Babylonstoren Farm – Its like heaven on earth!

A new property featured in our brochure this year is Babylonstoren Farm. It really has made an impression with those of our colleagues who have visited.

Janine Southwood: This is my new favourite ‘thing’ – what an absolutely gorgeous product! The hotel is beautiful. Really IS A GEM.. and lots of people talking about it.. love the homemade feel of everything. For the group that visited Babylorenstoren Farm, the feedback has been this was a highlight.

Colette Bailey: This property became an immediate favourite within minutes of arrival. Everything about Babylonstoren screams class. The rooms are comfortable and stylish, the backdrop mountains breath taking and the gardens are gorgeous and so well maintained. Highlights at the property are Garden tour that takes you through the gardens and farm as well as the vintage conservatory known as the Greenhouse Restaurant. The staff were so welcoming in every part of the estate from the wine cellar, the deli or even when walking through the gardens and farm. I would recommend this special property without hesitation.

Bradley Chinnian: Fantastic property, it’s like heaven on earth if I have to describe it. Beautiful gardens and the accommodation is something else.

Shannon Powell: A quirky Cape Dutch farm (both classic and trendy) with beautiful gardens and herbs. There are over 350 edible products on the farm. It’s also wheel chair friendly. You will need at least 2 hours to walk the spectacular gardens.

Claudia Bold: One of the best places I’ve ever visited. It’s a completely natural and truly authentic farm experience…. just like as a kid in my Grandmothers garden.

Elizabeth Edwards: A fabulous property! Awesome amazing and indulgent rooms and then, the farm to explore. Magnificent gardens. Lovely to spend lots of time immersed in the moment – lie on the camomile lawn and breathe!

Babylonstoren is one of the oldest Cape Dutch farms, dating back to 1692. It has a fruit and vegetable garden of beauty and diversity, unique accommodation, fine food and a sense of wellbeing.

With the Simonsberg, Du Toitskloof and Franschhoek mountains as its backdrop, the garden is majestic. Every aspect of Babylonstoren – including the contemporary Farm Hotel & Spa, the Farm Shop and Bakery – are led by the ever-changing tapestry and botanical diversity of the garden.

At Babylonstoren Farm Hotel, the overall effect is relaxed yet well-heeled with some of the existing farm buildings transformed into sophisticated guest accommodation. Set adjacent to the garden, the hotel is characterised by thick whitewashed walls, elegant gables and hearty fireplaces that emulate an authentic farm stay experience.

The garden spans 3,5 hectares (8 acres). Patrice Taravella gave the garden geometric bones. His creation sits on an axis that extends east to west along the traditional lines of the old whitewashed Cape Dutch werf (farmyard), then north to south from Babel Restaurant to the Babylonstoren koppie. It comprises 15 clusters spanning vegetable areas, stone and pome fruits, nuts, citrus, berries, bees, herbs, ducks, chickens as well as a prickly pear maze. Gravity feeds water from a stream by rills into the garden, flowing through ponds planted with edible lotus, nymphaea lilies and waterblommetjies.

Every one of the more than 300 varieties of plants in the garden is edible or has medicinal value. They are grown as organically as possible and in a biologically sustainable manner. The fruit and vegetables are used for their fresh garden juices. Visitors to the garden are encouraged to pick and eat as they walk through. In the hotel guests are welcomed with wooden boxes filled with seasonal fruits. They also harvest fruit and vegetables all year round for use in their farm-to-fork restaurants. When the garden cannot provide enough, fruit harvested from the farm’s orchards is used to supplement the supply. Any surplus fruit is distilled or used to make jams, cordials and preserves for the Farm Shop.

Their food philosophy is simple, generous and honest. Fresh, seasonal food that is closely tied to its origins in the garden. The style of food leans towards simplicity, but they play with unexpected flavour combinations and new varieties of fruit and vegetables in every meal. While their meals are creative, they don’t like to tamper unduly with their food. Meals are always clear in structure, so that fruit and vegetables gathered daily from the garden is often served whole or with the skin on…. Guests must be able to see what they are eating. The Greenhouse menu subscribes to the self-same ‘pick, clean and serve’ philosophy as Babel, but with a strong emphasis on honest food with little to no fuss.