Reviewed by Guy Hunter-Watts
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BLOOMESTATE - REVIEW
Midway between Cape Town and Plettenberg Bay, Swellendam is a natural place to break your journey along the Garden Route. This sleepy town in the foothills of the Langeberg mountains has some of South Africa’s finest Cape Dutch architecture, and the surrounding hillsides are home to some of the country's best preserved fynbos.
Bloomestate is tucked away behind high walls in a quiet leafy suburb, whose peacefulness it shares. The layout of its 4 low, modern buildings, separated by neatly cut lawns, towering trees and beds of lavender, was inspired by the low, sober lines of classic Cape Dutch architecture. But its design and its newly refurbed decor represent a complete break with tradition: the best of Noughties design with a big twist of Zen minimalism. Every corner of its colourful guest bedrooms and gardens has been conceived with maximum aesthetic appeal in mind, and Carla and Maarten’s fusion of state-of-the art fittings and contemporary furnishings is as remarkable as it is original. |
