by When I entered a valley with decades of vineyards, kitchen gardens and lavish meadows, just 30 minutes east of Cape Town International Airport, the air smelled green and sweet. Rooibos meets-shiraz, with a touch of manure.
I collected warm eggs from a fleet of roaming-yellow mobile; Nifty devices that were used to transport chickens from one piece of fresh pasture to the next. Bod fertilization, the way in which nature intends.
Spier Farm and his adjacent hotel over 1,500 tomorrow were reopened in March 2025 after a one -year renovation, which included a bold downsizing from 153 to 80 rooms. What was once a popular conference location with a rehabilitation center of a bird of the prey is now focusing on the quality of the quantity.
The swimming pool was extended to 20 meters and more than 55,000 shrubs were propagated and planted on the landscape area. There is a much improved spa with infrared sauna, bath house and hammam, in which ingredients such as Snowbush and Rose Geranium are used.
Before Spier’s revision, which was dominated by the London design company Fusion, the color scheme was versatile. White and peach with the flourishing of ocher and multi -colored mosaic. Completely pleasant, albeit a little incoherent.
However, the new spier has developed into Heritage Greens, brass lights and clay tiles. Many of the furnishings come from the original hotel professionally, such as Tactility may be the highest compliment that you can pay for a property. In the revised bedrooms, I couldn’t help but stroke the wool carpet of lamb and green velvetouch.
The result feels robust and elegant. But also much more in harmony with the farm and vineyards that surround it. Lots of cut flowers, multi -year herbs and wine bottles exhibited. A bukolical, semi-bush atmosphere, near nature, plenty of bird life. Guests can recognize fish eagles, purple Reiher and African darters under dozens of other species.
The much improved lobby feels more like a large living room than a formal check-in-room. Black Wattle Blocks crackle on his open fires next to bookshelves that are filled with Damon Galgut (The promise) and Dipo Faloyin (Africa is not a country). In the meantime, a new shop supports local craftsmen, from handmade Karoo Handgemaak Soft Toys to Crafters Corner Ceramics.
The Veld restaurant is now adorned with dozens of pieces from the Spier Arts Collection – more than 3,200 contemporary South African works of art. Two huge living chandeliers with orchids, fynbos and ferns are delicately arranged plates from agricultural tomatoes, microgre and figs. Up to 50 percent of the ingredients of the restaurant are grown on site.
Even Spier’s oyster, chestnut and shiitake mushrooms magically sprout in a repurposed stable. And the organic cattle? They moved in a similar rotary method with the chickens on the farm. All of these great food fits crying, which thrive in the carbon -rich soil. SPIERS 21 Gables Chenin Blanc was appointed one of the best wines of the 2025 in the world at the Winemaker Winemaker in Paris.
Spier 2.0 has undoubtedly been one of the most exciting frozen openings in South Africa recently recently. And – for the British tourist – accessible at a reasonable price. Book for August and find double rooms for only £ 210, including breakfast. Beyond Spier, the Welsh chef Phil Carmichael opened the Mill Street Bistro in the nearby Stellenbosch last June.
As a passionate menu from Phil’s Locoure, sauerkraut, kimchi and fermented seasonal vegetables are supported. Its wooden belly with wood with a pickled apple and chilli ketchup contains a plate in which the size of an outstretched palm of your hand is cracked. The bistro salad with sourdough croutons includes a valuable spier -egg.
Ten minutes away, another new restaurant, the Stoep, was opened in December 2024 in the Boutique Winery Vriesenhof and married from 1990 and Chardonnay from 1994 with well -rested wines such as Bordeaux and Chardonnay with well -rested wines such as Bordeaux.
In the nearby Le Grand Jardin Villa there is also a brilliant new drop of God’s wine tasting experience-a private villa with Alice in Wonderland (from 924 £ for six rooms, including breakfast).
It takes place in the candlelight cellar of the extensive property and encourages the guests to refine their senses for taste and smell with the help of 54 fragrance bottles that range from quinces and butter to leather and pepper. Pizzas and salads are prepared by an in -house cook, and visitors can also make a jump into the lake via Zipline.
No excursion to the West Cape is complete without a visit to Cape Town, in which the Palm House Boutique Hotel and Spa has been located in the leaf suburb of Upper Wynberg (double from £ 193, including breakfast) since August 2025. This updated parent company from the 1920s is shaded by huge palm trees and offers a view of the Tischberg as well as a delightful pool and a spa. The food is good here too. De Tafel specializes in locally manufactured ingredients such as Porcini mushrooms from Newland’s Forest and Samphire from the Atlantic coast.
While Radisson is a brand that you usually associate with business trips rather than with public holidays, the outpost in Cape Town is due to its spectacular location on the water (doubles from £ 29, including breakfast). The mostly sea areas are moved towards the oceanic blue, sandy neutral and earthy tones, while further improvements will be recorded this year, including an urgently needed revision of the restaurant and the hotel’s day.
The most impressive latest renovation in the city, however, took place at five-star Cape Grace (doubles from £ 639, including breakfast).
What was once filled with antiques and heavy curtains was opened to look at the view of the Tischberg and the yacht-filled yacht ports of the V&A bank promenade. The hotel now feels more modern and lively, with many fresh orchids and proteas.
In a long -term cooperation with the Norval Foundation of Cape Town, South African artists Nicholas Hlobo, Dada Khanyisa and Zanele Muholi are exhibited on the property. And a new restaurant, Erbstück, has already gained a solid reputation for its wine pairings and fine food. The grilled black tiger shrimp are exceptional, while the rainbow trout fits perfectly with a glass of Waterford Sauvignon Blanc.
A free chauffeur service gives the city’s world-famous sights to the guest terms although the hotel and restaurant scene in Cape Town is rarely still, the highlights remain timeless, such as breakfast on Tischberg or sunset in Signal Hill. And that’s exactly why I return every year. It is a place with the rare quality of the feeling like at home, but with enough annual refreshment to feel new and exciting.
Simon Parker traveled as a guest of Pier; Le Grand Jardin Villa; Palm House Boutique Hotel and Spa; Radisson Collection Hotel, Waterfront Cape Town; Cape Grace And Air FranceThat flies from London Heathrow to Cape Town via Paris in the European winter, next to the daily flights between Paris and Johannesburg all year round.
