Majeka House ‘a slice of opulence’

CALL me a snob if you will, but whenever I see the term bed and breakfast, or guest house for that matter, I always revert to a ramshackle inn on the side of a highway, or an outhouse on someone’s property that a travelling Hollywoodstyle salesman would use on his way to his next cross-country convention.

Fast forward to this day and age – and yes, you’d probably find these more “traditional” establishments dotting our colourful landscape – but the reality is that hidden in both sprawling cities and little towns are proper five-star establishments, which have their routes in this guest house genre.

Majeka House, a well-hidden slice of opulence in a typical little residential area in Stellenbosch, is one such example. Driving through the suburb of Paradyskloof you’d almost miss it were it not for the road signage, or shiny MH branding outside the gate.

And sure, based on the proportion to the street and the Jones’ living next door you can still tell that once-upon-a-time this was a normal residence. But once you’ve parked your car and had your exotic welcome drink, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in a pukka boutique hotel anywhere in South Africa.

Majeka, which is true to the area started off as a family home, now enjoys official five-star boutique hotel status under the watchful eye of Karine Dequeker, who owns and runs the hotel with husband Lloyd van der Merwe. Ask them what the ethos of the establishment is, and they will tell you that they’ve tried to maintain that homely feeling.

The acquisition of neighbouring properties means that Majeka has become more of a sprawling home than the family probably remembers, with 23 rooms across four categories. But unlike cityscraper hotels, being in a leafy suburb also means you can throw things like garden and mountainview rooms into the mix, or for those looking to literally splash out for that special occasion, there are the poolside rooms, with a private pool for those long, Cape summer afternoons.

Now before you ask, Majeka, to be fair, is as aware as the rest of Cape Town of the water crisis crippling the Mother City, and has done its fair share in discouraging water-wastage – including banning soaks in bath tubs, harvesting rain water into said swimming pools, and signage-displays encouraging responsible water usage.

This all means though that you can take a dip in either the private or plunge pools, or indulge in what has to be one of the prettiest indoor heated pools in Stellenbosch. Adjacent to the spa and complemented by a Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room – this pool, which resides under a Wimbledoncentre-court-style sliding roof, will have even Sol Kerner taking a second look.

But if this is to be truly a home away from home experience, as aunty Karine would have us believe, it’s really up to the staff. And that’s where people like Sam, the bartender at the stylish MLounge, who let my better half take some peanuts back to the room, come in. Or Wonder, for that matter, who walked us in from the parking lot every day and checked if we needed anything.

Time permitting, you should also try to get yourself a booking at the Spa. I say time-permitting as it’s not as much about your time, as it is about the Spa’s. Bookings are hard to come by, if the steady stream of day visitors I noticed were anything to go by. Most interesting were these English youngsters, possibly studying at the local university, who had chosen to spoil themselves with an afternoon of pampering (the exchange rate may have helped that decision, I suspect).

The couple treatments are just the thing to take the edge off a long week, with the back, neck and shoulder massage highly recommended – but try to get something longer than 30 minutes.

Small plates are not all that misleading, as these plates are indeed tiny with very specific ingredients, but put all the courses and wine pairings together and by the end you’re feeling like the chief taster at Windsor Castle. Think of tapas-style dining with a flexible menu, that lets you decide how to roll on the gastronomy. And roll you will, with 18 small plates on offer and categories like “the serious choice” on offer.

Think pan-fried springbok rump plated on a bed of caramelised red cabbage purée, which arrives topped with bacon crumb, pickled red onions and a beetroot crisp. Or Chalmar sirloin with umami butter, enriched with miso, dried shitake, confit garlic and dried sea lettuce.

What happens as you start going through these courses, is you start understanding how the different wines complement the courses, or more importantly, just how many different tastes the chef has managed to throw at what in reality is just a small plate of food. My tip, take it slow, this is more a journey than a dinner booking. But then that also applies to your experience as a whole here, in this leafy suburb in Stellenbosch.

Majeka House is situated at 26-32 Houtkapper Street, Paradyskloof, and can be reached on 021 880 1549 or via e-mail on reservations@ majekahouse.co.za