Babylonstoren

“A jewel in the Cape, South Africa”

What an amazing afternoon. We joined the oil tasting and learnt so much about olive oils and we even blended our own to take away! The grounds are beautiful and the food in the outside restaurant was delicious. We were blessed with a glorious sunny day too!

“A cornucopia of delights!”

What an amazing place. A farm and winery (with cellar we didn’t have time to see) dating back to the 17th century, producing its own vegetables and exotic fruits (available to purchase) set in absolutely magnificent gardens – I’ve not seen better in South Africa. It is set in the Franschhoek wine v… Più

What an amazing place. A farm and winery (with cellar we didn’t have time to see) dating back to the 17th century, producing its own vegetables and exotic fruits (available to purchase) set in absolutely magnificent gardens – I’ve not seen better in South Africa. It is set in the Franschhoek wine valley with it’s unsurpassed back-drop. The is a hotel and cottages dotted around set in the Dutch style. There is beautiful greenhouse housing all manner of plants and herbs (with Myna bird squawking away!) and 4 hee-hawing donkeys to greet you as you pass. Also a spice house that time constraints sadly forced us to miss. Lovely outside restaurant serving scrumptious fayre. Best check the website to savour the full picture - it will whet your appetite if I haven’t already! The gardens are the jewel however and they alone are worth the visit.

Meno

“An extraordinary experience of abundance”

What an extraordinary experience - which could never be duplicated in Europe or the US (labor costs are too high!). However, for those on honeymoon or coming from a wilderness/safari experience, the huge crowds of day visitors are somewhat offputting despite the hotel's best efforts to give its gu… Più

What an extraordinary experience - which could never be duplicated in Europe or the US (labor costs are too high!). However, for those on honeymoon or coming from a wilderness/safari experience, the huge crowds of day visitors are somewhat offputting despite the hotel's best efforts to give its guests some feeling of exclusivity (thank you Gavin for all your help!). We were most impressed by the number of activities available to hotel guests free of charge (including lavish wine and olive oil tastings, sundowners on the surrounding mountain, etc etc) and the generous free food and beverage offerings in the rooms. But we were surprised by some major design flaws in the rooms, given the owner was the editor of a major interior design magazine: dangerously slipperty bathroom floor, a safe at floor level requiring you practically to lie down to use it, no proper bedside tables or reading lights (instead, bright floorlaps), no sockets for electronics by the bed. This said, the sense of abundance, the attention to detail and the sheer beauty of the endless gardens and farmlands are amazing. The staff is invariably charming, helpful - and seem to genuinely enjoy working there.

Meno

“Wonderful scenery. Lunch not good.”

It is very unfortunate that there are very bad road works to and from Babylonstoren, queuing for long periods of time. It is obviously very frustrating for them too. The gardens, farm shop, ice cream shop, orchards, parking areas are all very well tended and the gardens, especially are stunning. I… Più

It is very unfortunate that there are very bad road works to and from Babylonstoren, queuing for long periods of time. It is obviously very frustrating for them too. The gardens, farm shop, ice cream shop, orchards, parking areas are all very well tended and the gardens, especially are stunning. I visited the garden restaurant for lunch, which has quite a limited menu and ordered a beef burger with home made potato chips. It looked really good when it arrived but the burger was inedible, chewy, could not cut it, did not have a good taste at all. To be honest, I had more tasty burgers at McDonald's. The vegan mayonnaise is also not a great addition. I felt very let down. Most of the staff were lovely, professional and friendly.

Meno