area, play space, large gift shop and various food areas.

  • 3/5 Tyron P. 1 year ago on Google
    6 of us stayed in the self serve accommodation. The surrounding of the house was nice and the patio beneath grape vines was also nice. The WiFi was really good too. However the reason I’m giving it 3 stars is because 2 of the beds were in the sitting room so the people here were disturbed whenever anyone went into the kitchen. Also the house itself could also do with maintenance and modernization

  • 1/5 Bethany M. 1 year ago on Google
    I had my wedding here last year September and although it is a very beautiful place there were some very problematic things that happened on the day that made it turn out to be not a very "beautiful" experience: The trees where we were supposed to have our ceremony did not have a single leaf on them. I had very specifically asked if they were evergreen as we were having a winter wedding. I was assured that they were. This was the sole reason we chose this venue and it ruined the ceremony. The sad part is I had a long conversation with the consultant about how we wanted a wedding that included nature and trees. Secondly, the weather on the day was not good, there was slight rain. Now the weather is not in their control, however, again we inquired before we booked what was the alternative and they said we could rent a tent if it was bad. On the day they told us we could not put it up because the ground was too wet. They should have thought about this and advised to set it up earlier! We ended up having a makeshift ceremony in the reception hall. On the day I had arranged to meet the organizer at 9 am to speak with her about important details, but she had double booked with a viewing and only showed up an hour later for which I had had to leave to go to do hair and make up. This was incredibly unprofessional. Lastly, the starter did not taste like the sample dish that we had had and some guests got starters that were missing items. (The original had salad included with the fish but the item served was just a mix of fish and mayonnaise which was not as nice as what we had had. ) I will comment that the rest of the food was amazing and this was probably the only thing that I was really happy with that day from the venue, bar the starter. They also did clean the honeymoon sweet in-between the groomsmen getting ready and the end of the evening which was nice. I do not only want to mention the bad parts. Over all, the food was nice, the service for the accommodation was really great, but the service for the venue was terrible. To sum it up because of the first two points (especially the first) I would not have chosen this as my wedding destination and do regret it, which is a shame. I wish I had complained earlier but we just wanted to try and enjoy our day.

  • 4/5 Beyers H. 1 year ago on Google
    It's a very nice location. The pizza and wine was good. The breakfast was great. A bargain at the price. Some improvements I would recommend include adding bottled water in the rooms. The restaurant was short staffed, so the service was slow when we had dinner. Other than that, it was pretty good.

  • 5/5 zoleka m. 1 year ago on Google
    We visited Skilpadvlei on Saturday with my friend and the kids. My word this is a nice place both for kids and adults. My daughter is a fussy eater but she couldn't get over your ribs and chips, the rosé bottle of wine we had is the best wine I have ever tasted lol. The lemon meringue was to die for :). The play area kept the kids busy. We are definitely coming back.

  • 3/5 Monique D. 1 year ago on Google
    Service sucked and waiters who I all spoke to sucked more!! So many open tables who were reserved and in the 3 hours we were there the people didn’t evens rock up the parents who watched their kids in the park sat there… We were 3 adults 5 kids whom 2 were toddlers and the seating I got by the bar was so uncomfortable! The seats can’t move and sat with strangers at 1 long table!!Thanks to Gorgina, who saw how uncomfortable we were came to our rescue and went the extra mile and in no time made a plan and sorted us out with comfortable seating and our meals etc…Her service were excellent!!She deserves a 10/10 the rest needs to go back to staff training!!Don’t think I will be back nor recommend.

  • 5/5 Colin van N. 1 year ago on Google
    Had the "Hake & chips", chips were great, hake was fantastic...very fresh and juicy, service was great. We sat outside on veranda and had a really enjoyable lunch. Will definitely go again. Lovely views of the vineyards.

  • 4/5 Alicyn R. 1 year ago on Google
    Good food and lovely place for the children to have fun and play in the kiddies area and sand pit. Also lovely wine tasting for the adults and the kiddies too. They also have an non acholic option for those who don't want to drink.

  • 2/5 Gideon Le R. 1 year ago on Google
    Nice play area and jungle gym for the kids. Food was unfortunately not on par. Ordered a burger medium rare, was served with two non toasted bottom parts of the bun? Asked to speak to a manager that offered to redo the burger. New burger arrived after all our other guests had finished their food, only to get a well done dried out inedible patty. Ribs belly cut with a lot of cartalidge. Hake was thin. Pizza was good.

  • 5/5 Zelrene S. 1 year ago on Google
    We as the Adams-Mitchel family had an amazing and blessed experience at this venue. The food was great, the service prompt. The natural beauty and surroundings was a bonus.

  • 5/5 Jacques R. 1 year ago on Google
    Great Sunday, spent there. Service is quick even though they were very busy. Beautiful view. Child friendly play area. Will definately visit again.

  • 4/5 Elmarie P. 1 year ago on Google
    The vibe is really good. It is relaxing with spacious table settings and seating arrangements. The service is excellent. I ordered the venison pie. When it arrived the presentation looked good, colourful and it was substantial portions. The venison pie itself was a bit over seasoned. The apple crumble I had for dessert was wonderful. It tasted great with just enough spices, not overly sweet and wonderfully hot. The perfect size as well. Thank you for a great evening.


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