In the Condé Nast Traveler 2015 Readers’ Choice Awards, the four star Spier Hotel was ranked 18 in the list of top 25 hotels in Africa.
The Spier Hotel is situated on the historic Spier wine farm in the heart of the Stellenbosch winelands, just 20 minutes from Cape Town International Airport.
Village-style buildings, soft, green lawns and 153 spacious, comfortable rooms defines the character of this hotel.
Garden terrace rooms are clustered around six courtyards, each with its own communal swimming pool, while others overlook the quietly-flowing Eerste River.
The design is reminiscent of Cape Town’s historic Bo-Kaap, or a Mediterranean village where pedestrians have right of way.
The Spier Hotel and conference team invite you to do business in an inspiring atmosphere.
Going since 1692, Spier is one of South Africa’s oldest wine farms, with a fascinating history and a legacy that the owners never take for granted.
After more than three centuries, Spier is still family run. It’s owned and managed by the Enthoven family who bought the farm in 1993.
Spier has a passion for the environment and for supporting the community, buying from and supporting local producers.
The owners live on the farm and work hands-on with the farming and leisure operations, together with CEO Andrew Milne, who directs the business.
Today the farm has a modern, conscious energy. Focused on art and good farming, Spier is about farm-to-table food and accoladed wines. Its people are committed to living and working in ways that bring positive change to environment and community.
The two upstairs suites have mountain and river views. Downstairs suites open onto the gardens overlooking the river, and they have a private entertainment area with daybeds.
All suites have separate living areas with sofas. Complimentary WiFi, newspapers and bottled water are all included.
Comfy beds and original artworks from the Spier Collection make these spaces feel individual and inviting.
There's an energy-efficient mini-bar, and, in the en-suite bathroom, a separate water-wise shower and a lovely large bath.
Private patios, comfortable beds and original artworks from Spier Collection make these rooms personal and unique.
Comfy beds and original artworks from the Spier Collection make these rooms feel so accommodating.
These upstairs rooms are elegantly furnished, light, spacious and elevated, maximising views of the river below and the Helderberg mountains beyond. Original artworks from the Spier Collection and comfy beds make the hospitality feel good.
Spier Hotel has six courtyards, each with access to the pool and a cool, leafy patio. The Garden Terrace rooms spill out onto these quiet outdoor spaces. Comfy beds and original artworks from the Spier Collection make these rooms special.
Eight is a farm-to-table eating experience. Like its name, the restaurant is an expression of balance, cycles, harmony, infinity and abundance.
The produce used at Eight is either grown on the farm or sourced from nearby farmers. Natural and organic ingredients are preferred, creatively combined to create nourishing, healthy, and delicious food.
MENU
Eight’s menu changes seasonally. Greens and fresh veggies come from Farmer John's food garden where they are grown without the use chemical fertilisers, pesticides or artificial chemicals.
The fillet, sirloin and sausages come from grass-fed cattle reared on Spier’s pastures, along with delicious eggs laid by happy hens that scratch around freely in the fields.
Both the chickens and cattle are raised without the use of antibiotics or hormones.
A children’s menu is also available to be enjoyed by kids after they’ve played on the rolling lawns and wooden jungle gym outside or discovered the secret bamboo ‘forest’ nearby.
Spier’s award-winning wines complement the menu, along with freshly-squeezed vegetable and fruit juices and a selection of craft beers and artisanal sodas.
DECOR
Eight’s décor embodies the restaurant’s ethos, with lights made by local artist, Heath Nash. The impressive ceiling on the terrace has been lined with over 10 000 individually crafted flowers made from recycled white plastic milk bottles, and lit with low voltage LEDs. The light fittings in the main part of the restaurant were made from recycled plastic bottles.
Eight was included in the 2016 Eat Out 500, a list of the top restaurants in South Africa as determined by a panel of food and restaurant experts.
Lunch12.00h – 16.30h, kitchen closes at 15.30h
Lunch 12.00h - 16.30hDinner 18.30h - 21.30h
The Hoghouse BBQ & Bakery in Spier’s historical Jonkershuis. Patrons can dine on the front stoep overlooking Spier’s sun-dappled Werf or can sit on the all-weather terrace at the back, where “The Hog” smokes meats the low-and slow way for up to 16 hours.
From here they can also watch the baker pulling breads out of the wood-fired masonry oven, or conjuring up delicious treats, including the house specialty, pasteis de nata. On chilly days, blazing log fires keep things snug inside.
Chef PJ Vadas’s barbeque-focused lunch and dinner menu includes flavoursome grass-fed beef, pork, lamb and free-roaming chicken supplied by Spier’s Farmer Angus.
Accompanied by tasty sides – such as roasted beetroot or cheese-drenched broccoli – the meats are perfectly paired with Spier wine or Hoghouse’s craft ales.
Desserts include tarts and artisanal gelatos.
In addition to fresh bread and pastries (which can also be pre-ordered 48 hours in advance), the Hoghouse shop stocks locally handmade homeware and tasty treats like jams and nougat to take home.
11.00h – 23.00hLunch and dinner with kitchen closing at 21.00h
11.00h – 16.00hKitchen closes at 15.00h
Chef Amari imagintatively crafts delicious dishes, from burgers and game to fine dining and traditional regional specialities. She sources fresh seasonal produce daily from local producers for Hotel Restaurant and Wine Bar.
Herbs from own gardens, Spier free-range eggs, SASSI green-listed seafood and organic, as far as is humanly possible.
Weekdays06.30h - 10.30hWeekends and public holidays06.30h - 11.00h
In the Wine Bar 12.00h - 17.30h
18.30h - 22.00h
Picnics are packed with farmhouse cheeses, pasture-reared cold cuts, homemade pâtés and chutneys, breads, fresh salads and delicious home-baked treats.
Book your picnic in advance and collect at the picnic shop next door to the Eight to Go Deli. Find your perfect shady spot on the lawns and relax with a glass of Spier wine.
You can choose from gourmet, relaxed, vegetarian, gluten-free and children's picnics. They are packed with farmhouse cheeses, pasture-reared cold cuts, homemade pâtés and chutneys, breads, fresh salads and delicious home-baked treats. In keeping with Spier’s ethos, the packaging is 100% biodegradable and compostable.
While you are at Eight To Go, you can also stock up on sunscreen, sweet treats, drinks and produce from the farm, including lamb, eggs and vegetables. Those who are raw foodies can also be catered. Lactose intolerant or diabetic – just mention your preference when you place your order.
Hotel's team has gone to great lengths to source local, natural and organic produce for picnics and therefore do not allow private picnics.
12.00h - 14.00h
Pick up your pre-booked farm picnics at Spier Farm Kitchen or make your own.
The Spier Farm Kitchen allows guests to customise their picnic with a wide range of freshly-prepared options to choose from – including rotisserie chicken, handcrafted pies and sandwiches (think roast vegetable and pesto, or Farmer Angus roast beef with aioli) made with wood-fired Hoghouse bread.
Guests can choose a freshly-made salad or concoct their own at the Salad Station.
While Spier’s famous organic 70% Couverture chocolate meringue and other decadent treats are on offer, Chef Lolli has also developed a range of healthier sweet products which substitutes refined sugars with natural ones – think fig balls and citrus almond cake.
To drink, there’s a selection of Spier wines, Juicebox juices, cider and beer as well as coffee to go.
The take-home selection includes Farmer Angus’s pasture-reared products such as eggs, biltong, bone broth as well as chicken, pork and beef.
The Spier Farm Kitchen is also the collection point for guests who have ordered a pre-made picnic basket online. Options include vegetarian and children’s baskets. The baskets can be collected between 12.30 and 15.00. Although the picnic spaces are public, group bookings can be accommodated in semi-private areas if booked in advance.
If you don’t bring your own blankets, these can be hired from the Spier Farm Kitchen.
10.00h - 16.30h
SPIER SIGNATURE
Much like every chef has a signature dish, The Spier has wines that are the hallmark of winemaking style. The Spier Signature Collection offers single varietal wines that are always consistent in their character expression of each grape variety. This collection speaks the truth with a clarity that is repeated again and again, with every vintage.
CREATIVE BLOCK
The new, refreshed Creative Block packaging is inspired by the age-old craft of letterpress. The simple, modern and bold design is true to the craft and passion that goes into each of these award-winning blends. Named and inspired by the Spier Arts Academy project, winemakers combine grapes from different vineyard blocks to curate unique tastes - always so much more than the sum of their parts.
21 GAGLES
Besides pouring passion and commitment into every wine that bears its name, The Spier puts a lot into the preservation of farm’s cultural heritage. The Spier farm has 21 architecturally significant gables – the most on any wine farm in South Africa. All meticulously restored. This passionately made wine is named in honour of gables.
FRANS K SMIT
Every vintage, a work of art. Every barrel, personally crafted. An internationally sought after wine with a unique story and rare ageing potential. The limited edition Frans K. Smit is named after Cellar Master, whose track record with Spier goes back 2 decades. Taste flagship wine.
SPIER SECRET
A Prosecco-like bubbly named after annual Spier Secret Festival. By Jacques Erasmus, senior white winemaker and winner of the Diners Club Winemaker of the Year Award 2014, Secret goes pops like a soda bottle. A berry basket of flavours, this crisp, sparkling blend reveals strawberry and raspberry aromas and a rich, honeyed palate. Ideal as an apéritif, or paired with strawberry sorbet.
THE SPIER ARTS COLLECTION
The Spier Arts collection of wines is the work of Cellar Master Frans Smit and his winemaking team. It reflects the 300-year legacy of Spier wine farm, deep connection with South African terroir, and the commitment of winemakers.
WINE TASTING VENUE
It overlooks the Spier dam and has views of the Helderberg mountains. The venue features a large reception area, lounge with comfortable seating around the fireplace and an outside area that maximizes the views.
The venue is ideally situated for a wine and canapé experience, and can also be used for a seated event. Choose from a seasonal cocktail menu and create your own innovative food pairings with award-winning Spier wine.
The building combines contemporary décor with the heritage for which the farm is renowned. A chandelier — made by renowned artist Heath Nash from 334 recycled Spier wine bottles — hangs about the state-of-the-art tasting counter.
Spa at Spier Hotel will melt away tension and help you feel revived and refreshed with a full programme of skin, body and massage treatments on the menu.
Refresh yourself in the cool waters of outdoor pools.
These intimate venues are ideal as breakaway rooms or for smaller gatherings.
The Spier Art Collection is one of the largest contemporary South African art collections. Artworks are displayed in meticulously restored Cape Dutch buildings, meeting rooms and spaces inside the Spier Hotel.
Supporting exceptional artists through the Spier Artists Patronage Programme.
Conference rooms are adjacent to the Eerste River and have views of the Helderberg mountains. Beautifully decorated public areas are furnished with antiques and contemporary South African art from the Spier Collection.
Take home a piece of the Spier farm life or pick out a special keepsake from the collection of contemporary and traditional artworks by Southern African craft producers.
The project was initiated to enable artists to earn an immediate income and to break out into new artistic territories.
An international annual poetry festival initiated by Breyten Breytenbach. Visiting poets have included Nobel Prize frontrunners, political dissidents, activists and award-winning literary figures.
Enjoy up-close-and-personal interactions with eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, kites, buzzards, snakes and lizards.
Presented by the Africa Centre, Infecting the City showcases provocative, site-specific performance works. It engages people who might otherwise never see performance art. Many of the performances are free to the public.
Seating up to 12 delegates around the boardroom table, this venue is warm in hue and with its antique furnishings, it is an ideal environment to conduct a meeting, workshop or small seminar.
At Spier there are 12 meeting venues with different capacities and ambience. From large and formal Conference Centre, to the hushed and historic Manor House.
Spier exhibits South African artists in curated exhibitions in wine tasting rooms, hotel, restaurants and conference venues.
A food and wine event focusing on ethical food production, sustainable food practices and trends. Hosted and sponsored by Spier since 2011.
Segways are the coolest way to do a breezy lap around the farm. Glide through the vineyards. Breeze through the River Garden. Take a turn past the yin-yang water recycling and re-energising plant.
The Spier Arts Academy offers employment-based training in professional mosaic art, mostly to previously disadvantaged emerging artists, with instruction led by top international teachers from the Spilembergo School of Mosaic in Italy.
With its carefully edited selection of gifts both for the body and for the home, the Spier Shop at the hotel allows visitors to take home a piece of the Spier farm life.
The three breakaway rooms, Simons-, Helder- and Stellenberg rooms, can be used separately or combined to seat 250 people.
Nine columns, each 4.1 metres high, cover an installation area of almost 30 m2, together forming the image of Marco Cianfanelli’s The Dying Slave. Made in mosaic by artisans from Spier Architectural Arts, this was the first outdoor, 3-D piece produced by the studio.
Ushering in the festive season every December, this festival is a performance arts procession on the Werf, led by the Spier Angel of Light on stilts.
Enjoy a beautiful meander through nature on Heritage Walk, see magnificent Proteas up-close or be transported back in time with VoiceMap Walking Tours.
Welcome to Spier Weddings. An intimate get-together, or glamorous celebration? Vintage charm — or a sunny, laidback lunch party? Under centuries-old oak on newly restored Werf, in farm gardens or any of historic farm buildings? You decide.
Come with your friends or bring the kids! Enjoy stunning views of the Helderberg mountains and buy wine at cellar door prices.
Kids' Clubhouse has been specially designed to roll out fun and secure childcare services for young hotel guests.
While you are out wine tasting, at the pool or having lunch on the farm, know that your children are being thoughfully cared for.
The team has an imaginative variety of developmentally appropriate activities for children, from age 2-12. Icing biscuits and pizza-making. Feather arts and farm walks. And lots more.
Facilities include two indoor play rooms,two bathrooms/toilets, two undercover outdoor porches, an outdoor play area.
Parents may order lunch from the restaurant menu, or leave a packed lunch (mid-morning or mid-afternoon).
Any childcare needs after 17:00 can be booked as babysitting for your account at an hourly rate.
THE SPIER HOTEL
R310 StellenboschStellenboschSouth Africa