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Glamping in Stanford: The Perfect Way To Experience The Outdoors
Keen campers, but not keen on being cold in your standard camping tent? That’s us.
For those who aren’t so keen on the rough side of camping, Africamps Boutique Glamping, is then the ideal glamping experience for you.
Heated bed blankets, inside fireplace and an inverter – what more could you ask for! Absolutely makes luxury camping more pleasant.
We celebrated our birthday this year by booking our very first glamping getaway. Choosing the location was a rock paper scissor situation and the winner decided on glamping in Stanford. We wanted to make a pit stop in Hermanus for our birthday breakfast, and were set on going to Frances At Auberge.
And let’s say, we will definitely be visiting all of the Africamps glamping sites throughout the country! Yes, Africamps currently have 16 glamping sites in various parts of South Africa.
In this blog post we will cover what glamping is and how to make the most of your first glamping experience.
What is glamping?
Glamping = glamorous camping
Self catering kitchen, running water, comfortable beds (not a mattress that has lost all its air that you have ended up sleeping on the hard ground) and a spacious deck area to enjoy a braai with family and friends.
Glamping has become more popular over the last few years, and is most definitely a top choice for families wanting to experience nature and the outdoors with sophistication.
A road trip to Africamps Stanford is a mere 2 hour drive from Cape Town, and allows you to see more of South Africa’s scenic routes, including the famous whale watching destination, Hermanus.
Is glamping worth it?
Yes! So much yes!
Everyone has to do this sometime in their life. Depending on your budget and preferences play a factor in whether you are a glamper or not.
We love that everything is there already. You just need to arrive at the glamping destination and have a good time! No setting up campsite and blowing up mattresses… you get the vibe.
Luxurious Glamping Accommodation
Africamps Stanford has 10 tents with wood-fired hot tubs and are located on the Stanford Hills Wine Estate. Make sure that you book the correct tent when proceeding with the booking online.
The tents are tucked under the Klein River Mountain range and are located quite a distance from the wine farm restaurants, making your stay secluded and more private. The tents are also well spaced out so that you don’t hear what your neighbor has to say, making the glamping in Stanford experience peaceful and relaxing.
Our Polo VW got us up the hill to our glamping tent, so you don’t need a 4×4.
Self Catering Tents
The glamping tents are all self catering units, with a full equipped kitchen, crockery and cutlery and a gas stove for those load shedding days. Each glamping tent can accommodate up to 5 people, consisting of 2 double beds and 1 of the double beds having a single bunk bed above.
The outside deck is spacious where you can sit watching the kids in the hot tub, friends braaing or simply listen to the sounds of the birds amongst the protea flowers.
You can purchase wood for the indoor fireplace, outdoor braai area or the wood-fired hot tub from the Stanford Hills Estate reception area. Stanford Hills manage the Africamps Stanford glamping tents and are contactable via Whatsapp.
Their customer service is something that stood out for us, always making sure everything was in order and that we were having a wonderful stay.
3 Other Glamping Getaways That We Considered Booking
All three glamping getaway experiences are within 1.5 – 3 hours from Cape Town, making it an ideal road trip destination. End work early on a Friday and hit the roads for a glamping staycation.
1.) Africamps at Doolhof, Wellington
With the fairly new restaurant, Mila at Doolhof, on the same premises as the Africamps at Doolhof, I think that gives you enough reason to want to visit this Africamps. They are located on the Doolhof Wine Estate and lie on the banks of the Kromrivier. A must for any wine and nature lover!
Top tip: make sure you don’t miss the turnoff. If you are heading towards the Bainskloof Pass, you have gone too far.
2.) Africamps at Kam’Bati, Swellendam
The perfect family glamping experience located on the banks of the Breede River. Plenty of kid friendly activities to keep the kids busy, some including fishing, rope swinging into the river and cycling around the resort too. As for the adults, learning more about the Swellendam town History and watching sport at the resort bar.
3.) Africamps at Pat Busch, Robertson
Located in the Pat Busch Mountain Reserve, which is just outside of Robertson and +-2 hour drive from Cape Town. Just like all the other Africamps, the Robertson glamping tents are also surrounded by nature and perfect for your outdoor experience. Wine tasting, picnics on the Breede River and views of the Langeberg Mountain Range – what more can you ask for?
Other accommodation in and around Cape Town
The Perfect Way To Experience The Outdoors
There is never enough time to do all the activities that you set out to do, and of course you will come across new spots that you would like to explore while you are at the destination.
Depending on your interests, here are a few of our suggestions for activities to do during your glamping in Stanford getaway. We might be doing the first bullet point real soon!
Activities to do in and around Stanford
- Whale season (June – December every year)
- Nature walks
- Hiking trails
- Stargazing
- E-biking
- Wine tasting
- Coffee, lunch and dinners
- Fishing
- Viewing fauna and flora
But first, coffee
We had to stop by at the lovely Ou Meul in Stanford during our e-biking tour.
Best Time to Visit Stanford
We prefer to stay away from the crowds, so ideally off peak season (March – October) and mid week. However, that isn’t always the case for some of us in office jobs… (Julia). Stanford is a small town, which allows you to explore the surrounding areas like Hermanus and Gansbaai.
A glamping in Stanford road trip during whale season must be a beautiful time of the year to travel. Whale season in South Africa takes place every year between June and December. Sightings depend on various aspects, such as predators in the bays, water conditions and calving seasons. Hermanus is known for whale watching and can get really busy with plenty local and international crowds.
We’d suggest to take a day’s leave and explore during the week 🙂
How To Book Your Africamps Glamping Trip
Are you ready to book your glamping in Stanford getaway yet?
If it’s a yes, here’s how to book:
- Open up Google (or your preferred search engine) and paste this into your search tab “https://africamps.com”
- Select your preferred camp and put in your dates and search for live availability
- If there is a special, select the special that can apply to you (eg midweek special) or click on the standard rate
- Select the amount of tents (1 tent for a family of 4)
- Add the amount of adults / kids
- Add any extras (breakfast or braai pack) you can also order this when you are there
- Add your personal information
- Add your payment details
- Read T’s and C’s and proceed with the payment
- You will receive a booking confirmation on email once the payment has been processed and a Whatsapp message on the day you check in
Get booking
We highly recommend going in the winter months, as it is cosy with the hot tub, heated blankets and indoor fireplace.
We would recommend booking in advance, especially during school holidays as families book their glamping getaway months in advance. Because we went during the week, it was a lot quieter and suited us perfectly.
If you are deciding on booking a last minute glamping experience with Africamps, we would recommend requesting a specific tent, for example we stayed in tent 6 which was on the outskirts and not smack bang in the middle of all the tents.
So, what dates have you booked your glamping getaway for?
