Setting the Scene
Scatter our ashes at Sterrekopje. We’re convinced the Sterrekopje air is laced because once you’ve been here, a small (or massive) part of you will forever and always be longing to return! In our opinion, a trade-off worth making for a taste of its’ magic. The open doors welcome you into a 1600s farmstead, lovingly restored and reinspired, with Moroccan and Indian design influences that somehow feel completely at home on 125 acres of butterfly-inducing Franschhoek farmland. Owners, Fleur and Nicole, have conjured up a dreamscape so intoxicating it could convince even the least nature-inclined that they’ve always dreamt of being a barefoot farmer. From the moment you arrive to the moment you leave (teary-eyed), you won’t be able to wipe the smile off your face.
Wildly Stylish Sleeping Arrangements
The choice is yours: cosy sanctuaries woven into the main house, or rejuvenating hideaways scattered across the garden — each deserving of its own Architectural Digest episode. If you must know, baths are our Richter scale of luxury. And of course, Sterrekopje takes baths seriously. Inspired by their hammam, each sanctuary comes with its own tub, plonked there by the gods. Then, there are the little details: bath products presented in hand-thrown clay pots (genius), and linens that come with options: 100% Italian or 1000-thread Egyptian cotton. Are you joking? We might just love this place a little too much, but can you blame us?
Food Philosophy
Sterrekopje’s kitchen is where the magic of their “soil to soul philosophy” takes delicious shape. Just know we tested all the food thoroughly… for your benefit, of course. Seasonal farm-to-table spreads of utter perfection are served beneath olive trees at a sun-dappled table in the garden. Think honey-roasted beetroot, sorghum chicken roulade, and smoked goat’s cheese. And, whatever you do, make sure to leave enough room for dessert — the tiramisu is outrageously good.
Wild Origins
At Sterrekopje, the gardens are more than just ridiculously beautiful. Designed by award-winning landscape genius Leon Kluge, the seven hectares are a thriving little universe of over 60 indigenous and heritage plant varietals. All that biodiversity doesn’t just look good, it works — attracting native birdlife, bees, and butterflies and turning the farm into a little critter sanctuary. Wander through olive groves, fruit orchards, wildflower gardens, and vegetable patches overflowing with life, and you’ll be racking your brain as to how you can replicate it at home.
Also…
Days are spent perfecting the art of doing very little, very well. Bathhouse treatments are a daily ritual that has you wondering what Nobel Peace Prize-worthy deed you pulled off in a past life to land your bum in this organic butter. From there, align your chakras in the yoga yurt or unleash your inner artist in the atelier. The rest of the day drifts by in a blissful blur of garden harvests, meandering farm walks, lazy bike rides, dam swims, and golden-hour canoe paddles.
Visit the apothecary where childhood dreams of mixing wildflower “potions” become gloriously grown-up reality. Or, slip into the library and lose an hour (or three) leafing through its well-loved pages. Though, reading at Sterrekopje almost feels sacrilegious when you can simply just be present in this space. So, sit and listen to the farm buzzing outside (anywhere will do) or go find the farm animals!
