The leafy Constantia Valley, 20 minutes from central Cape Town, is a place rich in history. It’s a valley of old forests, old estates, old money, and – especially when it comes to hotels – grand old dames.
The Cellars-Hohenort is certainly the grandest, set amid lush gardens of indigenous forest and manicured rose gardens to offer a genteel bolthole that’s long drawn a mature clientele looking for luxurious exclusivity.
But this storied hotel is also upping its game in the design stakes, and a major revamp of the delightful Conservatory Restaurant and adjoining hotel bar – a bit of a hidden gem in Constantia – ensuring that the Cellars-Hohenort is moving neatly with the times. Just as you’d expect for one of South Africa’s few members of the prestigious Small Luxury Hotels of the World portfolio.
While the bar has been freshened up, the biggest change is in the Conservatory restaurant, where local studio HotCocoa Interiors & Design have transformed the flagship restaurant into a light-filled space layered in colour and texture.
Walls have been knocked down, replaced by glass for better views into the historic gardens, while geometric tiles and a riot of greenery play neatly into the jungle-fever aesthetic with a dash of heritage. As well as the interior revamp the delightful garden terrace now sports a jasmine-clad pergola that’ll be an oasis of lazy afternoons and cold white wine this summer.
But it’s not just the décor that’s new here.
Head Chef Daniel Blignaut channels his experience in luxury safari lodges and boutique hotels to create a summer menu that is light in touch with no shortage of creativity and complexity.
Think soft-shell crab redolent with Asian five-spice, plated with marinated mushroom, candied walnut and strawberry vinaigrette, or perhaps the rack of Overberg lamb with garden pea purée and caramelized fennel. But Blignaut also brings creativity to meat-free plates, with a standalone vegan menu so delicious it’s likely to tempt even the most committed of meat-eaters.
Sip, sup, or stay the night; The Cellars-Hohenort should be on your summer hit-list in the Mother City. Book here.
Prefer urban energy to winelands chic? Check out the new Pullman Cape Town City Centre.