If you are wondering where to stay in the up-and-coming Robertson Wine Valley, located around two hours from Cape Town, the Robertson Small Hotel will not leave you disappointed.
Robertson Small is the only five-star hotel in the Robertson Wine Valley, and constantly named among South Africa’s finest luxury country hotels. And once you are there, you will find it hard to leave again.
Tucked away in a calm street in the heart of Robertson, the hotel is an oasis of tranquillity, composted of the beautiful manor house dating back to 1909 and now a National Monument and three additional restored buildings home to the Pool and Stable suites and a Spa along with beautifully curate garden areas.
The manor house’s gorgeous veranda is the perfect place to settle down for an afternoon coffee/tea/drink or pre-dinner drinks, or indeed anytime between.
There are only 10 rooms (well, suites actually) at the Robertson Small Hotel; making the name more than appropriate. Once there, however, you will realize that ‘small’ is relative at this beautiful country gem.
We were originally booked into a Pool Suite (I love opening the door and literally stepping into the water). However, due to a mix-up in the booking we were instead given the Pool View Suite. Though there was actually now way to see either of the two pools from the room as it was located on the upper floor of the Stable building with roof-windows looking upwards, honestly we did not have any complaints.
I mean, just have a look yourself.
The Pool View Suite is actually the largest suite at the Robertson Small and it is drop dead gorgeous!
As all other suits at the hotel, the Pool View Suite features an open plan layout with a large comfy bed, a living space area, en-suite bathroom, a complimentary mini bar, tea and coffee maker facilities, a large flat screen and DVD player along with free WiFi.
A very welcome additional feature in the room was the ‘Small Guide’, a collection of small cards highlighting several interesting activities and places to be explore around the Robertson Wine Valley. Although I typically do extensive research before visiting a new area and had a good idea what to do and see, I found the cards very handy to help guests to get around the area and indeed found a number of extra suggestions that did not previously come up during my travel planning.
A small pool area tucked away behind the Stable building awaits once you manage to leave your room.
Alternatively, the small pool in front of the Pool Suits is also open to all other guests.
I was not sure which one of the two pools I liked most. If staying at the Pool Suite it would have been obvious to take advantage from the direct access while otherwise chilling on the private patio. However, the Staple Suits pool actually seemed to offer more privacy.
If you fancy having a pre- or after-dinner drink, at the EM Bar you can chose from a small range of cocktails and quite an ample list of Robertson Wine Valley wines. If you don’t mind a suggestion, try the lavender and gin fizz made with homemade lavender syrup, a local craft gin, lemon and soda water. It is really refreshing and not too high on alcohol, so you can enjoy a nice bottle of wine for dinner.
Dining at the Robertson Small Hotel was another highlight. The seasonal menu at the Small Restaurant is based on strictly locally sourced produce, yet undeniably inspired by Italian cuisine.
The beautiful inside seating is carefully fit out with carefully chosen art elements, dominated by a tapestry weave – we had a long discussion what it actually shows though: A collage of local wildlife plus other local elements woven into the outlines of a camel? Suggestions welcome!
On warmer days (and nights), tables will set up outside on the small patio.
In the morning, we enjoyed a delicious small but well sorted breakfast buffet which is also set up in the Small Restaurant, complimented by a choice of hot serves.
Aside from the beautiful design, a flawless service and high quality food, I was most impressed by the high attention and effortlessly friendly staff who managed to create the most perfect stay for us! I truly could not recommend the Robertson Small Hotel more!
The Robertson Small Hotel
58 Van Reenen Street
Robertson
http://www.therobertsonsmallhotel.com
Carrots and Tigers 