Babylonstoren

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.

We stayed at Babylonstoren for three nights in February 2025. As a day destination we can understand the hype - the gardens are gorgeous, they have a well organised set-up of shops, wine tastings and tours, and a great restaurant (Babel) which is worth a visit in its own right (it was one of our best meals on our trip). However, the hotel feels very much a second priority, and its price tag per night (particularly in a South African context) is not justified. 1. Rooms: We were staying in one of the estate cottages (a mid-tier room), and whilst we had no issues with the cleaniness of the room, we felt it was very old and dated, and in serious need of a full revamp. The room looked like it was last refurbished ten years ago, with the bathroom and furniture in particular looking old, out dated and cheap. This would be fine if the hotel wasnt charging a rate per night in line with the top hotels in the Winelands (Leeu Estates, La Residence, etc), but given the premium we expected better. 2. Pools: for a hotel of its size (I think it has over 30 rooms) it has a lack of pool space which is very surprising. We counted three pools in total, however one of them is a small pool essentially for guests staying in the Manor House (and is right outside their rooms), the other is at the Spa and weirdly has no view (surrounded by bamboo) and is also open to day guests, and the third (and best) is up at the Fynbos cottages but only has about 10 or so sunloungers. This really needs to be sorted out. We were very surprised there wasn't a big infinity style pool somewhere which made the most of its amazing location and views. 3. Service: we found service a bit haphazard. At the pools there is a complimentary bar. This is a great concept but seems to be at the detriment of any actual service. So we noticed that the wines and fridges were often only refilled at the start of the day, unless you asked them to do it. This led to a couple of occasions where the wine was left in the sun in no ice, and the fridges ran out of water and some of the soft drinks. In addition, at no point did any member of staff offer us a drink - which again for a five start hotel was surprising. Even if the drinks are complimentary it would be a nice touch if a member of staff offered people a drink (this happened at another of our hotels). What surprised us most about all of the above is that this is a hotel with a fabulous reputation and part of a group which includes the Newt (in our view one of the best hotels in the UK). They don't need to do much to solve the above, but at the moment it feels like they are resting on their laurels and focused on day guests. Definitely worth a visit, but there are better hotels to stay at.

Lovely gardens and views bit pretentious for us Big thing about fresh veg from the garden shame it is not cooked Travelling about the site in golf cart is not the best especially when they get taken by others when parked We found it difficult to contact reception by telephone and many of the trips were fully booked so our visit was left wanting Book before you go that’s the best I think Shame I was looking forward to this part of the holiday The mountain trip is well worth it

Lovely stay at a unique hotel The hotel is beautiful and the farm was gorgeous to walk/cycle around. Breakfast service to get a cup of tea was a little slow occasionally, one day waited 30 mins before we got the tea, then milk and then sugar. The food was all beautifully presented. We really enjoyed our stay but did not think it was good vfm.

A beautiful property that is a farm, vineyard and orchard. Everything we ate was delicious and the Carnivore dinner at the Old Bakery is a must. Do as many activities, that are included with your stay. Ask about their sister property that is a 18th century farm as well as the mountain pool. The farm/garden tour were very informative and the water buffalo outing is a must.

Genius concept Amazing place, perfect ambiance, you really feel comfortable. Many exciting activities. Fantastic breakfast. All planned to smallest detail. Staff very engaged. We are coming back.