Art of Hospitality: We visit a pair of properties near Cape Town

Expat Living’s LARA SAGE is awed by the artistic flourishes in a pair of properties near Cape Town.

Adrive of less than an hour from South Africa’s second-biggest city, Cape Town, takes you to two distinctive hotels that are part of The Royal Portfolio’s properties in the region. Birkenhead House in Hermanus occupies an exhilarating clifftop position overlooking a whale-watching bay, while La Residence in Franschhoek commands exquisite views of unspoilt rural surrounds.

This is the epitome of a boutique hotel. Accommodating just 22 guests, Birkenhead’s staff are attentive and greet you by name – they also know just how to pour your favourite tipple!

The classic beach-house décor includes white sofas, expansive glass doors and a deck that hovers above a white beach below. While summer days in the Cape are long and languid; for several months in late winter, visitors can witness southern right whales and humpback whales breaching just metres from the shore.

When the movement of the sea doesn’t draw your eye to the expansive blue, you can while away hours enjoying the hotel’s countless coffee-table books and various acclaimed artworks. The interiors carry The Royal Portfolio’s trademark of ornate furnishings, chandeliers and mirrors. An embellished cabinet made from clusters of seashells and silvery motherof-pearl is just one piece to catch my eye – it’s astounding.

Photos don’t do Birkenhead’s seascape justice. The property boasts such panoramic views that it’s difficult to take in the immense landscape of mountain and water – and impossible with a camera! Still, I tried my best to balance the light and shadow of the impressive interior and vast exterior; to focus on the furnishings and prominent artworks as well the moving swell of waves.

More successful by far at capturing a moment are the artists whose works are represented throughout the hotel. Especially notable is the painting in the main living room, which will be familiar to many: The Singing Butler by Scottish painter Jack Vettiao. In tune with Birkenhead’s seaside setting, it features a couple dancing on a beach, undeterred by a blustering wind and ominous grey clouds.

The cuisine at Birkenhead House is a subtle mixture of modern African cuisine, Cape seafood, and traditional French techniques, with strong Asian and Italian influences. The wine list includes regional favourites from nearby Hemel-en-Aarde Valley – aptly named “Heaven & Earth”.

A truly South African sight as you enjoy your meal are the flocks of oystercatchers with their bright red beaks, and the region’s distinctive and colourful flora, known as fynbos, which grows all over the coastline.