Franschhoek is best known for its supposed French origins, wine and culinary delights. The valley and dramatic mountains rising up on three sides are beautiful, but the town is nothing to jump up and down about. If you come expecting to find an oak-lined mini-Stellenbosch, urban Franschhoek can be a tad disappointing, comprising a sunbaked main street of B&Bs and restaurants sporting posh names that not even locals can get their tongues around.

Despite this, Franschhoek is thriving, thanks to savvy marketing and the attention shown by tour buses and foreign investors. Although accommodation consists almost entirely of upmarket guesthouses, all has not been lost to foreign currency as there are still a number of affordable self-catering options scattered about the valley.

Bird Cottage
Snapshot: Small grape farm with 2 cottages
Where: 4km from Franschhoek
Sleeps: 4,4
Equipped: yes
Linen: yes
Towels: yes
Fireplace: yes
Braai: yes
Meals available: no
Pet-friendly: by request
Activities: fly fishing, horse riding, museums & galleries, restaurants, stargazing, birdwatching, wine routes, walking, swimming
Rate guide: R190pp - R200pp

This is a quaint Victorian cottage on a small grape enterprise named Montagne Farm, perched on the steep slopes of Franschhoek Peak. The cottage sits pretty and private in its own tended garden, away from the main house where Graham and Paddy and their hounds live.

Bird Cottage is fully equipped for four adults and the relaxed bric-and-brac decor has 'welcome' written all over it. The kitchen is a tight culinary affair with dainty country pieces, a small fridge and two-plate stove and oven. There are two bedrooms, both comfortably cosy, and a Christopher Robin kiddies’ loft above the lounge that's sadly no longer home to the extended family of cute teddies we met on our first visit several years ago — like humans, bears grow up and move on. The bathroom has a Victorian tub and the lounge a fireplace and small telly.

During our stay we made a concerted effort to be energetic but never got round to tackling Montagne's new walking trail. Instead, we settled for a wake-up dip in the dam and a marathon game of Scrabble on the cool patio overlooking the valley, aided in our three-letter creativity by a five-litre box of Franschhoek's finest. Closer to the main house and attached to Paddy’s outdoor studio is a second cottage called Frog Lodge, that’s also available from time to time. It is a little more spacious than Bird Cottage but the feel and furnishings are similar.

Little Willow Brooke
Snapshot: Private cottage on Franschhoek outskirts
Where: 1km from Franschhoek
Sleeps: 2 (+2 young children possible)
Equipped: yes
Linen: yes
Towels: yes
Fireplace: yes
Braai: yes
Meals available: many restaurants close by
Pet-friendly: no
Activities: museums & galleries, birdwatching, fly fishing, mountain biking, wine routes, walking, swimming, restaurants, horse riding
Rate guide: R550 for the cottage

Little Willow Brooke is ideally appointed: within easy walking distance of Franschhoek’s hub, yet in atmosphere, miles from anywhere. Perched above a bubbly stream that meanders through a rush of oak and willow trees (hence the name), Willow Brooke is a cute Cape-styled cottage with all the traditional elements: green tin roof, rough white-washed walls, wonky terracotta paving, rietdak ceilings, cottage furniture and paintings of country scenes. It’s ideal for a romantic couple seeking a cosy base to the surrounding area — anything more could be a bit cramped.

The neat interior comprises a separate ensuite bedroom with queen-size bed (with a view) and a tiny kitchen that forms part of the lounge area, where you’re likely to spend your evenings in front of the fireplace with a book from the adjacent shelf — The River Running By, Island and The Nomads are just some of the titles to get you into that holiday mood. Outside, you have the choice of wallowing in your own private plunge pool or ambling down to the stream and dozing under the trees on a patch of open lawn. Decisions, decisions…

Paradise Cottages & Stables
Snapshot: Historic farm with two rustic cottages
Where: 3km from Franschhoek
Sleeps: 2,2
Equipped: yes
Linen: yes
Towels: yes
Fireplace: yes
Braai: yes
Meals available: many restaurants close by
Pet-friendly: no
Activities: wine routes, restaurants, museums & galleries, mountain biking, horse riding, fishing, farm animals, birdwatching, walking, swimming
Rate guide: R85pp - R125pp

Paradise, on the farm Robertsvallei, retains the Budget Brak’s floating trophy for decent value in an otherwise Euro-drenched Franschhoek. Not only are the down-to-earth cottages cheap by Franschhoek standards, they also come with a side order of fringe benefits by way of plenty to do and see.

Sitting well away from the main homestead in the mottled shade of oak trees is Tommy’s Kaia, an open-plan matchbox crammed with a double bed, big fireplace and open-plan toilet. Fine if you’re rehearsing for a SAA flight to London but squabbling couples and those who like their space may find it cramped.

Close by is the larger and more comfortable William’s Cottage, which has just enough space to swing a cat without causing undue head injury. William’s has a feel-good soul and all the basics, including telly for raining days. Both cottages have fireplaces and pretty views of farmland, pine forest and fantastic mountains. Unlike some plots masquerading as farms in Franschhoek, Paradise is the real thing.

There is heaps to do — fish for carp and bass in the dam, swim in the pool, follow the marked hiking trail up to the top of a koppie, explore the forest (either on foot or bike), cycle into town for breakfast or afternoon tea, or sign up for Pieter’s horse trails and pit your wits against a stubborn furry creature with bad teeth: and no, we are not referring to mom-in-law.

For more information and booking enquiries for the above properties, visit www.budget-getaways.co.za