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Stellenbosch in the FT

‘THE RESIDENTS of South Africa’s winelands seem to care very much about their appearance,’ claims last week’s Financial Times Weekend section, reviewing the newly reopened Delaire estate owned by Laurence Graff, the diamond man who controversially had the Wittelsbach Diamond re-cut to remove some flaws. ‘A university town, Stellenbosch is full of well-groomed students with beach-ready figures. Judging from the upscale boutiques and bistros, there is also lots of money in these parts,’ says the writer.

‘The town, which sparkles at night beneath the hotel, is less precious than Franschhoek, the destination against which Stellenbosch is often compared. “We are a town, whereas Franschhoek is a village,” says Sandra Krige, a local guide. There are certainly fewer of Franschhoek’s picket fences. But Stellenbosch still has its quaint village green, as well as the Rhenish Church [above] where communion wine is decanted into glasses held in neat holders along stinkwood pew-backs. On Sundays, the congregation hits 500, making Stellenbosch feel a busy sort of place – again, different from sleepy Franschhoek. Stellenbosch also sequesters very good examples of 18th-century Cape Dutch houses, which clearly haven’t gone unnoticed by David Collins, Delaire’s designer.’

‘As to the hotel’s clientele, it is less show-off than the type of guest that frequents La Réserve Ramatuelle near St Tropez, a spa-hotel Delaire reminds me of in look and feel. In fact, this is what surprises me most of all, I would have expected something flashier from a diamond man. Instead I found something expensive, polished but also simple in conception. If there is an oversight, it is a small one, though one I suspect will be noticed by those beach-loving South Africans: the lack of a full-length mirror in any of the guest rooms.’

Published at 6:06 pm on Sunday 28 November 2010. Categories: Featured South Africa Stellenbosch Tags: , , .
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