Sunday, 5 May 2013

Home from Home - The Vineyard Hotel, Cape Town

THE VINEYARD HOTEL
CAPE TOWN
home away from home!


The Vineyard Hotel has become an old friend.  Since leaving Cape Town for Sydney, 8 years ago, it has become a comfortable and welcoming  'home away from home' when visiting Cape Town.

Situated at the foot of the majestic Table Mountain, surrounded by 6 acres of beautiful gardens and alongside the Liesbeek River, this hotel began life as the home of Andrew and Lady Anne Barnard in 1800.  The house was later sold and turned into a hotel and when Rudyard Kipling came out to the Cape in 1898 and stayed at The Vineyard for a while, he loved the surroundings and described the hotel as "a quiet place surrounded by oaks under the shadow of Table Mountain."  An abundant bird life and two famous tortoises - Herbert and Gloria, are happy inhabitants of these beautiful gardens.



In case he should get lost!!



 Now celebrating 115 years,  this hotel is incredibly busy and has a very high occupancy. 





The staff are happy remain here for years and always give us a warm welcome. They remember where we like to sit for breakfast and book us into our favourite room.   It is this familiarity and friendliness that brings us back here, visit after visit.  



Nombulelo has been working at the Vineyard for 30 years!

The food could be another reason!  The breakfasts are legendary and breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings at The Vineyard, is a very popular meeting place  for many Capetonians.  
The 'Vineyard bread' ... delicious
Omelets made to order with a variety of fillings
My lunch today - grilled Kingklip!

 There is a cool and shady terrace overlooking the gardens and the mountain where one can enjoy a coffee, a drink, lunch or dinner in the summer.





The Vineyard has a very high occupancy and this hotel caters for everyone - families with young children,  conferences, the elderly travelling alone and more.  The buzz, casual friendliness and a very relaxed atmosphere make this hotel hard to beat.  There are, of course,  other beautiful, glamorous 5 Star hotels in Cape Town,  but the Vineyard with it's emphasis on friendliness, and customer service is in a league of it's own.



The pool, gym and Spa


The Liesbeek River - the 'River Walk' meanders along this little river and the bird-life is amazing.









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14 comments:

  1. Liora Lazarus5 May 2013 at 01:49

    Gorgeous pictures and such a lovely feeling. I love the pictures of the staff!! They are adorable. Have a great stay Jenny. xx

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  2. Jenny Rose-Innes5 May 2013 at 02:50

    Thanks Liora..The staff are adorable!! xx

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  3. Heidi5 May 2013 at 02:52

    Sigh. It looks amazing, really beautiful gardens especially. Have a lovely time xx

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    Replies
    1. Jenny Rose-Innes5 May 2013 at 08:28

      Thanks Heidi ... This autumn weather here is just as lovely as it was in Aus! xx

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  4. Coulda shoulda woulda5 May 2013 at 02:56

    Did you take all the pictures? They are stunning. The hotel does look stunning. I don't have a huge nesting instinct so I could live in hotels forever.

    But do you know I have never been to South Africa. It is just an overnight flight involving no jetlag but for some reason nothing is taking me there. I must ask this because this is a question that is the white elephant in the room but did you feel absolutely safe? As you know, I keep hearing not only news in the media but also private stories from people I know so I have to be honest and say that it is a huge factor for me being hesitant about it. But in itself, it sure does look like it would rank among the best! xx

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    1. Jenny Rose-Innes5 May 2013 at 08:35

      I did take all the photos.. thanks.,, laughing at the idea of you living in hotels forever... there are many people - mainly elderly people who do!! I can understand why .. As to the safety factor. I can understand your hesitancy and of course there are real cases told by people who have experienced crime here. Staying at this hotel is COMPLETELY safe. Holidaying in Cape Town/South Africa is also safe - providing that one is sensible. There are areas that are not safe and one should keep well clear. South Africa is a truly wonderful destination on many levels. A Safari experience is absolutely unique and so special. Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and the surrounding towns and winelands are exquisite. We visited a very special estate today which I will blog about soon... it was breathtaking! Let me know if you should change your mind and I will point you in all the right directions!!! xx

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    2. Coulda shoulda woulda5 May 2013 at 11:22

      Thanks Jenny - I suppose it is like that everywhere really. My brother keeps telling me I would love Cape Town especially. But I will get there eventually - might do a safari because that is something one can not do anywhere else. Great photos - well done there! xx

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    3. Jenny Rose-Innes6 May 2013 at 02:21

      Everyone loves Cape Town and doing a Safari would be an excellent way to start! Thanks!! xx

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  5. A Farmer's Wife8 May 2013 at 23:16

    It looks so gorgeous Jenny. Lovely photos and the hotel looks stunning. I would love to go to South Africa and have always felt that it would be safe enough if I got the right advice and stayed where I was advised. It is definitely on the to do list.

    We have lots of ex-farmers from both South Africa and Zimbabwe who have settled in our district. Some from Zimbabwe were literally marched off their land however the general consensus tends to be that they felt safe within their homes/compounds but felt the future for their children was quite limited and they were sick of having to take extra precautions. Such lovely people and they have generally settled so well here which is great. Must have been so hard to just upsticks and move though, particularly as so many of them did so with very young children. I admire people who make such a big decision. Our farm office manager is my age from Zim and she said she feels it took them 5 years to completely adjust and settle down. Did you find it hard to leave or not so much? It looks so beautiful I think it must have been hard!!

    Take care and I hope you enjoy your trip.

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    Replies
    1. Jenny Rose-Innes9 May 2013 at 08:34

      Thanks for the lovely comment! ...I'm so glad that you would want to visit SA ... it really is a country worth seeing! We were very lucky in that our adult children all made the move with us. The oldest two were still studying and the youngest in school. It was difficult initially as my husband was recovering from cancer/chemo ... but we battled on and are very happy and settled today. It is such a blessing having all of the kids living nearby - especially as we now have grand-daughters! I'm happy to hear the South Africans have settled well in your neck of the woods. It is a brave and difficult decision but one which we, personally don't regret one bit! xx

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  8. Jane24 March 2020 at 00:24

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