Abalone House

Babylonstoren belongs to the places that are too beautiful to describe with words. You must have slept in one of the white cottages, sucked in the earthy air in the morning and then walked over the 580 hectare farm to understand its full beauty. Karen Roos, former editor-in-chief of Elle Decoration, bought the 17th century farm with her husband in 2007 and opened Babylonstoren three years later with 13 cottages that can accommodate two or four people, two restaurants, a spa and pool and, of course, the farm that almost self-serves the hotel. Oil, fruit, vegetables, grain and wine come from the hotel’s own vineyards. Breakfast is taken blissfully in the greenhouse and how the day goes on, whether you relax at the pool, canoe on the hotel’s own waters or help with the grape harvest is up to you. The garden and the restaurant are also open for external guests who do not stay overnight.