Spier Wine Farm has added two exclusive-use villas to its accommodation offering in Stellenbosch, bringing a residential-style experience to the historic estate's hospitality portfolio.
Set between indigenous Cape gardens and the Eerste River, the Garden Villa and Riverside Villa each offer three bedrooms, private heated pools, and outdoor entertainment areas. The villas are positioned as a more private alternative to hotel suites, suited for longer stays, remote work, or milestone celebrations.
Designed by Cape Town-based interior designer Jacques Erasmus, the villas reflect a preference for home-like environments over traditional hotel layouts. “These are homes designed for travellers who value the luxury of complete privacy when exploring the world,” said Erasmus. “A villa provides flexibility – you’re able to dictate every aspect of your stay.”
Each villa includes a dedicated service team and the option of a private chef.
Architecture and natural flow
Architect Paul Luck of Lightspace designed the villas to open seamlessly into their surroundings. The ground floor features open-plan living and dining spaces, a full kitchen, and an en-suite bedroom, with French doors leading onto deep verandahs, gardens, and pools. The upstairs bedrooms – one king and one twin – are en-suite and interleading if required.
The surrounding gardens form part of a broader rewilding project led by Danie Steenkamp of DDS Projects, aimed at restoring fynbos across the hotel grounds.
Design grounded in craft and tradition
Interior elements combine custom-made furniture with antique and heirloom pieces from the owners’ collection. Each villa was decorated with a distinct palette – earthy tones in the Garden Villa and cooler green hues in the Riverside Villa – inspired by their immediate natural surroundings.
Handcrafted touches are central to the interiors, including vintage lighting, pressed glass, and soft furnishings made using natural dyes and Cape embroidery techniques. Bespoke linen bed throws by artist Ingrid Bolton were created using indigenous plants from the estate, transferring natural tannins onto cotton silk through a steaming process.
Artworks were curated in collaboration with the Spier Arts Trust, drawing from the estate’s contemporary South African collection.
Blending heritage with modern needs
The addition of the villas reflects what the property describes as an ongoing evolution of its hospitality approach – blending tradition with modern convenience, and offering guests immersion in nature while maintaining privacy and comfort.
