Babylonstoren

Anyone lucky enough to stay at Babylonstoren has options: beyond the main hotel, there are 28 charming garden cottages, as well as suites in the former farmhouse. There are no bad choices here – picture modern furniture and four-poster beds in a blissful marriage with the original features of the white-washed Cape Dutch buildings – though we really loved our stay in the Fynbos cottages. A swift ride away in a golf buggy (you’ll be given your own), these ones are set back from the main farm and gardens. They’re scattered among the farm’s vineyards, orchards and ponds, adding an extra layer of privacy to the experience. While they’re newly built, they channel the good looks and charm of the older properties. Their residents gain access to a dedicated pool and late-night bar – perfect for an extra glass of the estate’s wine after dinner, when you don’t want to grapple with your golf cart.

The stunning five-bedroom Fynbos Family House is perfect for groups. At the foot of the Simonsberg and Franschhoek mountains that surround the estate, the views from the balconies that hug the bedrooms are unmatched. Each chic bedroom has its own four-poster bed, fireplace and large marble bathroom. A modern kitchen is housed in a glass cube off the double-height lounge, and there’s a tranquil central courtyard, plus a crystal pool fed by a small waterfall.

Babylonstoren’s farm-to-fork philosophy is celebrated at its trio of restaurants. Fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs, eggs and more are harvested daily and transformed into dishes that are both nostalgic and innovative. The Old Bakery serves enormous, colourful salads full of garden produce and infinite slices of perfectly wood-fired pizzas. In the walled garden, the Greenhouse is a great place for a light lunch, which could include pasta of the day with garden herb pesto, aged parmesan and water buffalo mozzarella, or an authentic boerewors roll with Chianina beef sausage, caramelised onions and slow-cooked tomato ‘smoor’. 

Babel is Babylonstoren’s signature spot. A former cow shed with Cape Dutch gables and modern glass walls, it’s simply designed, with crisp white tablecloths and pops of colour via red chairs and a sprawling lemon tree. Babel takes a relaxed approach to fine dining and – again – the menu is all about provenance. You might tuck into Elze’s heirloom tomatoes, dig into farm pickles from Aileen’s larder or – if you’re lucky – sample Justin’s cherry and chocolate gelato. (Producers are always name checked.) The butter here is another thing of beauty that tastes incredible. There might be an oyster cart outside the restaurant, shucking Saldanah Bay bivalves before you head in for dinner. Either way, you’ll be in for a memorable evening – each of the restaurants are so good that guests staying for more than one night have plenty to keep them happy.

As one of a few farms in South Africa that keeps, breeds and milks water buffalo, Babylonstoren offers guests a chance to get up close with a 200-strong herd, each with its own name and personality. We loved waking up early one morning to milk the calves, before heading over to Babel for a breakfast focused on the mozzarella, yoghurt and butter made from the same buffalo milk. Another way to get up close with the animals is to book onto a tour of Soetmelksvlei (Sweet Milk Farm). Opened last summer, the restored farmstead is working again, giving visitors a taste of life before the machine age, with lots of hands-on traditional activities and produce to try along the way.

We can’t talk about Babylonstoren without mentioning its wine – there’s a reason its bottles have been the official serve of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for years. You’ll inevitably try plenty of it while dining around the estate, but there are two ways to enjoy it to the max. One is via a cellar tour and tasting, where you’ll be shown around the tanks and barrels before sitting down to an atmospheric, food-paired tasting of the estate’s four whites, four reds, Provençal-style rosé and fizzy cap classique called Sprankel. For overnight guests there are also sunset vineyard tours. Each evening, residents fill roomy Land Cruisers for a 90-minute drive up to the Simonsberg Mountain. Having a glass of crisp Candide while the sun turned the hills and vineyards golden, we could finally appreciate the enormity of the estate and even spied Table Mountain off in the distance. It’s a must-book.