Voyager Boutique Homestead Retreat: A Unique Stay in Piketberg

Just over an hour’s drive from Cape Town, Piketberg offers new horizons for seasoned weekenders who’ve done the Winelands and Overberg. Lying at the intersection of the Swartland, Sandveld and Cederberg, it has magnificent mountain views, open landscapes (this is wheat-farming country) and big, Karoo-style skies. It’s the perfect base for exploring, with the added attraction of the West Coast 45 minutes away.

On the historic main street, Voyager Boutique Homestead Retreat is the only full-service hotel in the dorp. Offering much more than a place to lay your head at night, the “homestead” in its name hints at doing things in the time-honoured way. It’s about heartfelt, convivial, old-school hospitality and appreciating the quiet charms of small-town life.

Culinary culture

Don Albert, an architect, artist and chef, and his husband Reece Green, a field guide and yogi, have created a retreat that is, at its heart, about cultural exchange through food. Inspired by the historic role the Cape played, via the Spice Trade, in the evolution of global food culture, a highlight of any stay is the dining: farm-to-table, fire-cooked meals with an Afro-Asian-French fusion of flavours at the Flying Fig Garden Bistro or Veranda Café.

Sunday lunches are all about regional food nostalgia; there’s a fancy afternoon tea on Wednesdays, and the Bokkie Bar takes care of sundowners and impromptu cocktail hours. Breakfast is served until 11am; guests who are here to cocoon can have their meals as room service. There are farms, produce gardens, markets and award-winning winemakers in the area to visit, while the West Coast offers fantastic seafood sojourns.

A visual feast

Each room has been dreamt up and decorated by the owners themselves, and the art on the walls is by Don and prominent SA-born artist Nigel Mullins.The “boutique” part of its name hints at the fact that each room has its own personality as well as the top-notch service. For design lovers, it’s a place where Victorian (the building’s original heritage), Art Deco and Afrikaner Modernism come together under one roof. Inspiration from Don’s time living and working in Bali, Palm Springs, India and Vietnam are all part of the eclectic mix.

There are four romantic rooms, each with its own character and inspiration (Star Anise, Saffron, Buchu and Rooibos). The ensuite bathrooms are showstoppers; window shutters can be closed for afternoon naps on luxe Egyptian cotton; guests can dine on their private patio; writing desks beckon when the creative muse appears… Objets d’art and antique-store finds adorn every space, including the guest lounge/reading parlour with its eye-catching striped fireplace.

Outdoors, within the oasis-like garden, aside from the alfresco restaurant and boma, there’s a swimming pool courtyard for lazy lounging and, alongside it, vintage bathtubs on the Bathing Terrace for indulgent hot-tub-style relaxation any time of day or night.

The lodgings

• 2 rooms with queen beds, 2 rooms with king beds
• ensuite with walk-in shower
• writing desk
• private patio with dining table
• tea/coffee station and optional minibar
• air-conditioning
• communal lounge/reading parlour with fireplace

Things to do

• swimming in the pool
• soaking in the outdoor bathtubs
• breakfast and light meals at the Veranda Café
• dining at the Flying Fig Garden Bistro
• afternoon high tea (Wednesdays)
• in-house yoga sessions
• wine-farm visits and food tours
• hiking and picnics
• surfing at Elands Bay (1 hour away)
• mountain-biking and gravel riding
• horse riding

Voyager Boutique Homestead Retreat is everything its name promises – a place to slow down and switch off, to step into a different way of living, with style and substance.

Good to know Breakfast is included in the rate. Room service is available until 8pm.
Child friendly? Yes, over 3 years old
Pet friendly? Yes, by arrangement
Wifi? Yes
Sleeps 2 per room
Cost From R1 365 – R2 145 per person sharing per night (depending on room choice)
Where to find it 21 Voortrekker Street, Piketberg
CHECK AVAILABILITY + BOOK DIRECT

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