We were suitably impressed.I love Babylonstoren and also take visitors there…the peace and serenity is tangible….and yes, I am a journalist and editor and writing is my passion! The house is undoubtedly a monumental display on the English soil. Hotel opening soon. His work at Prieuré Notre Dame d’Orsan in France had impressed her greatly. Much more than a hotel, the 18th-century farm estate houses an award-winning winery, restaurant and garden, all tied up in a very stylish bow by one of its founders, Karen Roos. Karen Roos has put her time as editor of South African Elle Decoration to good use in a light functional design in soothing pale colours. Perhaps my favourite in the world. All of which has transformed our own meals at home.So we don’t need to look through pictures or our Instafeed to remember our time at Babylonstoren. It is almost Cartesian in the tradition of classical French gardens. They are also grown as organically as possible and in a biologically sustainable manner. In her inspired restoration of one of the winelands oldest estates, Karen Roos and her team have created a new kind of country getaway, a working farm that is also a luxury hotel, where guests can enjoy the ultimate pleasure of picking their own fruit and vegetables This lovely old estate with its many layers of history remains a working farm, but it has also been transformed it into a unique … Owner Karen Roos (with husband Koos Bekker) has created the most amazing transformation of the wine estate, which had commenced behind the scenes three years prior to their opening, with their GM Terry de Waal and his team planning and implementing their future direction. With former ELLE Decoration editor Karen Roos behind it, how could it be otherwise? Living in Johannesburg I have dreams of Babylonstoren regularly and cant wait to visit again.I have just moved to Cape Town from Australia but have been here quite a few times. September is the month of the Clivias at Babylonstoren. The Farm Shop, Scented Shop, Garden Spa, Greenhouse and Babel are now open. The headquarters of the Hobhouse family for 230 years, it was fittingly the former home of renowned gardener Penelope Hobhouse, among other avid plant people.Now a lifestyle utopia, the estate houses a hotel, show-stopping gardens, orchards, cider cellar, deli, bakery, gelateria, buffalo herd, restaurants, spa and garden museum.With grounds landscaped by French architect Patrice Taravella, who also played an integral role in the design of Babylonstoren's gardens, the property has been reimagined to include several areas of interest designed to take visitors on a historic journey through British gardening and celebrate the various eras and owners the property has seen.With grounds landscaped by French architect Patrice Taravella, who also played an integral role in the design of Babylonstoren's gardens, the property has been reimagined to include several areas of interest designed to take visitors on a historic journey through British gardening and celebrate the various eras and owners the property has seen.One such hub is the estate's original parabola walled garden reinterpreted as a homage to the apple, which Somerset is famous for. Credit: DOOK Karen Roos and Koos Bekker committed vast resources to build the Babylonstoren secret garden full of natural splendor. A contemporary glass cube has been seamlessly added to the 18th-century structure of the two-bedroom cottages to house a dining and kitchen area and give a sense of space, abundance, and, of course, those views.You’ll want to visit the pristine cellars with one of Babylonstoren‘s olive press or wine experts (and taste it, of course – the good news is that the tour is followed by a five-wine tasting, with convivial sharing platter in a contemporary glasshouse overlooking the very fruit you are tasting). Here, owners Karen Roos and Koos Bekker cultivate more than 300 varieties of edible or medicinal plants in the extraordinary gardens inspired by the farms that supplied ships passing the Cape of Good Hope in 1692, which was when the farm was first granted to burgher (citizen) Pieter van der Byl. With its sinuous lines and massive white walls, Babylonstoren is among the best preserved of these and its origins date back to 1690. The house is undoubtedly a monumental display on the English soil. The fruit and vegetables from the garden are harvested all year round for use in two farm-to-fork restaurants. A great achievement and a credit to you. Feb 26, 2020 . Ek kan God se teenwoordigheid daar voel. Babylonstoren is breathtaking and with Karen’s impeccable sense of style, it is a large slice of heaven. Dessert subscribes to four flavours: salty, bitter, sweet and sour. Somerset is about cows in meadows producing milk for cheese, apple orchards that turn into cider and woods of oak and beech. Rather than forcing her personality onto a space, she draws out its own nature and lets it speak for itself - a rare trait which allows it to feel perfectly in step with its surroundings.