South Africa: The Robertson Small Hotel
Posted on March 9, 2010, 12:05 pm, by Daniela, under
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The poolside suites literally open onto the water
This weekend, I decided to inspect the
Robertson Small Hotel to see what all the fuss is about: this new boutique hotel has received plenty of attention since it opened and I wanted to do some first-hand investigation! We traveled about 90 minutes east from Cape Town along Route 62 (the longest wine route in the world), to Robertson, one of most charming towns I’ve encountered in my many road trips around South Africa.
Robertson is a clean, tree-lined town known for its roses and gardens. It has the amenities of a much larger city but the charm of a sleepy country town. The Robertson Small Hotel is situated in a gorgeous Victorian manor house with an airy, whitewashed interior and surrounded by manicured gardens. On a 90-degree summer day I was thrilled to find out that our “poolside suite” was exactly that: we could literally step from our room deck into the pool! Dinner was a perfect affair under the stars at Reuben’s at the Robertson — Reuben Riffel is one of the top chefs in South Africa and the food was as amazing as I had hoped. The chili-salt squid was the perfect dish to start yet another amazing South African culinary extravaganza and my tandoori roasted kingklip was cooked to perfection!
We travelled with our nine-month-old daughter, Miss Vesper, whose job this year is to test all the kid’s facilities in the country. I would not say that this hotel is ideal for children due to the open pool areas and the design of the suites, but it is great for little ones who are not yet crawling. They have baby cots and offer babysitting so they are certainly trying to make it as kid-friendly as possible!
The weekend was a perfect example of how ”la dolce vita” is possible in South Africa. I will encourage many clients to take it a bit slower in the future and visit some of these hidden gems in this amazing country that never ceases to surprise me! - Daniela
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