Ellerman House: Luxury, fine dining and art in Cape Town’s Bantry Bay

For years, the only reliable way through the gates of Ellerman House was to book one of its 11 rooms, two suites or private villas. That degree of seclusion remains part of its appeal, but Cape Town diners can now reserve a limited number of tables at OneEighty or Curate and experience at least part of the Bantry Bay retreat without spending the night. For guests flying in from Gauteng or elsewhere, the stay can begin with a BMW limousine transfer from Cape Town International Airport. Despite its grandeur, Ellerman House substitutes comfort for ceremony. Almost anything can be arranged, but the service never feels stiff or ostentatious. COOL SPASCE, Ellerman House’s pool and indigenous terraced gardens. Pictures: Brian Berkman & Supplied We understood the value of this at breakfast on the morning of our departure. At the next table, three guests were discussing a possible outing to Franschhoek with Yassir Ebrahim, Ellerman House’s head concierge and a member of Les Clefs d’Or, the international society of hotel concierges. They wanted an unhurried day involving a little wine tasting, lunch and perhaps some shopping. In the time it took me to enjoy an Eggs Benedict given a distinctly South African identity with game carpaccio in place of ham and biltong-spiked hollandaise, Ebrahim had arranged a car, booked a wine-estate visit and a restaurant, and suggested where they might shop. Ebrahim was also at the front door when we arrived. He welcomed us and accompanied us to Room Two, one of seven Deluxe House Rooms with a private ocean-facing terrace. He showed us the fully inclusive in-room bar and generously stocked snack drawer while another staff member brought refreshing mocktails and arranged them on the balcony. Before leaving, Ebrahim introduced us to The Pantry, a room filled with complimentary sweet and savoury snacks, cakes, biscuits, treats and beverages, available to guests around the clock. PLENTY. The Pantry provides resident guests with complimentary sweet and savoury snacks, cakes, biscuits and beverages around the clock. Pictures: Brian Berkman & Supplied A cynic might argue that, at such elevated room rates, one could purchase any number of treats from a supermarket. But Ellerman House is not intended for travellers watching every rand. For its guests, the point is not the retail value of a biscuit or chocolate; it is the pleasure of having almost everything readily available without needing to ask, sign a bill or consider the cost. Ellerman House feels less like a conventional hotel than a grand family home. Admittedly, it is the sort of home one might imagine belonging to a much-loved, wealthy aunt, but it is shared warmly among guests and staff. “Guests become an extension of the Ellerman House family,” says Michellene Morris, the property’s marketing and PR manager. “They aren’t simply ‘the guest in Room 10’; we get to know them as people.” Staff members address guests by their first names unless asked not to. The contrast between the rarefied surroundings and the easy familiarity of the service is surprising, but pleasingly so. Owner Paul Harris’s collection is one of Ellerman House’s defining attributes. Comprising more than 1 000 works, it traces the development of SA art from the 19th century to the present day. The collection includes work by members of the New Group, founded in the ’30s, among them Gregoire Boonzaier, Maggie Laubser and Irma Stern. Other artists represented include Walter Battiss, Alexis Preller, Gerard Sekoto and George Pemba. The interiors were designed by Nell Harris, the owner’s daughter-in-law. The style is classically elegant, with furniture and objects of exceptional quality enlivened by contemporary fabrics and unexpected details. ART SCENE. The Ellerman House Contemporary Gallery showcases workby leading and emerging South African artists. Pictures: Brian Berkman & Supplied Morris says Bantry Bay was once known as Botany Bay, after an early plant nursery established in the area. Today, it is among South Africa’s most expensive stretches of coastal real estate, prized for its cliffside views and comparatively sheltered position below Lion’s Head. Although Ellerman House occupies a site in a residential suburb, its extensive indigenous gardens spill down a succession of terraces. Poolside loungers offer views towards both mountain and sea, while the gym and yoga studio look out across the Atlantic. At sunset, drinks are served at the ROC bar, whose design incorporates a massive granite bar. Dry bar snacks are served with drinks, followed by canapés for those dining later. Guest rooms have telephones, but there is also a convenient WhatsApp group through which requests can be made. With an exceptionally high staff-to-guest ratio, responses are almost instantaneous. OneEighty, the main-house restaurant, opens onto a cliffside loggia overlooking the Atlantic. Its menu changes daily and is priced by course. Starters may generally be ordered as larger, main-course portions if preferred. Curate, the newer of Ellerman House’s two restaurants, offers a 12-course fine-dining menu with wine pairings. Although the restaurants are distinct, each draws on the same commitment to SA produce, cooking and wine. “The name ‘Curate’ reflects the way everything is carefully curated, from ingredients in their natural, raw state and the way they are sourced to their refined form when the finished dish is presented to the guest,” Morris says. “It is a journey from raw to refined.” The menu is developed collaboratively, rather than being dictated solely by the executive chef. “One team member might bring a bobotie recipe that her mother taught her to make,” Morris says. “The team then works to elevate and refine it. Everyone contributes something personal.” Curate’s setting within the Wine Gallery is itself a work of art. Its centrepiece is a monumental, human-scale corkscrew created by Brian Steinhobel and Fiber Form. The sculptural installation incorporates bottles from Ellerman House’s extensive 10 000-strong collection of fine South African wine. The most arresting work is Terroir by Angus Taylor, a wall-mounted aerial interpretation of the Cape Winelands. Soil was collected from 100 vineyard locations, with samples taken from more than a metre below the surface to capture the parent material, subsoil and topsoil. Each rammed-earth sample is held within a copper frame engraved with the name of the wine estate and the GPS co-ordinates of the collection point. Together, the samples form a literal map of the soils from which Cape wine is produced. A subterranean Champagne cellar is devoted exclusively to rare and special vintages of Dom Pérignon. A two-ton piece of chalk represents the Champagne region’s distinctive terroir. The mansion, once the home of shipping magnate Sir John Ellerman, is imposing. Its art, wine and coastal position could easily make it feel like a private museum in which guests ought to speak quietly. Instead, the atmosphere is warm, relaxed and surprisingly restorative. Published rates for next year begin at R24 000 a night for a Classic House Room. The three-bedroom Villa One is available from R381 000 a night. STYLE. One of the individually decorated rooms, combining elegance with SA designs. Pictures: Brian Berkman & Supplied