Quiet enough to hear your own thoughts, to listen to your body, and to slip into a stunning new outlook on life & wellness that’s in tandem with the serene Waaihoek mountainside.
Welcome to Bosjes Farm
Where travel is concerned, there is no doubt that prioritizing accessible luxury, wellness, as well as sustainability, remains paramount. More than that, 2024 should be a time where you Carpe diem – seizing the day AND opportunities to enjoy pastoral life.
Nature, and life, are more fleeting than ever, after all!
TRANQUIL ● HAVEN ● PEACE
Bosjes makes sense of the buzzwords!
Bosjes has subsequently taken everything up a notch this year at their tranquil haven – rather awe-inspiringly so, considering they are still attracting hoards of architectural acclaim and appreciation for their magnificent Chapel designed by Steyn Studio of London.
Starting with marrying all the best trends in global slow travel, Bosjes has levelled up its estate’s menu into a rather serene take on luxury hospitality and wellness in the depths of nature.
Die Stalle is the gorgeous whitewashed and newly refreshed Bosjes Spa and is also the second coming of Pinterest-worthy interiors from some of the world’s most exclusive and decadent Spas.
One of the best things the owners did was ensure the Spa’s location and design did not detract from the views and the estate – particularly the centuries-old manor house. They embraced how fynbos slopes, panoramic mountain views, and the romanticised joie de vivre of a working farm, could enhance the spa experience.
And now, guests of this estate sprawling spa with a courtyard setting, get to practically maintain one foot connected to the great (and restorative) outdoors, and one foot resting in sophisticated, carefully considered spa spaces.
Carefully minding the historic elements of the farm, the Spa is interspersed with the property’s rustic charms, from cross-braced stable doors to oversized brass detailing, and even lawless klompie pavers. However, everything else, from the indoor-outdoor shared spaces and their curved walls to the plush treatment rooms and shower facilities, speaks to world-class elegance and more polished furnishing tastes.
Pristine seating from the six treatment rooms and the spa mani-pedi chairs to the vitality poolside seating, stucco surfaces, innovative glass dividers, and every drape, finishing & fixture in calming Scandi-chic colours and woods, make Die Stalle a great place to quietly languish for the day – that, and the rigorous spa treatments working stress, toxins, and a whole medley of ills, away!
TheraVine and TheraNaka products do seem to do the job for those visitors with no specific Spa specs they need noted pre-treatment. However…
*Pro Tip:
Die Stalle Spa offerings such as exfoliating treatments should be carefully discussed beforehand to assess whether they’ll negatively affect those with skin sensitivity.
Remember that a spa experience should be personalized for you and your best outcome!
Bosjes makes no secret of its own fragrant farm-produced products which enhance guest experiences in the spa and the hotel, by the way. Bathrooms come with their natural Body Wash, and one can easily shop the Bosjes wares at their on-site shops or online.
Busy bodies should definitely take the mountainside respite, have a delicious & filling bespoke Bosjes Eetkamer (the in-house restaurant) or Kombuis-provided lunch, and then proceed to stall stress and illness, and even just treat yourself because you can, with a visit to Die Stalle.
Now, what about the Bosjes rest?
The accommodation at Bosjes is by definition the home-from-home vibe.
Embracing the traditional country hotel experience, Bosjes forgoes the clinical and glossy fixings of impersonal contemporary city hotels, for warmth. Warm is the reception with its charming and colourful decor. Warm are the wooden floors and every restaurant or relaxation area in this hotel.
Warm are the suites and even their bathrooms too. And warm is the service from gate to housekeeping.
Guests have the kind of welcome that means flexible check-in and being able to pick flowers if you please, or heading for the bar to pour yourself a coffee or stronger drink.
The spirit of slow travel rings true here from Spa to hotel, with everyone moving at a leisurely pace (but still getting the job done). And even those guests with deadlines, beg off their duties for just another 5 minutes (or hours) in favour of doing absolutely nothing much.
I didn’t do much, and I loved it.
It feels natural here to wander – even for me who usually dares not venture where wildlife may be.
Following my spa afternoon, I felt much more in tune with the farm and developed a quick zeal for traipsing through the gardens and estate pathways with no plan in mind.
If the unhurried nature of Bosjes’s general calm doesn’t appeal to you, don’t worry: There’s hedonism you can dive into.
The food here is frankly worth its own review, but let me tell you quickly that farm-too-fork does not mean unappetizing bunny food. Gorge or savour the plated culinary conclusions that are the best of the Cape and the chef’s own experiences, reimagined into heady seasonal servings. And if you’re keen on a South African favourite, a braai dinner like no other can be had here.
However, breakfast will always be my fighter!
Bosjes has a dreamy breakfast buffet with an accompanying A La Carte menu fit to satiate. My friend now swears by the Bosjes muesli, while I’d fight several people to get at the cheese boards & fresh fruit there.
When eating, sleeping, or imbibing no longer hold your attention: then it’s time to be a flora & fauna adventurer and maybe walk the Boombrug canopy walk and a vertical labyrinth for a view stretching out across the Breedekloof Wineland.
Bosjes is also big about accommodating individual guests’ tastes and sensibilities so if sunset yoga, bird-watching, gardening and flower arrangements, horse-riding, or wine-tasting, is more your agenda, they’ll make a plan.
VERDICT?
Bosjes is a self-contained indulgence – A multi-day destination whether you’re here solo, with family, on business, or with a partner.
It’s absolutely no surprise that Bosjes is beloved and booked year-round.
This is where outdoor wanderlust gets properly satisfied and where you want to return to for another bite of serenity.
It’s accessible both inside and outside the estate’s hotel, spa, and eatery buildings. It’s a treat for a day visit or to settle in longer. They offer luxury without pretence and warmth without being intrusive.
It’s a darn fine 2024 Slow Travel gem.
And where the Spa is concerned: the owners and their teams realized the balance of what lulls guests into deep relaxation both before and after treatments, and it is honestly no trouble falling into the relaxation Die Stalle offers with their soothing ambience, robes and slippers, cooling refreshment station, and lush green surrounds.
Well done on a sensational Spa and I cannot wait to revisit and try what’s next on Die Stalle’s menu!
By My Recommendation: BOSJES FARM
Bosjes, R43, Western Cape, South Africa | +27 23 004 0496 | hello@bosjes.co.za
