South Africa’s Babylonstoren Is a Stunning Winery Hotel

Less than an hour’s drive inland from Cape Town, at the centre of a triangle of renowned wine regions known collectively as the Cape Winelands, sits a stunning winery hotel that is more of an ecosystem. Babylonstoren is a restored farm the size of a town: 1,070 wooded and cultivated hectares with 33 rooms, suites, and cottages, and 12 acres of fruits and vegetables. Buildings are a mix of elegantly modern and original whitewashed Cape Dutch structures, some of which date back to 1692. 

From the terrace of Babylonstoren’s super-luxe Fynbos Family House, a magnificent five-bedroom villa that opened in 2024, native grasses and vines roll toward a dramatic mountainscape, set against the hazy blue of the sky. It’s so peaceful here that it’s tempting to stay put, drifting in the elegant wooden swing beside the private pool, or grilling meat from the farm shop for a braai, as South Africans call their barbecues. Except that, a short bike- or buggy-ride down the broad, red-earthed avenues, past Merlot vines, blood orange trees, and vast clumps of lavender, is the beating heart of the estate. 

Gourds called calabashes dangle from shaded trellises, plants in the vast herb garden reach toward the sunlight. There’s a rice paddy and a prickly pear maze; water buffalo, for the property to make its own mozzarella; naartjies, a local kind of tangerine; and the wonderfully named num num tree, which produces large crimson fruit for conserves and jellies, best tried on fresh-baked scones in the glass-walled Greenhouse cafe. One of those historic whitewashed buildings is now a Coffee Roastery, while another is a bakery and a third a Gelato Room, marvelously decorated by glowing lights in the shape of upside-down ice cream cones – and yes, those buffalo supply milk for the ice creams. 

At Babel restaurant, farm to fork takes on a different meaning: the local meat or fish come with vegetables and herbs plucked straight from the extraordinary gardens: pick your own, if you like, the 300-plus species are all edible. Or drinkable: The superb estate wines range from pretty Chardonnays to rich Cabernet Sauvignons via Babylonstoren rosé, made from the Mourvèdre grape, no insipid Provençal pink but a gorgeously herbaceous wine ideal for pairing with heirloom tomatoes or charcuterie… or their rose geranium panna cotta. The Babel red blend is a luscious yet structured combination, principally Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, overflowing with blackberries and dark chocolate: the perfect accompaniment to that braai.

For wine lovers, there are tastings, winery tours (check out those stately amphorae!), or simply wander through the informative and decorative Wine Museum. Guests less interested in alcohol can opt for a bitterlekker, a fizz made from homegrown citrus, honeybush tea, and rosemary. Beyond the walls are hiking trails and scenic drives into the Simonberg Mountains, as well as a restored 19th-century farm, while beyond the gates lies the rest of South Africa – if you can find the time.

Babylonstoren was named among the Top 15 Hotels for Food and Drink in F&W's 2025 Global Tastemakers awards. Room and breakfast from $570 per night, includes garden access, guided garden tour and fishing, bicycles, rowing, a mountain drive, bread baking, a cellar tour, wine tasting, Soetmelksvlei (farm) experience, laundry (six items per day), workshops, and a personalized larder. Children under 2 stay free.