The Hotel
Babylonstoren is the structural Cape Winelands farm-to-table-and-wellness anchor — the property runs 28 rooms in the original 1692 Cape-Dutch Manor House and 18 farmhouse cottages on a 200-hectare working farm at the foot of the Simonsberg Mountains in Simondium (between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek). Karen Roos and Koos Bekker acquired the original Babylonstoren farm in 2007 with the structural conservation-and-restoration intent, and re-opened the contemporary luxury-hotel-and-farm operation in 2010. The structural distinction is the working-farm authenticity at luxury-hotel scale — Babylonstoren operates as a fully functional Cape Dutch farm with structured fruit-and-vegetable production, beef cattle, dairy, charcuterie programme, brandy-and-wine cellar, and the Simondium structural Cape-Dutch architectural integrity that no other Cape Winelands property holds.
Rooms split across the Manor House (the heritage-Cape-Dutch core suites with restored 1692 architectural integrity), the Garden Cottages (in the original farmworker-cottage configurations restored under Karen Roos stewardship), and the Farmhouses (the 18 free-standing farmhouse cottages distributed across the 200-hectare estate). All accommodations hold the property's structural Karen-Roos decorative practice — Cape-Dutch-vernacular furniture commissioned through the Babylonstoren restoration programme, Cape-vernacular-textile collaboration with Western-Cape craft cooperatives, structured natural-fibre upholstery, and direct kitchen-garden-or-Simonsberg sightlines.
The 8-acre formal kitchen garden — designed by French landscape designer Patrice Taravella in the structural geometric formal-garden register — is the property's structural anchor and the most-photographed hotel kitchen-garden in southern Africa. The garden runs 300+ species across the formal beds (citrus, deciduous fruits, vegetable, herbal, vine, and ornamental sections); structured daily garden-walks and harvest-day programming run year-round; the seasonal Babel restaurant runs from the kitchen garden with the structural same-day-harvest tasting-menu programme. The Babylonstoren Wellness Centre runs structured Cape-fynbos-and-clay treatment programming with named therapist-guided programmes; the property's brandy distillery, wine cellar, dairy, and charcuterie operations are structurally part of the guest experience.
What gives Babylonstoren its considered Cape Winelands position is the working-farm authenticity at luxury-hotel scale and the Patrice-Taravella formal-kitchen-garden. No other Cape Winelands property runs the working-1692-Cape-Dutch-farm authenticity; no other South African luxury hotel runs the Patrice-Taravella formal-garden register; and the structural farm-to-table programme anchored on the 8-acre garden gives Babylonstoren the most-considered farm-to-table luxury context in Africa. For the structural Cape Winelands wellness-retreat, a multi-generation family farm-and-wellness trip, or a slow-paced Cape Winelands-and-Cape-Town circuit, Babylonstoren is the most-considered Cape Winelands choice.
Best Occasion Fit
Wellness Retreat
Babylonstoren's 8-acre Patrice-Taravella formal kitchen garden, the structured Cape-fynbos Wellness Centre programming, daily garden-walk-and-harvest programming, and the seasonal Babel kitchen-garden tasting-menu position the property as the structural Cape Winelands wellness retreat anchor. Pair four nights at Babylonstoren with three nights at Delaire Graff Estate for the structural Cape Winelands wellness-and-luxury arc.
Family Holiday
Babylonstoren's 18 free-standing farmhouse cottages across the 200-hectare estate are the structural family-friendly Cape Winelands choice. Family stays here typically anchor on farmhouse bookings, daily kitchen-garden-and-farm-walk programming, structured Cape-fynbos hiking on the Simonsberg trails, and the property's signature dairy-and-charcuterie tasting programme.
Practical Information
Address
Klapmuts-Simondium Road
Simondium, Western Cape 7670
South Africa
Rooms & Rates
28 rooms + 18 farmhouse cottages
Manor House heritage-Cape-Dutch core suites
Garden Cottages in restored farmworker register
18 free-standing farmhouse cottages on 200-hectare estate
From ZAR 9,500/night Manor House
From ZAR 12,500/night Farmhouse
Check-in / Check-out
Check-in: 2:00 PM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Re-opened 2010 under Karen Roos stewardship
Open year-round; Cape Town CPT 50 minutes by car
Key Features
1692 working Cape Dutch farm at Simonsberg foot
8-acre Patrice Taravella formal kitchen garden
Babel kitchen-garden tasting-menu restaurant
Cape-fynbos Babylonstoren Wellness Centre
Working brandy distillery and wine cellar
Cape-vernacular dairy and charcuterie programmes
Daily garden-walks and seasonal harvest programming
Book Babylonstoren
Babylonstoren runs direct property reservations and structured Cape-Town-Babylonstoren cluster booking pathways. Direct booking returns the structural Manor House rate.
Book This Hotel →
Also Great in Cape Winelands
