a franschhoek hotel & spa like no other, the holden manz guest house is located on a small, verdant estate at the edge of the quaint boland town of franschhoek. the property was turned into a wine estate in 1999.
a feng shui consultant angled the building in a northwesterly direction to ensure an uninhibited flow of chi. according to the consultant, the holden manz manor house is one of the most ideal places one could ever live. the farm is nestled between the franschhoek and stony brook rivers, the latter of which runs dry for six months of the year. at the convergence of these two rivers lies ‘the dragon’, a large rock which according to feng shui principles, bounces good chi back upon the estate. on the other side of the estate, the franschhoek mountains keep watch. look closely and you’ll see the outlines of a majestic elephant head, with its watchful eye in the mountainside.
add to all of this the sparse elegance of the house’s cape dutch architecture and a prevailing sense of tranquility and quiet splendor and you get one of the most inviting franschhoek hotel & spas around.
any proud owner of a lush franschhoek wine farm will undoubtedly only want the finest of gardens to compliment their version of a private eden. the holden manz wine estate is no exception and an abundance of trees line the estate, giving a six-star feel to a thriving five-star wine estate. the grounds are kept as natural as possible, avoiding over-landscaping and merely bringing out what was already there, retaining the estate’s tranquil ambience.
instead of adding entirely new features, the land was merely cleaned up and what was hiding in the overgrown bushes got revealed, many hidden earthly delights. three hundred year old yellowwoods and oaks were given room to breathe and grow once more. after many months of effort, the rivers was unblocked and the clean spring water began to flow once more, giving both guests and visitors access to a riverside walkway. this is the perfect place for a leisurely afternoon stroll, accompanied by a glass of holden manz’s finest wine in your hand.
although not yet a perfectly organic estate, the holden manz team takes great care in growing their produce with only the most natural of possible means. in keeping with their green and holistic approach, they recycle waste, save electricity where they can and use water sparingly on their indigenous foliage in order to achieve their goal of being as close to carbon-neutral as possible by 2012. when summer rolls around, everything served at the holden manz kitchen comes from their abundant gardens. herbs (such as basil, chives and coriander), seasoning, jams, juices, chicken, eggs, blue-gum honey and even the mustard is produced right there on the estate!
one of the more delicious smells, guaranteed to make anyone week at the knees, is the smell of freshly baked bread which infuses the main building of holden manz manor house with enough doughy goodness to make anyone salivate as if they were being served their very last meal. the blue-gum honey is harvested from multiple fixed-frame beehives that the estate shares with their neighbours. as you drive along the winding country roads on your way into the estate, you can catch a glimpse of the beehives, abuzz with activity, nestled among the fruit trees which reside across the way.
the holden manz wine estate truly presents a very unique version of paradise here. one only needs to take a long stroll around the well-loved garden surrounding their wine estate and boutique franschhoek hotel to see all the work that has gone into its creation.
a franschhoek hotel & spa like no other, the holden manz guest house is located on a small, verdant estate at the edge of the quaint boland town of franschhoek. the property was turned into a wine estate in 1999.
a feng shui consultant angled the building in a northwesterly direction to ensure an uninhibited flow of chi. according to the consultant, the holden manz manor house is one of the most ideal places one could ever live. the farm is nestled between the franschhoek and stony brook rivers, the latter of which runs dry for six months of the year. at the convergence of these two rivers lies ‘the dragon’, a large rock which according to feng shui principles, bounces good chi back upon the estate. on the other side of the estate, the franschhoek mountains keep watch. look closely and you’ll see the outlines of a majestic elephant head, with its watchful eye in the mountainside.
add to all of this the sparse elegance of the house’s cape dutch architecture and a prevailing sense of tranquility and quiet splendor and you get one of the most inviting franschhoek hotel & spas around.
any proud owner of a lush franschhoek wine farm will undoubtedly only want the finest of gardens to compliment their version of a private eden. the holden manz wine estate is no exception and an abundance of trees line the estate, giving a six-star feel to a thriving five-star wine estate. the grounds are kept as natural as possible, avoiding over-landscaping and merely bringing out what was already there, retaining the estate’s tranquil ambience.
instead of adding entirely new features, the land was merely cleaned up and what was hiding in the overgrown bushes got revealed, many hidden earthly delights. three hundred year old yellowwoods and oaks were given room to breathe and grow once more. after many months of effort, the rivers was unblocked and the clean spring water began to flow once more, giving both guests and visitors access to a riverside walkway. this is the perfect place for a leisurely afternoon stroll, accompanied by a glass of holden manz’s finest wine in your hand.
although not yet a perfectly organic estate, the holden manz team takes great care in growing their produce with only the most natural of possible means. in keeping with their green and holistic approach, they recycle waste, save electricity where they can and use water sparingly on their indigenous foliage in order to achieve their goal of being as close to carbon-neutral as possible by 2012. when summer rolls around, everything served at the holden manz kitchen comes from their abundant gardens. herbs (such as basil, chives and coriander), seasoning, jams, juices, chicken, eggs, blue-gum honey and even the mustard is produced right there on the estate! every delicious egg served as part of the legendary holden manz breakfast is gathered from the yard, except in winter when they are compelled to resort to store-brought eggs for their baking.
one of the more delicious smells, guaranteed to make anyone week at the knees, is the smell of freshly baked bread which infuses the main building of holden manz manor house with enough doughy goodness to make anyone salivate as if they were being served their very last meal. the blue-gum honey is harvested from multiple fixed-frame beehives that the estate shares with their neighbours. as you drive along the winding country roads on your way into the estate, you can catch a glimpse of the beehives, abuzz with activity, nestled among the fruit trees which reside across the way.
the holden manz wine estate truly presents a very unique version of paradise here. one only needs to take a long stroll around the well-loved garden surrounding their wine estate and boutique franschhoek hotel to see all the work that has gone into its creation.
