This Beautiful Wine Estate in South Africa's Stellenbosch Valley Just Reopened With a Heated Pool, Villas, and Exclusive Tastings

It was all too easy to while away a whole day at Spier Hotel. I started one cool spring morning with a swim in the lap pool, steam rising from the heated water, the moon still high in the sky. I spent a couple of hours in the new spa, with its indulgent bathhouse. And later, I sipped South African Méthode Cap Classique sparkling wine at the rooftop bar, overlooking mountains painted pink by the setting sun.

However, I also quickly realized that there are plenty of reasons to leave the hotel and explore the rest of Spier Wine Farm—from wine tastings and art tours to learning about medicinal plants and visiting the working farm.

If you mention Spier to a South African, they might think about its affordable wines available at major supermarkets. They might even remember the cheetah sanctuary that was once based on the property, or perhaps its old conference venue hotel.

Current owners, the South African Enthoven family—who also own the restaurant chain Nando’s— bought Spier Wine Farm in 1993. Their vision for the farm was to leave everything better than they found it. The past few years have seen Spier refocus on this mission through restoration of the original buildings, regenerative farming, and a year-long renovation project that elevated the hotel with fewer guest rooms and more thoughtful offerings.

As you’d expect, wine is a big part of the experience. Check-in, for example, is conducted in the wine bar behind the lobby. Upon arrival, I wasted no time tasting Spier’s top-range wines—I had a couple of glasses of red blend Creative Block 3 before I’d even seen my room.

Art is another central element at Spier Hotel, with around 1,000 South African works throughout the property. Pieces, such as mosaic murals, interactive sound sculptures, and delicate botanical drawings, adorn outdoor areas and guest room walls.

One day, while I was wandering the grounds, I walked past an artwork reading “soon it will be quiet” in large, gothic typeface. Behind it hung a slave bell, a grim reminder of the history of Spier, which was founded by settler Arnoud Jansz in 1692 as one of the country’s first farms. The piece, entitled “The Sound of my Voice” by Tiago Rodrigues, was originally installed in 2019 for the annual Spier Light Art show, a series of illuminated artworks displayed throughout the grounds every night over four weeks leading up to Easter.

From thought-provoking art to delicious homegrown food, Spier presents a broad range of experiences. Here’s my review of Spier Hotel in South Africa’s Stellenbosch Valley.

The Rooms

The complex of two-story buildings, painted white and dark green, has 80 guest rooms and suites. The walls are the only remnants of the old hotel site.

Interiors feature a chic, country house-inspired decor, with white linens, moss-green fabrics, wood furnishings, and a curated selection of artworks. Cushions are embroidered with flowers by Cape Town studio Casamento. Gas fireplaces keep things cozy in the winter.

Rooms with king-size beds have bathrooms with soaking tubs and heated floors, while Twin Rooms have a walk-in rain shower only.

Larger suites are set along the Eerste River, separating the hotel and public areas from the working farm, and each has a living room with a kitchenette, and a balcony or a river-facing patio.

There are four suites designed by hotel owner Mariota Enthoven. I stayed in the Yellowwood Suite, which is on the second floor. The interiors are styled in beige, sage green, and yellow, and feature botanical accents, along with cushion covers and illustrations by local artist Lisa Strachan. The only downside of this suite is the balcony that faces the opposite building and not the river.

Minibars are regularly stocked with wine, beer, soft drinks, and snacks, and are included in the room rate. The zero-plastic coffee pods are by Cape Town brand Truth Coffee Roasting.

Two new three-bedroom Garden and Riverside villas with private pools, a chef, and butler service are also available to book.

Food and Drink

There are three bars and two restaurants at the hotel, plus other dining spaces in the farm, where a lot of the produce comes from.

The main hotel restaurant is Veld. The high-ceiling room is adorned with artworks, with three massive leafy baskets hanging in the center. The menu is based on South African ingredients and flavors (that means a lot of meat options, but there are vegetarian dishes, too). I had the springbok loin—tender and cooked medium-rare as suggested by the chef—with rainbow carrots and citrus jus, followed by rooibos ice cream. Wine expert Tyson Meyi recommended Spier’s 21 Gables chenin blanc, a white wine grape variety that South Africa is known for.

Just behind Veld, with indoor and outdoor poolside seating, is the light-filled Garden Room. Breakfast is a buffet of cereals, meats, cheeses, fruit, and pastries (Spier’s pasteis de nata, Portuguese custard tarts, are a must-try). The à la carte morning menu includes a flavorful shakshuka as well as mushrooms and truffle oil on brioche toast.

The large lobby-level bar is dotted with couches and an open fireplace. The adults-only rooftop bar is the perfect sundowner spot with a firepit and views of Stellenbosch’s Helderberg mountains.

Naturally, there’s a strong emphasis on wine. (The finest six of Spier’s wine labels are sold in the hotel.) Cocktails are worth sampling, too—I had a gin-based basil & blanc, with basil, cucumber, and chenin blanc, which was quite earthy and not overly sweet.

The pool and rooftop bars are for hotel guests only, while the restaurants are open to external guests.

In the public farm area, there’s the casual Vadas Smokehouse & Bakery, serving dishes like lamb ribs, pizzas, and mezze platters. Some spaces can be used for private dining, such as the original Manor House and the plant-filled Soil Room. Lakeside picnics are an option, too.

Activities and Experiences

The hotel has a heated lap pool, a 10-room spa that includes a bathhouse, a studio for yoga or meditation, and a small adults-only pool (ideal for those traveling without kids, as the main pool can get quite noisy in the afternoon).

Room rates include several complimentary activities for guests, such as weekly movement classes like yoga, daily wine tastings in the Garden Room, informal art talks, and access to the kids’ club.

There are trails for self-guided hiking tours, cycling and running around the farm, Segway tours (from ZAR 499/$28 per person), and various wine tasting options in the main tasting room (from ZAR 85/$5 per person). Guests can also sign up for wine blending.

There are also several shopping opportunities—from the hotel’s small gift shop to the larger Cowshed Shop, which stocks farm produce and locally made jewelry, ceramics, and candles. Visit Spier’s Craft Market from September to early May to watch artists make jewelry and artworks.

The Spa

Spier Hotel’s spa has 10 treatment rooms, the Cape Herbal Bath House, a mani-pedi station, steam room, infrared sauna, and a courtyard pool.

The signature treatment is a three-hour bathhouse session, which I got to experience. It started with a full-body exfoliation on a heated marble slab before a soak in the bathtub. The warm water was infused with local herbs and plants such as rose, pelargonium, and rooibos. I was swaddled in a cloth, then had a head massage. Some guests said they liked the warmth and coziness of being wrapped up, while others, including myself, felt a bit claustrophobic and hot. However, my spa therapist unwrapped my top half and offered me a glass of water to cool down.

The final phase was a full-body shea butter massage, during which I may have drifted off more than once.

Family-friendly Offerings

Spier Hotel is very family-friendly, offering children’s menus at its restaurants and many age-appropriate activities.

The hotel’s complimentary Buzz Club is for children aged three to 12. A babysitter can be arranged for younger kids. Tucked into the far corner of the hotel, the Buzz Club has an indoor area with wooden toys and tables for crafts, such as painting and leaf pressing, and an outdoor play space with a bug “hotel” (natural materials piled into a habitat for various insects).

Kids can feel included at wine tastings with a grape juice tasting session. And there’s an Elemental Play Garden with water features to splash around. However, Aimee Raymond, Spier’s brand manager, told me kids often just like climbing the big boulders found throughout the property.

Accessibility and Sustainability

Two ground-floor guest rooms are wheelchair accessible.

Spier Hotel has implemented numerous sustainability initiatives, ranging from farming practices to art programs.

The hotel operates partially on solar energy and is in the process of building a solar plant. There are greywater systems to reduce water waste. The nursery has cleared water-thirsty plants and planted 100,000 indigenous trees since 2012. Indian Runner ducks are used as natural pest control (you can see them in action in the food garden).

For the past three years, the farm hasn’t sent any waste to a landfill. Guest rooms are stocked with glass water bottles and non-plastic coffee pods. There are no slippers, as they’re single-use and difficult to recycle. Brass faucets, oak tables, lamps, and chairs from the old hotel were restored to reduce waste in the rebuild process.

The Spier Arts Trust aims to make art accessible, so the farm acts as a platform for displaying art that the public can enjoy.

Location

Spier Hotel is in the Stellenbosch Valley, about 20-25 minutes from Cape Town International Airport (CPT). It is set alongside a four-lane road—but I only noticed a little traffic noise at the pool in the early morning when the property was quiet.

It’s a short drive from the city of Stellenbosch, one of South Africa’s oldest towns, established in 1679. The Stellenbosch wine region alone is home to more than 200 wine producers and excellent restaurants, such as Rust en Vrede, where a six-course tasting menu is served in a cellar built in the 1780s.

The wineland valleys sit between beautiful mountains, so if you love to hike, check out Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, just outside Stellenbosch.

Spier Hotel is only half an hour from Cape Town’s city center, so the hotel also makes a convenient base for exploring both Cape Town and the winelands.

The hotel can organize transfers around the area, but Uber is also available (or rent a car for maximum flexibility).

Book Now

Spier Hotel does not have a loyalty program. For the most current offers and packages, visit its website.

Nightly rates at Spier Hotel start from ZAR 5,420 ($290).

Every T+L hotel review is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed at the property, and each hotel selected aligns with our core values.