7 Koppies Farm

Style

Cape Dutch master

Setting

Frolicksome fynbos

The setting for 7 Koppies Farm is immense in proportion, with 50 hectares of thriving fynbos you feel you could reach out and ruffle, meandering around its rugged namesake ‘koppies’ (stony hills) and out to the Simonberg mountains. An Edenic view, and just a hint of the region’s majestic rurality. But, back at the homestead things are cosy as can be. A log-burner warms the communal kitchen, the house butler mixes up G&Ts, guests gather on the shaded poolside veranda, and a muddle of heirlooms, travel finds, vintage pieces and local artworks show that this house is loved and lived-in. Not trying to be a wine estate or Michelin-starred darling – there’s enough of that in the surroundings – this hideaway wants to make you feel at home, which it does with immense success.

Facilities

Rooms

Six individually designed suites and a standalone villa.

Checkout

10:30am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 2.30pm.

More Details

Rates usually include a generous Continental breakfast spread made of garden gathered and locally sought ingredients. A minimum two-night stay is required.

Also

The Rockwood Cottage, set around the curve of a koppie, isn’t too far a walk from the farmhouse, but should you need transport staff will be happy to help.

Hotel Closed

To give the staff a break and for some spring (well, winter) cleaning, the hotel is closed for four to six weeks over June and July.

Free Internet Access

Golf

Laundry

Pool

Spa

At the Hotel

Working farm, fynbos, chef’s garden, house butler, kitchen and pantry, dining and sitting room, two free-to-borrow mountain bikes, boutique, free WiFi (patchy in the outdoors). In rooms: Air-conditioning and a ceiling fan.

Our Favourite Rooms

Choosing a favourite room is a toughie – each has a unique personality; and one of the owners runs interior-design firm Lumisol, and here he’s plied his trade hard. You might find botanical drawings from a Parisian flea, Swedish spindleback chairs from the Sixties, lamps shaped like owls and pineapples, bedcovers in Jaipur-inspired blockprint, paintings by Sri Lankan artist Vajira Gunawardena, James Mudge carpentry, Tissus d’Hélène linens and William Morris patterns. The Garden and Orchard rooms stand out for their verdant views, the Valley Suite for its cosy reading nook, stone walls and Franschhoek Valley overlook, and – for honeymooners – the Courtyard Suite, with its four-poster and green-granite-topped bath tub is especially dreamy.

Poolside

The owners of 7 Koppies – interior designer Marc-Ludolf von Schmarsow and Ampersand Travel founder James Jayasundera – couldn’t have picked a better spot for the 25-metre pool. As you paddle along, you can take in the natural wonder that is the Franschhoek Valley and the distant mountains. And, here the owners have paid homage to their roots – the barn-style open-air pavilions on either side of the pool where guests can sit around a fireplace or take drinks in the shade, nod to both the Italian farm buildings von Schmarsow grew up around, and the indoor-outdoor designs of Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa, the famous son of Jayasundera’s home country.

Spa

There’s a sauna but no spa, the hotel can call in therapists to give you a massage (twosomes can take one together on request), facial or mani-pedi; tables can be set up in your room or by the pool to make the most of the view.

Packing Tips

No, put that robe down, and that pool towel – yes, we know they’re lovely, but you can’t just take them. Luckily just around the corner is the hotel’s small yet stylish boutique, which came about at the demand of covetous guests. Here you can buy the linen robes and Simply Bee bath products from your room; colourful locally made Mungo pool towels and pickings and preserves from the estate gardens and orchards.

Also

The farmhouse rooms are already very charming, but if you'd like a touch more privacy and some elbow-throwing space, book the Mountain and Orchard rooms together, which will give you a two-bedroom country hideaway with a seating area and balcony.

Children

This swooningly romantic stay is for adults only.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Almost all meals are served alfresco by the pool – you don’t want to miss a second of the sky floridly colouring the landscape. But, in winter you might want to gather round carpenter James Mudges’ picnic-bench-style kitchen table.

Dress Code

You might feel a sense of duty to the decor, which is impeccable all round – so perhaps mix in a William Morris floral, vintage curiosity or something wabi-sabi-esque with your wardrobe.

Hotel Restaurant

Game recognises game here – 7 Koppies doesn’t feel the need to compete with the neighbourhood’s superstar restaurants, so they do what they do best: keep things home-y. Come morning, the kitchen counters are laden with fresh fruit (including citrus fruits and prickly pears from the orchards), granola, breads, pastries and more. Followed by a hot course, which could be an omelette made using spinach from the kitchen garden planters or toast stacked with fresh veggies and poached eggs. Otherwise, you can request one of the light lunches and suppers they offer: a warming chicken pie, schnitzel with salad, beef-shin lasagna, followed by a slice of homemade cake..

Hotel Bar

Help yourself from an honesty bar awash with choice picks from local – and further-flung – vineyards, spirits and soft drinks. Or get the house butler to mix you a cocktail – he makes a mean G&T.

Last Orders

Breakfast runs from 8am till 9.45am, lunch is more fluid, served throughout the day, and dinner runs from 6.30pm to 8pm.

Planes

At an hour’s drive away, Cape Town International is the closest airport. The hotel can arrange transfers for ZAR1,200 for two.

Automobiles

Biking is big down here – the hotel itself has several intriguing routes, and Franschhoek’s wine tram fills in for a designated driver, but otherwise these rolling hills and wide-open expanses demand a car, and have plenty of promise for road-trippers. Hire at the airport in Cape Town (but don’t get something flashy and low-slung, it’ll grate against the hotel’s uneven stretches), and note that 7 Koppies’ locale is unlikely to be picked up on GPS; but don’t fret, staff will email you clear directions when you book. There’s free parking onsite.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

As with all good hotel stories, 7 Koppies’ has a few twists and turns. The owners didn’t see the property in an estate agents’ window until hours before they were due to fly home; the land was scrubby and unsuitable for farming, and the house was decidedly less tasteful than it looks now – with false ceilings and regrettable Eighties decor. But, they weren’t set on farming beyond the orchards and kitchen garden – which are doing very well, thank you – and even the strictest aesthete would overlook a dodgy colour scheme for the rippling hues of fynbos tumbling towards the horizon. Add a koppie here, a mountain there and it’s all very magical. You can follow trails through the grounds, spying rare flowering beauties along the way, or the hotel can arrange for a botanist to talk you through the Cape Floral Kingdom. Keep your eyes peeled for unique birdlife as you go (the hotel’s library has taxonomies to parse). Take your wanderings one – or many – steps further, by heading up into the hills and peaks. The Vista Trail meanders through the Mont Rochelle nature reserve or tackle the full-day Perdekop Trail which climbs to the highest peak. Guides can be arranged on request. And the Berg River Dam is the starting point for rewarding hikes. Get on your bike (the hotel can help with hire) for three adventures – the curiously named ‘child-friendly wine-tasting tour’ (through Mont Rochelle, Grande Provence and Franschhoek Cellar); the ‘adults’ wine tour’ (through Rickety Bridge, La Couronne, Glenwood and Hey Joe Brewing Company to placate beer-lovers), or mountain bike the ‘adventure route’ into the hills. Alternatively take an e-bike ride from La Couronne to tastings at nearby estates – if you don’t want things to get too wobbly, you’ll have a saddlebag that can hold a few bottles. Or ride the wine tram, which charmingly trundles to the most notable estates and lets you get as merry as you like. Each cellar has its merits, but only one has Pigcasso – a hog with Babe-level talent who paints using a brush in her mouth. Stop to taste the wines, then marvel at the swine. Fly-fish in the trout-rich riverlets through the Du Toits Kloof mountain range, tour the large-scale South African bronzes set in Leeu Estates garden, or hop on horseback for yet more drinkables. And, in Franschhoek, take the spring ‘specials tour’ through Babylonstoren gardens to see thousands of clivia lilies bloom, covet the fine specimens at Franschhoek Motor Museum, and come Fridays, enjoy revels and street eats at Boschendal Night Market.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .