In short… Babylonstoren is the chicest farm I could possibly dream up! Set just outside Cape Town in the Franschhoek winelands, Babylonstoren is a more-than-you-can-imagine property that combines luxury accommodation, epic gardens, award-winning vineyards and three excellent restaurants on a historic 500-acre Cape Dutch farm.
The look & feel… Historic Cape Dutch architecture on the outside with pared-back contemporary design and furniture on the inside. The traditional thick, whitewashed walls and gables remain, but the insides have been energized with glass panels and furniture by Phillipe Starck, Kartell and Magis, among others. Unsurprisingly, the creative force and owner, with her husband Koos Bekker, is Karen Roos, former editor of Elle Decoration South Africa (you may know their more recently opened UK property, The Newt).
The garden…Designed by French architect Patrice Tavarella, the garden is somehow both stunningly manicured and visitor-friendly—children are encouraged to explore the impeccable gravel paths and visitors are free to pick fruit and vegetables from the beds and orchards. Everything grown is either edible or medicinal, and the highlight for me was the healing garden, where, just past the Greenhouse, the plantings are labeled with their health benefits and you can then steep tea with personally chosen herbs and plants.
As I learned on my garden tour, Tavarella took inspiration for the 12-acre garden at the heart of the property from the historic Company’s Garden in Cape Town, which grew fruit and vegetables for Dutch East India Company sailors traversing the spice route between Asia and Europe.
The rooms… We stayed in the Fynbos Cottages, which are newly built in the Cape Dutch style and blend in perfectly among the vineyards and orchards a short golf cart ride away from the hub of the property. The main structure housed a kitchen enclosed with glass on two sides, and I loved the rattan egg chair hanging in front of a glass wall overlooking a small pond. Most of the rooms are dotted around the central courtyard and pool, and the entire house accommodates up to 10 guests. The rooms are furnished all in white with a modern, four-poster bed, rustic wooden floors, and a small Magis puppy stool next to the fireplace. Traditional wooden shutters push out from the windows and the room has both a set of glass doors and wooden doors to suit the level of privacy desired.
Food & Drink… Each of the three restaurants is not to be missed and are open to both guests and day visitors. The Greenhouse restaurant is as described with a few tables in the large glass greenhouse and many more on the patio just outside. It serves a limited menu for breakfast and lunch, and the simple gnocchi I had with parmesan, fresh herbs and Babylonstoren’s own 3-year-old, barrel-aged balsamic was a perfect introduction to the farm to fork cuisine the property specializes in.
Dinner was Italian night in The Old Bakery (the restaurant only serves family-style dinners and alternates between Italian and Carnivore nights). The four course menu includes antipasto, salad, pasta and incredible wood-fired pizza. Of course, each course was accompanied by a variety of Babylonstoren wines, and the small room felt like a party by the end of the night. Just when I thought I would never eat again, we showed up for breakfast at Babel and I saw its epic buffet of cold pressed juices, freshly baked bread, charcuterie and cheeses from both the property and a neighboring farm, not to mention a full honeycomb.. Don’t check out without sampling the water buffalo cheeses and gelato, produced from the property’s own herd of water buffalo.
The activities… Too many to count! Guests and visitors alike can book wine cellar, olive oil and garden tours, workshops in beekeeping, essential oils, baking, and flower-crown making, to name a small few, The newest offering is Soetmelksvlei, an adjacent farm that showcases the methods and lifestyle of the 19th century—tour the original farmhouse, watch traditional carpentry, learn butter-making and visit with the farm animals. Visitors can have lunch at the on-site restaurant and pursue the farm shop before heading back.
The spa/wellness… The stunning indoor-outdoor pool is housed on one end in a lofty, barn-like structure and has a whirlpool, sauna and steam room on the other. I had a lovely massage and heard raves about the hammam treatment.
Be sure to… Take the garden tour with master gardener, Gundula, who has been at the property since its inception in 2007.
Date of stay… October 2024
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