Babylonstoren is not your typical high-end, ‘luxury’ destination. It’s more than that, a couple’s dream – an opus, in one sense.

The irony though, is that the creators behind this masterpiece happen to be Karen Roos, previous editor of ELLE Decoration Magazine and partner to the country’s wealthiest businessmen, Koos Bekker. But wait, hear me out, before you leap to any judgement – because Babylonstoren swims upstream against being overtly ostentatious and pretentious. Magnificent, yes, but a rarity in striking the balance between soul and superlatives.
The investment of time and the maturity of the gardens and buildings is a consequence of patience and investment beyond expecting any financial returns. At least it appears that way.
I like being somewhere that feels as though the owners are more interested in creating something unique, authentic and beautiful than selling an ideal to me. Even if they are, they concealed it beautifully, an art in itself.
I have followed the maturity of this budding flower over the years and stayed in their first phase of accommodation – the 13 Garden Cottages connected to the garden and werf surrounds. A second phase followed several years later offering a further nine rooms.

The perk is that each cottage is supplied with a golf cart to cruise from one end of the farm to the other, especially beautiful as the sun goes down, or after supper in a cool evening breeze.

For me, though, my highlight was the mountain drive, a 40-minute meander in a long-wheel-base Land Rover with my guide, Kobus. As we snake slowly to the highest point on the farm, 920m of elevation, we summit to a 270-degree panorama, from Table Mountain (60km away) on the one side, and the Du Toitskloof mountains opening up on the other. We spoke for nearly an hour discussing honest topics – family, work, life’s path and a little gratitude – before descending into the farm and joining my wife at a busy Babel restaurant – an ode to superb freshly picked organic greens from the garden and the finest meats. A glass (maybe two) of the Nebukadnesar, is a must.

Like Babylonstoren, it’s a rarity to find such an organic and earthy authenticity.