Luxury eco escape
Overlooking the rolling hills of the Hemel en Aarde Valley, Stonehaven is the perfect eco escape in nature, where verdant vines and farm paddocks frame the country home.
It’s true what they say about going back to our primal practices of living. When we revert to those instinctual habits that move in alignment with nature, we tap into that inherent harmony within ourselves. Turning off the digi-distractions, succumbing to the landscape and its surroundings that induce calm, clarity and a cohesion with simplicity. That’s what happens when you arrive at Stonehaven. An eco estate in a region that’s revered as heaven on earth. Indeed, the Hemel en Aarde Valley is just that. A boundless terrain of beauty, where the green and golden hills of rolling vineyards and farm pastures nod towards a poem by Yeats.
You’ll drive a winding dirt road that immediately sets the tone of your outlandish escape. Passing the neighbouring wine estates and burgeoning fynbos farms, equestrian paddocks, and dams, rivers and giant old oaks. The consciously built home welcomes you in with a whiff of easy-breezy, laissez-faire loveliness, imploring you to kick-off those shoes and kick-start your reacquaintance with the simple life. The views of the valley draw you out, over the deck, the eco swimming pool, the KolKol, and into nature’s abyss.
The interiors tell a slightly more refined tale about subtle luxuries and considered layouts. Tying in the sentiment of symbiosis. A wholesome approach to nurturing the land that fosters our lavish living habits. Stone, timber, screed, glass and an abundance of natural light scatter around the open-plan living, dining, entertaining and cooking areas of the home.
Four ensuite bedrooms that all open out into the indigenous gardens with their own little patios are positioned around the frame of the home. Ensuring every room has a view. A long 12-seater dining table around the braai area and pizza oven for those balmy al fresco gatherings. A TV lounge and yoga studio for those that would like to take their holistic holiday to the max. You can even have the local yoga instructor drop in for a guided session of bliss!
Serenity in the valley
Of course, most of your time will be spent exploring the magnificent grounds of the farm. Swimming in the pool or the dam. Plenty of moments in the hot tub, especially at night with the valley’s sparkling skies. Slow meanders through the labyrinth, around the incredible vegetable gardens and along all of the trails that are beautifully mapped out for you. Kayaking and mountain biking on all of the valley trails. Wine tasting at the award-winning wine estates and feasting from their fancy menus.
For those evenings that you would like to stay on the farm, but don’t fancy cooking, a local chef can be arranged, serving you some deliciously wholesome dishes with seasonal, locally-sourced produce. You can sit back, gaze up to the blanket of stars that intermittently shoot through the dark night’s sky. Marking out verses of that poem again. Of night, and light and the half light.
What we love!
- Even though you will be spending the majority of your time outdoors, the interiors are also really lovely and cosy to hang out in. With the owner being an artist, a lot of the paintings are self works and the furnishings are in keeping with the natural environment.
- All of the beautiful bathroom products that are provided by the farm – their own label, Just Pure – sourcing the plants that fragrant the lotions and shower gels from the farm! They are available to purchase, too.
- The sense of calm that engulfs the moment you arrive. Enraptured by the landscape and all of the fynbos. A very special haven in the valley.
What you need to know…
- Stonehaven is located down a gravel road, a short drive from the town of Hermanus and about a 90-minute drive from Cape Town.
- The property is self-catering with a fabulous open-plan, farm-style kitchen. A pizza oven and braai on the front deck. If you would like to arrange the services of a private chef, the property manager will assist you with all of the arrangements.
- As it is an eco-friendly home, the property is mostly off-the-grid, sourcing water from the borehole and dam. Eskom does supply the electricity, but the there are also back-up energy supplies.
- Should you wish to sign-off as cook for the day, head to Mogg’s Country Cookhouse for a wonderful lunch around the fireplace or outside beneath the trees.
- There are an abundance of wonderful wine farms and restaurants to visit in the valley, just a short drive away from the property. Including Hamilton Russell, Creation Wines, Bouchard Finlayson, Bosman, Ataraxia and Newton Johnson.
- If Stonehaven is not available on your dates, browse our full collection of exclusive-use holiday houses in the Hemel en Aarde Valley, in the Overberg.
Reviewed by Colleen Ogilvie