theLAB Franschhoek is a modern stay in South Africa's winelands, designed around open-plan living and welcoming shared spaces.

Yes, and most guests do. We are at 15 Nerina Street and it is a walk of about seven or eight minutes into the middle of the village, where nearly all the restaurants and tasting rooms are. Walk down for dinner and walk home again.

You do not need the car once you have parked it, and parking here is free.

Eleven rooms and two duplex villas.

• Economy Room. The best value if you are out all day.
• Deluxe Room. Extra-length king bed and an en-suite bathroom.
• Superior Room. Open plan with a big bathroom and mountain views.
• Superior Room with Fireplace. The same, with a fireplace for winter.
• Superior Family Room. A king bed plus a separate room with two single beds.
• Duplex Villas. Two en-suite bedrooms, a kitchen, a lounge and a patio with a gas braai, sleeping four. For a family or two couples.

Breakfast is included every morning. Villa guests have breakfast at the main guesthouse.

In the evening you are a short walk from dozens of restaurants, from a burger to a tasting menu, and we will book your table for you. Tell us what you feel like and roughly what you want to spend. If you would rather stay in, we can recommend local delivery options and help you set up a comfortable meal in your room.

Yes, a pool and a jacuzzi with a view of the mountains, both in the garden, and towels are there. The pool is not heated. Villa guests use the same pool and jacuzzi.

Yes. A therapist comes to you, so you have it in your own room rather than going anywhere. Ask us at least a day ahead.

More than you can fit into two nights.

The Franschhoek Wine Tram. Hop on and off around ten colour-coded lines covering more than 30 wine farms, with tastings, cellar tours and lunch along the way. Book ahead in season and start at the terminal in the village.

Eat. Franschhoek has more good restaurants per street than anywhere else in the country. Book the well-known ones weeks ahead, or let us do it for you.

Walk or ride. Mountain trails, the Franschhoek Pass for the view, and cycling in the valley.

See. The Huguenot Monument and museum, the galleries and the shops on Huguenot Road.

Not really. You can walk to the village, and the wine tram or a local driver covers the farms. If you plan to taste properly, do not drive. Ask us and we will help you arrange a driver for the day.

If you do bring a car, parking here is free.

Summer is hot, busy and lovely, and the village hums. Winter is quiet and green, with snow on the mountains some days, and the restaurants are easier to book.

Village weekends worth planning around: the Literary Festival in May, the Bastille Festival in July, the Mystery Weekend in September, Uncorked in October, the Cap Classique and Champagne Festival in November, and the Christmas Market in December. The whole village fills up on those weekends, so book months ahead.

Yes. Take the two duplex villas plus rooms in the guesthouse and you have everyone in one place, with the pool, the braai and the villa kitchens.

theLAB Blue is a few minutes away in the same village, so a bigger group can spread across the two properties and still eat together. Tell us how many of you there are and we will work out the neatest way to fit you in.