Welcome, says the info booklet in the Spier Hotel suites, to our family farm. Warm, inviting, considered … the hotel and farm offer so much to do, see, experience.
If you’re planning on a trip to Spier (and if you aren’t, you should) and have an idea of how many nights you should stay, add on a few. There is just so much to do, to experience, to enjoy … and it’s a waste not to take full advantage.
Spier is one of the oldest wine farms in the country, established in 1692 … so it goes without saying that a tasting should be high up on the essentials list … either alongside the farm’s dam, or in the Wine Library, which is tucked between the farm’s Veld and Garden Room restaurants.
Veld is the more formal of the restaurants, with a smallish but exceptional dinner menu (if the grilled Karoo lamb cutlets are on the menu, don’t hesitate to order!), for breakfasts and lunches the Garden Room sits alongside the pool, and above that is the adults only Rooftop Bar – a chic spot to enjoy cocktail sundowners around the fire pit. There’s also Vadas Smokehouse and Bakery out on the Werf, while a fab option in fair weather is a picnic … stock up on scrumptious, farm-grown and homemade goodies at the Picnickery and sit out on the lawns under the ancient oaks and yellowwood trees.
Definitely make time to visit the organic food garden … produce for the hotel is grown here, as are medicinal herbs that are used in the spa. The kids will love the ducks, the farm’s natural pest control squad!
For those who can’t resist a shopping spree (us, that’s us!), the Cowshed is crammed with buys you can’t, and shouldn’t resist, and alongside is The Soil Room … plants and seeds and gardening treats that those with green fingers will just swoon over.
The more energetic can stroll or run around the farm, there’s the Bike Shed where you can help yourself to a village bike, as well as segeways, and e-scooters available for youngsters. Paradise for birders … look out for everything from the Eastern White Pelican to Spotted Eagle-Owls, from Malachite Kingfisher to the lovely Blue Crane.
Art plays a massive role in the Spier lifestyle. There is a significant collection of contemporary South African art – there’s spectacular pieces throughout the estate, and we were particularly impressed with the Spier Light Art exhibition, which glows come sundown, with pieces scattered around the dam and Werf.
Let’s talk hedonism. The Spier Spa. Everything is considered, bespoke, restorative, from the setting in the Cape Floral Kingdom garden to the gift of Vine Therapy vanilla and peppermint lip balm in your locker. The highlight in a menu full of spoils is the signature experience in the Cape Herbal Bath House, a soft aqua-hued studio where there’s a warm stone treatment table for an exfoliation body scrub treatment, a bath where you soak in warm water infused with handmade herbal poultices and cocooned in a soft linen wrap, and massage tables where the massage incorporates smooth stones collected from the river that runs through the farm. You can have couples treatments if a romantic getaway is on the cards, and spend as little as 15 minutes (eyelash tint) to as long as five hours (full day retreat) at the Spa.
Kids are treated like VIPs … there’s a Buzz Club with guided play and activities, a play garden and, for when mum and dad are wine tasting, a specially curated kids’ tasting experience. Babysitting’s available, and kids are welcome in most areas … on a recent visit there were a half a dozen or so under-fives, who happily explored and played alongside their holidaying parents, as well as dozens of tweens and young teens, who loved the Light Art in particular.
The hotel boasts the last word in luxury as far as rooms go … think generously sized suites, which boast king beds, private dressing rooms and heritage-style bathrooms, private dining and living areas, and well-stocked kitchenettes. For groups or larger families, there are OTT luxurious three-bedroom private villas – think a private home with top hotel advantages … private heated pools, outdoor entertainment areas, fire pits, bespoke art-filled interiors and a dedicated service team, including a private chef.
Everything in the rooms, as it is around the hotel and farm, is intentional, well-thought-out, considered. There’s nothing you can think of that’s not available … however nothing is overdone, unnecessary, irrelevant. A stay can be as busy or as relaxed as you want it to be … either way, you’ll leave recharged and uplifted and enthusiastic. Just unfaultable!
Rates from around R8355 per couple, which includes breakfast, a complimentary minibar in your room, and hosted wine, art, and morning walk experiences. It also includes access to the Buzz Club for kids aged 3 to 12 years.
Details: spier.co.za
