Angala Boutique Hotel, Franschhoek

Portal of gratitude

Imagine this – five star luxury in a natural setting, with a spiritual focus to their beautiful accommodation. I feel I have fallen through a portal of gratitude into a parallel world. The meaning behind the name Angala includes the creation of the earth by the divine, an ongoing process of regenerating limitless potential (see www.angala.co.za). One enters into this spirit the moment one drives through the wine estate and walks past the large wooden sculptured heart and thick lavender into the open plan lounge and elegant dining area of the lodge.

Angala looks out to mountains for 360 degrees of its view. It is the perfect central location between Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and Paarl, from which to explore the surrounding wine estates, restaurants and countryside – if you ever manage to leave that is. I overhear a couple asking if they may extend their stay at Angala and I similarly long to make this my loveliest of homes for as long as possible. The peace and stillness simply captivate one and a quiet bond soon develops amongst the likeminded, nature-loving guests and warm, calm staff.

The light-filled rooms overlook the lake or gardens which are rich with diverse birdlife. Each room has a lounge area opening with double glass doors onto a private verandah with seating area. Back inside there is a round dining table with chairs, a most beautiful bespoke kitchenette wardrobe with cutlery and crockery, a Nespresso coffee maker, microwave, chopping board and sink. Every luxury has been thought of, and there are beautiful cotton gowns and slippers, heated towel rails, underfloor heating, air-conditioning and a ceiling fan. In the sophisticated bedroom area there is subtle downlighting and pretty bedside lamps to highlight the silky white linen and upholstered headboard.

But it's the bathrooms that win my decor heart - tiled in marble, fitted in minimalist white and with one side a full height set of glass sliding doors with views onto private gardens and the lake beyond. A deep freestanding bath faces the lovely view past double indoor showers and an outdoor shower on the deck. A portion of the deck wall rolls away to open the sense of space and continuity even further.

This is cutting-edge South African accommodation - the perfect blend of sensory, spiritual, environmental, natural, modern and aesthetic. The gardens are lush and decorated with soulful wooden sculptures. The open area in front of the main lodge is graced with an exquisite eco-pool, surrounded by Arum Lilies, Daffodils and reeds. 

I love it when an historic building is brought gently into the 21^st Century with aesthetic care and the main lodge is both modern and traditional, and very South African. It has a wide verandah on two sides, one side overlooking the valley, and the other side facing the eco pool. There is an outdoor and indoor fireplace with wooden and grey upholstered eco-style furniture. The food, which is served outdoors when the weather is good, is delicious and I feel a surge of pride in what South African accommodation like this offers its delighted guests.

Accommodation Experience:

Ascetic spirituality has us conditioned to divide the beautiful and pampering from the spiritual. This stems, perhaps, from Descarte’s mind-body dualism and the disillusionment with the wealth and corruption seen in the church, coinciding with the birth of the paradoxically titled “enlightenment” and modernism. The shift meant giving perhaps too much power to the scientific and intellectual, with the loss of the soulful and natural. Rediscovery of ancient spiritual practices like Mindfulness are now encouraging us to spend less time trapped in our thoughts and to bridge the mind-body divide by integrating the spiritual with the sensory and living fully in the present moment. Still, the idea of simply being present to nature and our senses scares us.

I decide to take up the challenge, and instead of dashing about taking too many photographs, as I would usually do, I decide to make the most of my heavenly bathroom at Angala.

If you have never had the privilege of an outdoor shower under open African skies, this should be on your list. And Angala has one of the best outdoor showers I have ever experienced – overlooking the mountains and gardens from a raised wooden platform with wooden sides for complete privacy. A cool breeze comes off the lake and brings the scent of orange blossom in from the garden.

As usual, despite all the luxury and finesse, it is nature that steals the show. From my shower I see a bright yellow and black bishop flit past and an emerald sunbird comes to visit. A distant mountain, the Paarl perhaps, is suddenly lit up in a spectacular display of light breaking through the clouds. I don’t even rush for my camera, just smile and gaze in silent awe and gratitude.

Babylonstoren, between Franschhoek and Stellenbosch

Artistic Contrast

I arrived at Babylonstoren wondering if I might be the luckiest person on earth. I left certain I was.

Style meets substance at this chic, eco-conscious haven of good taste. Here they understand the art of contrast, where old style Cape Dutch thatched buildings are perfectly balanced with crisp glass and white, modern furniture.

I love the thick whitewashed walls, with their deep, shuttered windows. There are wide stable doors with exposed timber lintels. The interiors are serene – all white, with a four-poster bed and silky pale linen, offset by high ceilings with exposed trusses. Modern glass conservatory dining areas create a flow between the indoors with the outdoors.

Truly beautiful bathrooms, each have clever designs and deep, freestanding baths. There are heated towel rails, thick white towels and bathrobes.

Each suite has air-conditioning, a flatscreen TV with DSTV, a bar fridge, and complementary bottles of locally produced Babylonstoren red and white wine and olive oil. Treats arrive in the evening from the acclaimed local restaurant, Babel.

Accommodation Experience:

Aside from the famed restaurant, and cutting edge spa, the feature gardens are one of the main attractions at Babylonstoren. Not being much of a gardener myself, I force myself out of my beautifully decorated suite to take a dutiful tour of the grounds. I am instantly drawn into the natural, organic gardens which are both curvy and styled, the heady growth contrasted with artistic mosaic inlays and sculptures. I make my way towards an interesting looking tunnel in a quiet corner of the gardens. As I enter the tunnel and round a corner, I come upon a multitude of hessian bags, hung on elegant ropes at different heights. They are bursting forth with plants – strawberries and other fresh green growth. It is a ridiculously marvelous sight, which at first stops me dead in my tracks. Then it takes me down a tunnel of insight where I suddenly see a glimpse of the passionate dedication and artistic release with which the gardens were developed. I am overcome with a sense of appreciation, drawn into a mystical portal of awe and wonder. Here there was no pandering or second guessing – just a bold vision of creative expression. You can feel the imperative. This is true art – where someone has given freedom of expression to their creative instincts and unique personality, which moves us into a space from which we can be inspired to be daring and excessive and to excel beyond all imposed traditional boundaries.

The Cottage at Montpellier

Making it our own

Sometimes staying in a guesthouse or a cottage feels like an invasion of someone else’s space. We felt instantly possessive over the cottage at Montpellier. It felt like our own private villa, a holiday cottage where we could relax and be completely ourselves. The privacy was lovely and we basked in the solitude and stillness. Set up against what felt like our very own mountain, the cottage has plentiful double doors, with views right up the mountain on one side, or down the across the valley to the mountains beyond. The interiors are perfectly complementary to the setting, themed in a French country farmhouse style. There is a constant play of texture and light.

In the open plan lounge there is a grand fireplace, a large comfortable creamy couch and wingback chair, hessian text-printed cushions, thick woven grey rugs and koir matting. There is an oversized basket with firewood. The kitchen has a wooden dining table and chairs, and is well equipped with a Nespresso machine, full sized fridge and oven. The butler’s sink and cool grey screed flooring contributes to the Provencial theme while the sun streams in from every angle.

The cottage has its own private swimming pool with views to open the heart. Grey-green olive trees and rich orange rock set the palette for the exteriors and interiors. There are two bedrooms, one with twin single beds and one with a King size bed. Each bedroom has covered headboards, one in apricot with floral cushions to mirror the vibrant exterior stone. Every piece of wooden furniture and lighting has been tastefully selected to match the country theme. The windows and doors are shuttered. There is air-conditioning in both bedrooms and the beds are dressed in cool white cotton linen. 

Each bedroom is en-suite, the main bedroom with a freestanding Victorian bath set up against a window with views straight up the mountain. Both bathrooms have an enormous walk-in shower. 

Accommodation Experience

Despite the many fabulous restaurants in the area, we decide to eat in, or should I say, al fresco. We lay the small, round table by the pool with linen napkins and candles, and we fill our wine glasses with a chilled complimentary Chenin Blanc. It has been a hot day, and it is a relief to see the sun set and feel the cool breeze come off the mountain. As we watch the moon rise over the pool and hear an owl gently hoot from the grove of olive trees below, we congratulate ourselves on staying in. It has meant participating in the creation of a romantic memory which I know we will draw on for many years to come.