Recently revealing new garden-themed interiors to match its surroundings, the Cellars-Hohenort Hotel and Spa in Constantia Valley beckons both locals and international travellers with its five-star allure and rich heritage.
Part of the esteemed Liz McGrath Collection, this hotel stands as a testament to luxury, elegance and South African warmth. From its vantage rooms offering views of the Table Mountain range to its meticulously maintained gardens, it is a treasure trove of experiences waiting to be unearthed.
Also read: Peep without punishment at this year’s Noordhoek Open Gardens
The Cellars-Hohenort Hotel is well-known for hosting weddings and special events, as well as serving picnics and decadent Classic High Teas. All rooms have stunning views of South Africa’s iconic Table Mountain range as well as the hotel’s extraordinary gardens.
Dine
The Cellars-Hohenort recently revealed its renovated Conservatory restaurant, showcasing a modern design and interiors, an updated summer menu and the expertise of a promising young head chef at its helm.
Tanya Johnson, General Manager of the Cellars-Hohenort, invites guests to delve into the rich history of Constantia while relishing the splendid surrounding gardens.
Courtesy of the creative flair of HotCocoa Interiors & Design, the famed Constantia eatery now exudes a fresh forest garden ambience, blending playful whimsy with a nod to the establishment’s storied past.
True to its moniker, The Conservatory centres around a glass atrium, now transformed into a serene indoor retreat. Its panoramic views meld dining spaces with the beauty of nature, leading patrons to a dining terrace adorned with a curved pergola, lush gardens and a distant tableau of Table Mountain.
The refreshed summer menu emphasizes lighter fare spotlighting local, fresh, seasonal ingredients while retaining many signature dishes that the Cellars-Hohenort is celebrated for.
Head Chef Daniel Blignaut, with his blend of experience and passion, collaborates with the Group Executive Chef of The Liz McGrath Collection, Tronette Dippenaar, ensuring a top-notch culinary journey imbued with authentic South African warmth and hospitality.
The Conservatory provides breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, alongside a special Terrace menu available between 3pm and 5pm.
Make a reservation:
- Times: Breakfast, 7am to 10:30am | Tea, 11am to 5pm | Lunch, 12pm to 2:30pm | Dinner, 6pm to 9:30pm
- Book: 021 794 2137 | [email protected] | dineplan.com
Sleep
After eating their fill at The Conservatory, guests can rest their heads in a variety of accommodations that promise luxury and elegance.
The property boasts eight premier suites, each distinctively designed, ranging from classic elegance to contemporary chic, with every suite reflecting its own unique character and its design influenced by the gardens.
A standout accommodation is the two-story villa, discreetly situated within the lush gardens. With a private driveway culminating in a subtle entrance, this self-contained villa epitomises privacy.
Equipped with all imaginable luxuries, it serves as an ideal retreat for families, small groups and VIP guests.
The hotel’s luxurious rooms, located in the venerable Hohenort building, offer expansive verandahs that overlook the hotel’s gardens.
Those opting for the entry-level double rooms will find them in both the Cellars Main House and the historic Hohenort Manor House, each room offering captivating vistas of either the Cape Peninsula or the verdant gardens.
Regardless of whether guests choose the double rooms, an exquisite suite or the Madiba Villa, the Cellars-Hohenort ensures a stay that remains etched in memory.
Book accommodation:
- Location: The Cellars-Hohenort Hotel & Spa | 93 Brommersvlei Road, Constantia Heights, Cape Town
- Website: thecellars-hohenorthotel.com
- Contact: 021 794 2137 | [email protected]
The spa
Located between the hotel’s verdant rose garden and hydrangea bushes, the Fresh Wellness Spa offers a sanctuary for guests to relax and indulge in an array of signature pampering sessions.
Its therapists highly recommend the spa’s Five Senses Signature Massage. This personalised treatment, using Avo-Shea body butter, volcanic stones, tropical bamboo sticks and distinctive massage methods, promises a holistic rejuvenation of the body, mind and spirit.
Echoing the natural beauty surrounding the hotel, Fresh Wellness Spa aims to engage all the senses and incorporates genuine spa practices, elemental forces and native ingredients into every treatment.
Book a treatment:
- Treatment menu: Treatments
- Summer times (1 October 30 April): Monday to Saturday, 9am to7pm | Sunday, 9am to 5pm
- Winter times (1 May to 30 September): Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm | Sunday, 9am to 2pm
- Contact: 021 794 2785
Guided garden tours
The hotel offers a guided tour of its nine-acre garden, which features some of Constantia’s most beautiful indigenous flora and is meticulously maintained by Head Gardener Leigh-Ann van Wyk and her team.
Along the way, you’ll find that meandering through an enchanted forest and past ancient trees and fragrant rose beds, followed by tea and scones served on the terrace or in The Conservatory, couldn’t be a better way to start a day.
The expansive garden at includes the second-oldest camphor trees in South Africa, an enchanted forest, a vineyard, secret doorways, a rose garden and much more.
The trees in the surrounding forest date back 300 years to when the property was known as Klaasenbosch Farm.
The gardens’ various sections showcase some of Constantia’s most beautiful indigenous flora, which is meticulously maintained by Head Gardener Leigh-Ann van Wyk and her team.
Van Wyk, who holds a National Diploma in Landscape Technology, has been the groundskeeper since 2016.
Garden tours are led by van Wyk herself, who enjoys sharing her favourite highlights of the season. Some visitors may also be lucky enough to see the resident duck family, Cape dwarf chameleon colonies and squirrels, as well as bird species such as the cinnamon dove, Cape white-eye, lemon dove, African paradise flycatcher, forest canary and many others.
The garden offers breathtaking views of the Table Mountain range and a plethora of delights, including the Picnic Garden and Hohenort Lawns, popular wedding venues, as well as a structured garden with a beautiful water feature and several ponds.
The gardens’ eco-zones include 950 vines as well as herb, vegetable and citrus gardens that grow fresh produce for the hotel kitchens.
The herb garden is particularly significant because it is not only visually appealing but is constantly invaded by chefs from both the Greenhouse and The Conservatory restaurants for their expert culinary undertakings.
Currently, there are more than 2 500 roses in the garden. The rose beds are carefully maintained and require about six tonnes of compost each year.
After the garden tour, guests are invited to sit down to freshly baked scones and tea, including the signature Cellars Hohenort Blend of Nigiro tea, blended by Master Tea Blender Mingwei Tsai, which incorporates the spicy fragrance and bronze/apricot colour of the Liz McGrath Rose, which was hybridised in 2003 to commemorate the late Mrs. McGrath.
The Cellars Hohenort Hotel & Spa Garden Tours are available to the general public by reservation and are held every Wednesday at 10am for R190 per person. Reservations are required, and private groups may also be accommodated by prior reservation on their preferred dates and times, subject to availability.
One thing is for certain: you will leave the Cellars-Hohenort knowing that its ducks, squirrels and geese inhabitants couldn’t have been smarter when choosing their accommodations.
Book a garden tour and high-tea experience:
- Day and time: Wednesdays | 10am
- Cost: R190 per person
- Booking inquiries: 021 794 2137
From its world-class amenities to its historic charm, the Cellars-Hohenort Hotel and Spa is a testament to South Africa’s hospitality at its finest.
Also read:
The Cellars-Hohenort Hotel & Spa reveals its new garden-themed interiors
Picture: The Cellars-Hohenort / Facebook