Babylonstoren

With a glorious historical heritage dating back to 1692, this Cape wine estate has been redefined and rebranded by celebrating the simple pleasures of farm life but with designer cred that is layered throughout. The interiors of the hotel -13 restored labourer's cottages – were conceptualised by Karen Roos, former editor South African ELLE Decoration, with an elegant mix of antiques and designer pieces. Seven of these have glass-walled kitchens leading into the kitchen gardens, designed by French architect Patrice Taravella and featuring traditional hanging gardens, chamomile lawns and a walled bee garden. A meal in the award-winning Babel restaurant, formerly the cow shed, with its farm-to-table menu of freshly plucked ingredients from the garden is one of the estate's many delights. Surrounded by the dramatic mountains of the Drakenstein Valley, Franschhoek is 24 km away. (2015-03-12 -> 2015-12-01: The restaurant is being refurbished.)