When a tall glass of wine or a strong cup of tea no longer does the trick at the end of a long day, you may be in need of a TLC weekend.

Full of delicious treats like bubble baths, spa treatments, fine cuisine, king-size beds and heated swimming pools. Sound about right?

Then head on out to Stellenbosch, only half-an-hour’s drive from the city of Cape Town.

Famous for its wonderful wine route, Stellenbosch is also an absolute treat for city-weary souls looking for a luxurious getaway weekend.

To begin with, it’s closer to Cape Town than Franschhoek or Paarl and has infinitely more to offer, which a friend and I soon discovered as we drove our exhausted bodies out to Stellenbosch recently.

See Andrea enjoy Stellenbosch

I was trying to get away from a messy house in the middle of renovations, while she was battling a nasty ear infection and hectic job.

But then we arrived for lunch at Terroir restaurant on the Kleine Zalze wine farm just outside of Stellenbosch and were transported on a gourmet magic carpet ride that lasted for hours.

Beautifully set under huge oak trees and looking out over the garden and golf course, Terroir offers patrons a gourmand experience that is truly exceptional. Lunch at this award-winning restaurant is no cheap affair – in more ways than one. The menu is sophisticated, a delicious fusion of local produce with masterful technique. I had a trout starter and the fillet for a main course - both were excellent.

After each course, the kitchen under master chef Michael Broughton kept surprising us with little dishes of treats.

omewhat mellowed by the wine and wonderful food, my friend and I went off to our guesthouse. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Majeka House, a luxuriously renovated guesthouse outside of Stellenbosch, was not that expensive compared to average hotel rates, but offered tantalising extras to guests – like the in-house spa and heated swimming pool.

The ample suites featured king-size beds with Chrysalis linen, DSTV and a modern shower and bath with a sliding screen. While my friend scampered off to the pool, I took out my book and put up my feet.

I’m not sure where the rest of the day went…the hours somehow floated away. We had initially planned to go into town for a bit of shopping, having seen some inviting boutiques, shops and art galleries worth peeking into, but something happened as soon as I slipped on the guesthouse’s soft dressing gown, hanging alluringly behind the bathroom door.

I stopped thinking about all the things I had to do, worrying about paint strippers and turpentine and gave myself over to some serious winding down and chilling out. At some point I decided to try out Majeka’s spa, where I was seduced by the alluring Tranquility Treatment.

This massage combination included a marvellous scalp massage and totally lived up to its name. I followed this with a brief visit to the steam room and then had an invigorating shower back in my room, where I noticed, some attentive staff had laid out chocolates on our pillows.

I would have happily stayed wrapped up comfortably in my robe all night long, watching DSTV in the oversized bed, but it appeared we had a dinner reservation to go to. Ah, the responsibilities of a weekend away...

Stellenbosch is positively Parisian at night - the historic town full of sidewalk cafes and bistros, lighted by candles. Music spilled out onto the street and voices filled with accents from around the globe fill the night air.

This cosmopolitan town somehow manages to marry varsity life, tourism, wine capital and historical interest without losing any of it small-town allure. It is possible to go for a late-night stroll around the leafy streets, walking in the shadows of old architectural buildings.

By the time we had returned to our accommodation, ready to sink away into our expansive beds, we had both forgotten all about our stressful lives and were dreaming only of snuggling up to the soft pillows adorning the beds.

It is the kind of dream weekend we all deserve, every now and then, to remind ourselves that life doesn’t need to be all work and stress and worry. We could all do with a bit of pampering and luxury to bring out the Paris Hilton in us…

Sip like a celeb Enjoy the perfect glass of wine in the Winelands. Explore the Winelands from as little as R1 995 and it includes includes flights, car rental and accommodation. Book now!