Four years ago, I travelled to South Africa for the first time for a quick holiday and to get married. Since then, I’ve been several times and Capetown and its surrounds hold a really special place in my heart. This year, I went back for my best man Gregory Mellor’s wedding, staying in the most amazing home that he designed in the Karoo. They call it “God’s house” for good reason. Have a look at it published in Condé Nast House & Garden.
Making my way back into Capetown, I was fortunate to have a guided tour through the grand old dame, the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel.
The grounds and scale of this beautiful old establishment are something to behold. The most recent addition to its many buildings and types of rooms are the Garden Cottage Suites.
It’s a row of eight restored historic cottage that sit opposite a secluded, and adults-only, pool with pool house.
Each cottage is enclosed by low fences with private rose gardens that were in full bloom during my visit. The pool house feels like the sort you’d expect to see in a Hamptons mansion, and the rooms also have a nod to the classic Hamptons aesthetic.
The cottages have grass cloth wallpaper-lined studies, part of a classic, stylish interior scheme that brings these beautiful old cottages to life. There are lights throughout by one of my favourite lighting suppliers, Visual Comfort, in their classic, American style. There are king-sized four-poster beds, marble bathrooms and separate living and dining areas with views over the rose gardens and the pool through to Lion’s Head and Signal Hill. The interiors are superb and the cottages super sweet. Next time I stay, I’ll be beating down their door.