Babylonstoren Farm Hotel

The spacious open-plan One-bedroom Cottages each consist of a luxurious bedroom with en-suite facilities and a comfy living room with a hearty fireplace. All three cottages have an authentic Cape Dutch style with modern touches, such as the contemporary kitchen area with glass walls, giving guests the feeling that they are outdoors and surrounded by the natural beauty of the gardens at all times.

Each bedroom includes a four-poster king-size bed and comfortable furnishings. Bookshelves filled with a wide range of carefully selected books line the walls and complimentary wi-fi is included. The bedrooms also feature underfloor heating for chilly winter mornings and evenings. Each of the cottages faces the gardens and allows access to the verdant landscape and rich plant life. Guests can also enjoy a complimentary breakfast each morning.

Babylonstoren’s Two-bedroom Cottages each feature two luxurious bedrooms with their own en-suite bathrooms. The cottages also include a comfy living room with a hearty fireplace and plentiful bookshelves, as well as a modern glass cube kitchen that creates the feeling of being outdoors and surrounded by the natural beauty of the gardens and vineyard at all times. Each bedroom includes a four-poster king-size bed and comfortable furnishings, as well as underfloor heating for chilly winter mornings and evenings.

Guests can choose to have two single beds in the second bedroom instead of one king-size. Each of the cottages faces either the gardens or vineyard and allows access to the verdant landscape and rich plant life. Guests can also enjoy a complimentary breakfast each morning and a well-stocked personalised bar fridge is provided.

The One-bedroom Suites are slightly smaller than the cottages, with a more contemporary style. Guests can enjoy relaxing in the luxurious bedrooms, with thick walls, elegant gables and king-size beds. The living room is centred around the roaring fireplace, with well-stocked bookshelves featuring a varied selection of books to cater for all readers.

The en-suite bathrooms are fitted with modern amenities and have underfloor heating to keep you toasty and warm no matter what season you plan your visit. Guests can enjoy a delicious breakfast each morning as well as a well-stocked personalised bar fridge which is included in the room rate. There are six one-bedroom suites available.

The Farmhouse Suites are renowned for their comfort and moody interiors, which combine bold and modern furnishings with the classic style of the farmhouse, decorated with a dramatic colour scheme, sweeping king-size beds and luxurious marble bathrooms. Each room is fitted with a cast-iron stove and an extra-long sofa, along with plentiful bookshelves and a well-stocked personalised bar fridge.

The Cape Dutch Manor House at Babylonstoren Farm Hotel was constructed in 1777, and today it still captures the atmosphere of an authentic Cape farmhouse, with modern touches to the interior so that guests can feel at home. The building consists of five bedrooms with king-size beds or the option of twin beds, catering for a total of 10 guests at a time.

Each room is serviced daily and breakfast is included in the rate, as well as a well-stocked personalised bar fridge. Guests are provided with well-stocked bookshelves and the traditional farm kitchen boasts a roaring old wood-burning stove. You will have access to the garden at all times, where you can admire the verdant flora or play games set up on your private lawn.

Babel Restaurant rests within a renovated cowshed, combining traditional Cape Dutch architecture with modern glass walls which offer stunning views of the hotel’s beautiful grounds. The menu is constructed with seasonal dishes that use the farm’s fresh produce, meaning that everything you eat has been recently picked before arriving on your plate. Summer dishes often feature crisp salads and fruit dishes, while winter meals are often hearty meat dishes.

Freshly made desserts are always available as well as fine wines, and servings are generous. Guests can choose to dine indoors or under the shade of the trees in the courtyard depending on the weather. Guests can enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner at Babel and booking is essential.

The Greenhouse rests at the back of the garden, nestled under a canopy of oak leaves. Here, guests can enjoy delicious home-baked cakes, with tea, coffee, or juice made with fresh fruit from the garden. The glass building offers incredible views of the surrounding lush oasis, but also serves as its namesake, containing a number of plants that are struggling in the garden’s climate and need additional care. This creates a jungle-like dining area where guests can feel at one with the natural world while enjoying meals created using fresh produce from the farm and garden.

The Greenhouse offers artisanal breads, handcrafted cheeses and dressed meats, served with homemade herb oils, chutneys, preserves and relishes, as well as delicious fresh garden salads. All meals are served in picnic-style wooden crates with any accompanying preserves, jams and salads packaged in weck jars.

Booking is not necessary at The Greenhouse, and guests can dine here from 10 am until 4 pm daily.

The Babylonstoren Bakery offers a range of Italian-inspired meals on Wednesday and Friday evenings. The bakery also provides the shop and Greenhouse with freshly baked bread, including sourdough, rye, white and whole wheat, using flour made from the farm’s wheat. Booking is essential and guests can enjoy a three-course meal consisting of antipasti, main course and sweet dessert served with delicious coffee.

Take a guided tour of the extensive gardens at Babylonstoren and explore the different sections that make up this natural haven, including fruit and vegetable gardens, orchards and farmland. The tour begins at the farm shop at 10 am and is conducted by the hotel and farm’s experienced gardeners.

Enjoy walking through the tranquil greenery and admiring the 300 plant varieties. Guests are encouraged to try the different fruits, herbs, nuts, spices and vegetables and join in with harvesting and learning about botany. You can even volunteer to help develop the garden further by assisting with maintaining plants, mulching, fertilising, and planting new saplings.

Guests can travel to the dam on foot or by bike. Here, incredible views can be enjoyed of the river and the thriving birdlife that surrounds it. Listen to the soothing sounds of the water and embark on a rowing trip with the hotel’s canoes. There are a total of three canoes and life jackets will be provided. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Beside Babylonstoren’s Wine Cellar is the Tasting Room, where guests can enjoy amazing mountain views while tasting incredible wines grown in the farm’s vineyards. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls offer sweeping views over the vineyards and beautiful grounds, and guests will be presented with a range of snack platters with charcuterie, cheese, pâté, fresh fruit and vegetables from the garden to accompany the fine South African wines.

The educational cellar tours offer an in-depth exploration of how the estate’s wines are crafted, and includes a gentle walk through the vineyards and a visit to the olive oil production plant.

Babylonstoren is home to a collection of lovely animals including the resident tortoises, donkeys, chickens, ducks, geese. turkeys and squirrels. All of the creatures roam freely around the grounds and guests can enjoy feeding the friendly donkeys and looking out for the farm’s 58 bird species on Babylonstoren. Guests are welcome to use the bird book in the Butterfly Room for reference, and binoculars are available from Reception.

Younger guests are invited to help feed Meisiekind and Lulu, the farm’s friendly and adorable donkeys, and help with collecting eggs and harvesting fruit and vegetables. Children can learn about farming and how food arrives on their plates while participating in fun activities that allow them to get close to amazing animals. Young guests are also welcome to help the bakers with kneading and baking bread, and scavenger hunts can be arranged at Reception.

Fishing rods can be borrowed from reception and guests can walk or cycle to the dam, about 1.5 kilometres away, and enjoy fishing for bass in the gentle waters.

Guests of all ages can borrow bikes from the hotel, as well as helmets and bottled water from reception, and explore the vast farmland. A map is provided in your room, allowing you to find all of the grounds’ hidden spots. Guests can also follow one of six trails which are also suitable for walking and running and offer incredible country views.

Visitors at Babylonstoren are asked to pay a small entrance fee at the gate which goes to the Babylonstoren Trust, a not for profit initiative which raises funds for developing the local community. One of these projects is the Learning Centre where the farm workers’ children are cared for while their parents are working. Meals for the children are provided as well as help with homework.

The school fees for older children are also paid for, and children who are doing especially well at school can take the opportunity to study at a private school where they will receive the best support for broadening their horizons. The Trust also provides money for soccer and netball equipment and kits, and transport to and from sports days so that children are able to participate in sports.

At Babylonstoren Farm Hotel, the majority of food is grown at the on-site working farm, before being picked, washed and freshly served. This reduces the need for importing foods which can generate a lot of carbon emissions. The grounds are kept immaculate and its animals are all free-roaming and well cared for.