Hawksmoor House, Stellenbosch

Entering into Slow Time

One of my favourite scenes by novelist Kurt Vonnegut[i] is where he describes the late night bonding between an insomniac war veteran and his faithful dog, where he writes “I let him know that I like him and he lets me know that he likes me.” This simple sentiment is what I wish to express about everything at Hawksmoor House, including their two easily likeable hounds. From the first email, to the reception at the hotel, to the tour of the grand Cape Dutch style homestead, one is made to feel warmly welcomed.

I run out of superlatives during the showing of the 300-year old homestead, with its original Aga stove and Oregon pine corner kitchen cupboard. The resplendent dining room is layered with priceless antiques, with enormous double doors and windows. The lounge has a cavernous fireplace and beautifully upholstered grand chairs. There is an elegant furnished verandah at the back of the building, overlooking a long Koi pond with thick purple lavender bushes back-lit by the setting sun.

I love a country estate with plenty of tumbling outbuildings, which abound here at Hawksmoor House. The accommodation has been expertly integrated into the outbuildings and the original manor house, such that no new additions have been built onto the property. It is hard to choose amongst the fabulously decorated suites, but finally I settle on a stay in the old Slave Quarters, in the grey room. The grey walls are so rich they almost look blue in the sunlight which streams into the room throughout the day. Even the elaborate French country-style dressing table, wardrobe, headboard and mirrors are painted in the same grey tones. The colour is enhanced by the white borders of the tall sash windows and double doors, and the cool, creamy limestone flagged floors. The room has views over the autumn-hued vineyards, across the valley to the mountains beyond. Indeed, I like this place very well.

What I love about Hawksmoor House:

• The lovely approach into the estate, towards the original Cape Dutch homestead, flanked by two equally gracious oak trees
• The celebration of the historical buildings, which have been sensitively restored to be light and spacious without losing any architectural integrity
• Staying on a working farm, without preciousness or sterile blandness, but full of texture and warm country hospitality
• Gentle pooches which elegantly decorate the Persian carpets in the impressive dining room
• Individually decorated suites with lavish style and bold use of modern colour
• Conveniently located just off the N1, with easy access to Stellenbosch, Paarl, Franschhoek and Cape Town, yet with a country feel which encourages a gentle slowing down of one’s usual frenetic pace of life

Accommodation Experience

If I stay here much longer I shall be a very clean prune – I find myself entering slow time and I have one of the lengthiest, loveliest baths ever. A deep Victoria and Albert bath is set up against a tall sash window, with views across the valley to the mountains beyond. I watch the setting sun turn the mountains and skies pink, enjoying the contrast of the cool breeze from the open window with the hot water. Some guinea fowl are outside the window making their musical tuck-tucking.

Single-tasking is the new buzz word on the spiritual and psychological block – the simple act of doing one thing at a time, with mindful attention and appreciation. An antidote to the stress and hectic pace of modern life, the idea is to be fully present to each activity, using this awareness to slow us down and become more awake to life. And what better place to try out this practice than at Hawksmoor House, in the beautiful Cape winelands.

We have so little time on this earth – do we really want to spend it living a kind of half-life – never slowing enough to feel the texture of fresh food, the grass under our feet or the sun on our skin? We lose hours, days, weeks to mindless rushing or dull drudgery. Instead we are invited to participate actively in the small everyday miracles of life – the full experience of simply tasting a cup of tea, not gulping it down while texting and planning when to fit in the shopping. I am having the privilege of entering into this slow time at this country retreat, where time is stretching before me in delicious, sacred moments. And I highly recommend it to you, wherever you find yourself now, in this moment of time.

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[i] In his novel Slaughterhouse 5

The Robertson Small Hotel, Robertson

Proudly South African

Wherever you are based, get thee to the Robertson Small Hotel. What could be better than packing a few of your favourite things into a stylish weekend bag and heading out into the country for a weekend of relaxation and pampering?

I had been so focused on the images I had seen of the beautiful interiors of the hotel that I forgot what a spectacularly scenic drive it is from Cape Town to Robertson, whichever route you take. I took what you might call the long way round, heading out on the N2 from Cape Town, turning off the freeway onto the breath-taking coastal route through Gordon’s Bay, Pringle Bay and up through the Bonnievale winelands through to Robertson. On the way back I followed the Paarl mountains, driving right alongside their intimidating height softened only at the base by pristine pink and yellow fynbos.

Arriving in Robertson, one approaches the quintessential South African small-town steepled chapel, at the end of Church Street. The hotel itself is situated in an old leafy suburb in an avenue lined with similarly quaint Victorian architectured houses. The pretty and classical exterior belies the trendy modern interiors, with creamy leather sofas, glass walls, skylights and soft chrome lighting.

I stay in the Stables Honeymoon Suite, a long, attic-style room with an open plan bedroom, lounge and bathroom. The care with which the suite has been designed cannot be sufficiently praised, from the clever layout to the elegant decor. Everything matches the plush cream and chocolate theme, from the silvery creamy couch, to the warm brown wood-grained beams and furniture, even down to the matching kettle, fridge and dustbin. No holds have been barred in the pursuit of finesse, luxury and perfection.

What I love about the Roberston Small Hotel:

• Somehow this elegant hotel balances the textured traditional architecture with the smooth modern fittings, combining glamorous style with friendly warmth and hospitality
• There is a clever configuration of rooms within the hotel grounds, with suites in different parts of the hotel and facing different directions for privacy and views of features like pools and courtyards
• Deep baths in glossy bathrooms with white ceramic wall tiles, grey stone floor tiles and characterful attic-style beams
• Thick wrap-around white towels
• Under-floor heating, air-conditioning and a faux fur throw
• A serious contender for SA’s best hotel linen award, with the softest, silkiest white bed-linen yet to be discovered
• iPod docking station, large flat screen TV and DVD player
• Discreet turndown service while one is at dinner, with a poem left on the bed alongside the pillow chocs
• Staff move silently and cheerfully about, putting cushions out on the pool chairs before we are awake and even making the bed, tidying the room and emptying the dustbins while one is at breakfast or dinner
• Complementary drinks in the room’s bar fridge
• One of the highlights is South African chef Rueben’s restaurant with wonderful flavour combinations and superb breakfast

Accommodation experience

Before going to the Robertson Small Hotel, I kept visiting the hotel’s website, scrutinising every page for potential flaws, with the main aim of lowering my very high expectations to avoid disappointment. I needn’t have been mistrustful as everything was exceptional, dare I even say, perfect. I finally believe the hype that the hotel has been causing.

As I sit in the restaurant I overhear some foreign guests “oohing” and “aahing” over their meal. “Zis is ten out of ten” says one enthusiastic German man to my right. An American woman seated behind me cannot believe how far her dollars can take her in terms of the quality of accommodation. I feel a great surge of pride at what South Africa has to offer such visitors – truly world class scenery, natural areas, wildlife, food, wine and accommodation. The Robertson Small Hotel feels like it represents a coming of age for South African hospitality. Set in a Victorian building, while expressing an almost Scandanavian modern-meets-traditional feel, with service and amenities set to the highest international standards, still there is nothing colonial about the hotel. It has a distinctly South African flavour and shows off some of our finest local talent. The Robertson Small Hotel showcases the best of what South Africa has to offer and is pioneering the way in cutting edge affordable luxury.

Terra Casa, Rustenburg

Wholehearted warmth

There’s a tangible difference when someone has created a space creatively and with a genuine care about hospitality, rather than ticking the boxes of convenience or star ratings. Terra Casa in Rustenburg was clearly prepared by someone passionate and thoughtful about accommodation. This approach is reflected in the titles of the suites, named after famous artists – Van Gogh, Michelangelo, Gauguin. I chose to stay in the Da Vinci suite, a choice which, I am ashamed to say, had less to do with the work of the original artist, and more to do with the glorious bath shown on the website photographs.

The suite is spacious and sensory, with glossy terra cotta tiles and a rich red rug. The grain of timber in the antique writing desk adds further warmth, while the stonework of the wall behind the bath adds texture in keeping with the natural style of the decor. Said wide stone bath in the bedroom beckons its promise of the main entertainment of the stay. An indoor fireplace and double doors with a Juliet balcony complete the effect.

What I love about Terra Casa:

• Beautiful stonework, terra cotta tiles and natural timber furnishings
• Opulent decor with individually themed suites
• Luxurious baths, wide showers and plush towels
• Warm carpets, fireplaces, air-conditioning and exterior double doors
• Situated in a convenient suburb, with easy access to the N4 and Rustenburg shopping mall and restaurants
• Free wifi, plentiful plug points and adaptors and all the mod cons for the business traveller

Accommodation experience

It’s a happy stay for a business stop-over and I find myself sinking mindfully into the experience rather than stressing about the day ahead. Brother David Steindl-Rast says “The antidote to exhaustion is not necessarily rest – the antidote to exhaustion is wholeheartedness.” David Whyte adds “The reason why you are so exhausted is that much of what you are doing you have no affection for. You are doing it because you have an abstract idea that you should be doing it.” He says the end result is that there is a part of you “beginning to impersonate yourself.” When places like this are created by people who are wholehearted in providing a unique accommodation experience, the warmth of the hospitality is felt in every aspect of one’s stay. And somehow this is transferred to the weary traveller or grumpy business person, to encourage us to also work and live more wholeheartedly, or to bravely begin the journey of discovery of what makes us truly wholehearted.

Toadbury Hall, Elandsdrift, Gauteng

 

The peaceful interior guesthouse

Avoiding the intensity of inner-city Johannesburg for a change, I find myself drawn to the green outskirts of the Magaliesberg area. I stay at Toadbury Hall, an establishment which is everything its name suggests – white-washed walls, high thatched ceilings and wonky wooden beams, rose bushes, green lawns down to pretty lakes. There are rich sounds of ducks and peacocks and Highveld birds.

What I love about Toadbury Hall:

• Gracious old trees which seep up any stress or angst
• White-washed long-barn style thatched building
• Lakes, willow trees and water birds
• Pretty lake-side deck for breakfast, elegant dining spaces and green lawns for picnics
• Roses, gentle fountains and peacocks
• Fine embroidered linen and towels
• Spacious suites, individually decorated with unique character

Accommodation experience

Righteous Anger and Existential Despair are more than what the great Persian Poet Rumi describes as “visitors of my interior guesthouse”. Rather, they have taken up permanent residence, like illegal squatters protected by some new unfair laws of justice. I try to keep things as quiet as possible, so as not to disturb these unruly residents but every now and then they come out of their rooms, ranting and wreaking havoc within and without. So I was more than a little nervous of a disturbance, after a week of intense work and travel which culminated in the traffic of Gauteng, the feeding grounds of impatience and stress. However when I drove out of the traffic into the tree-lined avenues at Toadbury Hall, a weight lifted and I felt that spacious calm which tall trees and a historic building in a natural setting can bring.

I chose number 6, the Bridal Suite, all to myself and my ever-present interior friends. It is situated at a far end of the manor house, with a private courtyard and tinkling fountain which of course pleases me greatly. But I confess I chose this suite for the grand four-poster bed. As I rest in bed I come to the carefully considered conclusion that this is indeed the most beautiful bed I have ever lain in. It has dark red turned wood, which looks like cherry. While grand, it is not imposing and has an embracing friendliness. It sits well in the spacious suite with its terra cotta tiled floors and double glass doors. The embroidered silky white linen lends the final touch to a soothing and containing space.

Rumi’s poem says:

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all

even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture.

Still treat each guest honourably,

he may be clearing you out

for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,

meet them at the door laughing,

and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,

because each has been sent

as a guide from beyond.

There are times when we need to embrace our unruly interior guests with grace and self-compassion, but I was equally grateful to find a peaceful space where it was easy to let them rest until another day.