Moving a team to a Winelands offsite

Corporate offsite transport to the Winelands comes down to three decisions: where the team is collected, whether the vehicles stay with the group during the offsite or come back for the return, and how much of the programme needs a driver in between. Stellenbosch is about 45 minutes from the CBD and about 35 minutes from Cape Town International outside peak traffic, Franschhoek about an hour from either, so the drive itself is easy. The planning is in the movements around it.

An offsite is meant to take a team out of its routine. The transport should make that feel simple. The person organising it should not be standing in a car park counting heads.

Drive times from Cape Town and the airport

These are approximate distances and drive times outside peak traffic. In the weekday morning and late afternoon rush, the N1 and N2 are much slower.

From the CBD, Stellenbosch is about 55 km, about 45 minutes, and Franschhoek about 75 km, about an hour.

If the team leaves the city on a weekday, avoid the morning rush. A mid-morning departure reaches Stellenbosch in time for a late-morning start and spares everyone the worst of the traffic. For more on timing, see Cape Town traffic peak hours.

Collection points: the office, the hotels or the airport

From the office. The most common plan. The team gathers at a fixed time, the vehicles load bags, and the group leaves together. People who drove to work leave their cars at the office.

From hotels. For a team flown in from elsewhere, vehicles collect from one or two hotels in the city. Keep the number of hotels small, because each extra stop adds time.

From the airport. If most of the team is flying in, collecting at Cape Town International and driving straight to the Winelands saves a trip into town and back. The drivers track each flight and wait in the arrivals hall with a name board, and the first 60 minutes after actual touchdown are included. For several flights, delegate airport transfers explains how to group the arrivals.

Offsite transport: how many vehicles, and the luggage

West Landau runs three 2025 Hyundai Staria Luxury, each seating eight passengers plus the driver, and two 2025 Hyundai Palisade Elite, each seating six. All five together move 36 passengers with five drivers, as one booking with one concierge.

Offsites mean luggage. A full Staria takes around four large suitcases plus hand luggage, and a full Palisade three to four. A team of eight with two nights of clothes, laptops and perhaps golf bags will not fit in one Staria with every seat taken. The concierge plans fewer people per vehicle or an extra vehicle rather than overload, and the quote shows it before you confirm.

Several vehicles have a practical advantage over a single bus. They reach estate gates and guesthouse driveways that a coach cannot, and part of the group can travel at a different time without holding up the rest.

Vehicles that stay, or vehicles that return

There are two common patterns for the days in between.

Drop and collect. The vehicles take the team out on the first day and come back for the return. The team uses the venue's own facilities and activities in between. This suits an offsite where everyone stays in one place.

Vehicles on hand. The vehicles stay with the group for the programme: a tasting at a neighbouring estate, a dinner in Franschhoek, a round at Pearl Valley, a site visit. Overnight itineraries are quoted individually, so the concierge prices this pattern for your programme.

The second pattern costs more and makes a full programme possible. If the offsite includes tastings, it also keeps anyone from driving after them. Why a wine tasting day needs a driver covers the legal limits.

Activities, tastings and tee times

The concierge can book tables, tastings and tee times, and on curated Winelands days a CATHSSETA-accredited tour guide is included. For a team choosing between towns, Stellenbosch or Franschhoek compares the two. For golf, Pearl Valley is a Jack Nicklaus Signature course in the Paarl and Franschhoek valley, and golf transfers in Cape Town explains how the bags travel.

Entrance fees, tastings and venue parking are for the client's account unless they are itemised on the quote.

The return, and the people who leave early

Not everyone leaves on the last afternoon. Some have flights, some have meetings in town the next morning. Ask the team for their departure plans before you book, and keep at least one vehicle free for the early leavers.

If the return falls on a weekday afternoon, the N1 and N2 into Cape Town and towards the airport are busiest late in the day. Leaving the Winelands in the early afternoon avoids the worst of it.

Common questions

Can one booking cover the airport arrivals, the offsite and the return?

Yes. The concierge quotes the whole programme as one booking with one reference. Multi-day bookings keep one dedicated driver per vehicle throughout.

What happens if the offsite is cut short by a day?

On multi-day bookings the cancellation windows apply to each day: free more than 48 hours before pickup, 50% retained within 48 hours, 100% within 24 hours or for a no-show.

Can our company be invoiced?

Corporate and multi-day clients can be invoiced monthly on account by arrangement. Other bookings are confirmed on full payment by EFT.

Is a private driver worth it for a small team?

For four people driving to one venue and staying put, one of them may as well drive. Once the programme includes tastings, an airport collection or several sites, a driver earns the cost.

For a quote, send the concierge the dates, the venue, the number of people and bags, the collection points and any activities planned. The reply is a written quote with a booking reference. The group transport page sets out how the vehicles run together.