In the late 1980s, a German and an Irishwoman met in New York. Not the start of a bad joke, but the beginning of a story in hospitality that has taken the couple to the Western Cape, where, forty years after meeting, they now manage a very particular portfolio of unique luxury accommodation.
Friedrich and Lorraine Schaefer, with years of worldwide experience as hoteliers between them, have created the Living Journey Collection, a portfolio of eight boutique hotels, all within a two-hour drive from Cape Town. Each hotel is situated in one of the Western Cape’s finest areas, every building unique in style and feel, but all consistent in their commitment to quality and comfort.
The Zest Boutique Hotel is the founding property of the Living Journey Collection, and it was the starting point for a two-day road trip around the Western Cape and through a few of the Living Journey properties. Our small group gathered on the rooftop of the 14-room manor under the watchful gaze of Lion’s Head, with the Atlantic Ocean shimmering to one side as the sun worked its way up the sky. Coffees in hand, we wrapped up introductions before departing for the countryside. With aircon at full blast as the temperature rose into the 30s, we hit the highway.
The first stop was Kleinhoekkloof Farm, tucked into the folds of the Langeberg mountains, just northeast of Worcester. We were greeted by thick heat, chilled wine, the promise of charcuterie boards and the friendliness of owner Theunis De Jongh, who calmly took us through their selection of award-winning wines, weaving in history and humour as we worked our way from white to red, and welcomed the impressive lunch of cured meats and cheeses.
To the backdrop of healthy green vineyards and the hot, shimmering mountain air at midday, we were given a slow introduction to the agricultural character that threads through this part of the province, and the experience provided early insight into the Living Journey ethos: spotlighting local makers, celebrating regional charm and letting the landscape speak for itself.
By late afternoon, we rolled into The Robertson Small Hotel, the first of our overnight stays. The elegant design touches class to small-town quiet, with eleven rooms spread between a Victorian manor house, stable suites and pool suites. After taking in the porcelain artworks at the EM Bar, with a welcome drink, I retreated to the room for some reprieve from the heat. Afternoon at leisure here meant drifting between cool interior spaces and sunlit courtyards, everyone settling into their own rhythm before dinner.
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Dinner at The Small Restaurant gathered the group once more. Seasonal dishes arrived with an ease that spoke to a chef confident in local produce, each plate paired with wines from the valley. Robertson’s generosity came through in the service, the flavours and, again, the cadence of a dinner and an area unrushed. Hospitality seems instinctive to the Living Journey Collection, and over dinner Desmond O’Connor, the Group General Manager, spoke of what made him want to work in the hotel industry. His story reflects the pervading feeling of personal care found throughout the trip, at every property.
Desmond moves with a calm attentiveness indicative of more than three decades in hospitality; always noticing, always adjusting, making sure that everyone was looked after during the two days. “There’s that scene in Pretty Woman,” he explained to us. “The hotel manager helps Julia Roberts buy a dress, and in this scene he is just the epitome of class, a gentleman. That’s when I knew I wanted to be in the industry.” His passion for hospitality and belief in its importance is evident, and these values seem to trickle down from owners Lorraine and Friedrich, to Desmond and to the wider team of kind, attentive staff who looked after us at every one of the Living Journey properties we visited.
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I had breakfast the next morning in the company of Robertson Small’s shaded courtyard and a new book, before hopping back into the shuttle. Next stop: Viljoensdrift Wine Estate for a riverboat cruise down a section of the Breede River. The boat glided past vineyards and sandy riverbanks, the stillness of the air a welcome tonic to the gale-force winds that had taken up residence in the city, as they do each summer.
Like much of this trip, it was an experience that asked nothing of us except to be present. It’s a subtle skill, crafting an itinerary that balances movement with stillness, and the Living Journey team seems to understand that travellers remember feelings more than checklists.
From the river we travelled to Franschhoek, where Chapter House Boutique Hotel awaited us for a light lunch.
Housed in a beautifully restored heritage building that once served as both a mission house and a school, it carries the marks of time with pride, history and contemporary comfort meeting without competing. Artworks from South African creators line the passage walls and each room has its own details that honour the building’s story. The name was a natural progression, the next chapter in Friedrich and Lorraine’s story as they drew further away from big corporate hotels and threw themselves deeper into boutique hotels and personal experiences around the Western Cape.
Later that afternoon, we continued to Stellenbosch – willing our stomachs ready for what promised to be an epic dinner experience – and arrived at Majeka House, the newest chapter in the Living Journey story. Majeka’s bold interiors and playful design energy set it slightly apart from its siblings in the collection, yet it still fits the family through its warm welcome and character. Under the stewardship of the Living Journey team, Majeka House has regained the sense of poise that long made it a favourite among Winelands visitors. Dinner at Plenitude gave the day a refined but easy finale, the conversation later drifting into reflections on the road to a collection that is now eight properties strong, full of character and promise.
Our final morning began with an unhurried breakfast before making the gentle return to Cape Town. By mid-morning, we were back where the journey began, at Zest Boutique Hotel, closing the loop on a well-curated, incredibly calm trip. The road trip itself was a moving portrait of the Living Journey philosophy: hotels that value individuality, food that celebrates local produce, people who take pride in delivering genuine warmth, and leadership that understands that at the core of hospitality is personal care. It is also unique to be able to experience the consistency of hospitality, interpreted differently in each property, around some of the Western Cape’s most notable areas.
The Schaefers built their collection with the belief that a hotel stay should offer more than a comfortable room – it should become part of a person’s story. Between Robertson and Franschhoek, up and down a mountain, past a few vineyards, over a river, and around leisurely breakfasts and shared dinners, that belief revealed itself as a reality.
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Picture: Supplied.
