Ashley Mir, Peter Kowarick
Spier Wine Farm, located in the Cape Floral Kingdom in Stellenbosch, South Africa, has ushered in a new era with the opening of the fully reimagined Spier Hotel in Spring 2025. With a history dating back to 1692, Spier’s new offering brings guests closer to the farm’s heritage and natural surroundings, offering fresh ways to experience the Cape Winelands through design, dining, and wellness with a deep-rooted connection to the land. Each element of the new hotel further reflects Spier’s purpose of nurturing the soil, supporting communities, and creating meaningful experiences rooted in simplicity and connection.
The hotel’s 80 rooms and suites have been designed to reflect a deep connection to the landscape, offering private gardens and views, oak floors, earthy tones. Among the four individually designed accommodations is the Cape Chestnut Suite, named for the native tree that bursts into pale pink blooms each spring, featuring interiors accented by soft blush tones, handwoven natural textiles, and carefully selected artworks that echo the surrounding landscape. The History Suite draws inspiration from the farm’s long past, with antique-inspired furnishings and Delft-inspired blue accents. The Yellowwood Suite pays homage to the indigenous Yellowwood tree with muted olive and sage tones, while the Water Lily Suite brings vibrant pops of saffron and green, inspired by the water lilies thriving in Spier’s riverbeds and ponds.
Veld Restaurant, located within Spier Hotel, offers a farm-to-table dining experience that invites nature in, with living plants and herbs from the property suspended throughout. Natural light fills the space, complementing a menu rooted in seasonal cuisine from Spier’s gardens, pastures, and trusted local suppliers, highlighting their commitment to seasonality and locality. The menu focuses on South African heritage cuisine, offering dishes like bobotie samosas, springbok loin with carrot purée, and Farmer Angus’ regenerative charcuterie. The Garden Room provides a lighter, casual option with interiors that open into the rewilded Cape gardens, creating a setting for relaxed breakfasts and lunches. Simple, honest dishes such as harvest salads, roasted vegetable quiches, and grilled fish celebrate farm-to-table cooking without unnecessary complexity, paired with a thoughtful selection of Spier wines.
The Rooftop Bar, one of the only rooftop venues in Stellenbosch, offers panoramic views across the Cape Winelands and Helderberg and Stellenbosch mountain ranges. Guests can spot the farm’s indigenous gardens, meandering Eerste River, and Farmer Angus’ free-roaming chicken coops from above. With a firepit lit at dusk and a glass of Spier wine in hand, it is an easygoing space to watch the sun set and experience the natural rhythm of the farm.
The expansive heated pool, surrounded by indigenous gardens and native landscaping, offers a space for guests to unwind. The adjacent pool bar serves a seasonal menu and a variety of Spier wines, making it a lively spot for families and couples alike to enjoy afternoons outdoors. Comfortable loungers, shaded areas, and a casual poolside menu allow guests to spend the day relaxing without leaving the gardens.
The new Spier Spa, surrounded by indigenous fynbos gardens that soothe the senses from the moment guests arrive, offers a wellness experience rooted in nature. The Cape Herbal Bath House leads guests through a therapeutic journey beginning with a warm exfoliation using freshly harvested herbs, followed by an aromatic herbal bath, a scalp massage, and a shea butter massage, complete with a farm-fresh lunch and organic wine. The spa’s treatments incorporate botanicals grown on the farm and are complemented by a mindful movement studio, infrared sauna, steam room, cold therapy, and a private pool, creating a quiet place to relax and restore.
