Beaumont House

Overall Impression Staying at Beaumont House, more like a luxury bed and breakfast than a hotel, was an unexpected pleasure. The lovingly restored home is nestled in a Cape Town residential neighborhood. It was named Beaumont by its new owners, a charming English couple, in honor of the nearby Table Mountain. Thanks to our brief stay at Beaumont House we gained a deeper and more expansive appreciation of the Cape Town area and its environs than we have experienced during previous visits.

The property was ideal for luxury oriented guests who like intimate properties, are willing to dine out and enjoy interacting with likeminded travelers. A number of Beaumont House advantages made us fans. The pristine grounds, lovely gardens and attractive décor we half expected but the photos didn’t do the property justice. We were also delighted with the Beaumont House breakfast. Each morning we looked forward to our meal, one of the most delicious breakfasts we’ve enjoyed in South Africa.

We appreciated the small touches like a bottle of South African bubbly awaiting us in our suite when we arrived; beautiful bathroom with oversize plush towels and elegantly scented Charlotte Rhys toiletries; comfortable bed, embroidered linen, and Lindt chocolate during turn down service; international clientele; inviting pool area; and attractive lounge with WiFi connectivity and a working Yamaha baby grand piano.

What we enjoyed most in this jewel of a property was the interaction with the owners, Gill and Peter Deering. They relocated permanently to Cape Town after visiting the fair city a few years earlier. With their enthusiastic and connoisseur dining and wine suggestions we fell in love with Cape Town all over again and discovered a little of the nearby wine region.

Class Of Accommodation Luxury 5 star house (Tourism Grading Council of South Africa)

Handicapped Access Yes, in one of the outside suites. There are no steps leading to the room and it has a roll-in shower.

Internet Connectivity Complimentary Wi-Fi broadband internet access was available in the lounge.

Name Of Concierge Peter Deering was well-informed and able to advise guests on restaurants, Cape Town and wine area tours and much more. Often, his wife told us he can obtain coveted restaurant reservations for his guests or a wine tour conducted by the wine-maker himself.

Owned And Managed Gill and Peter Deering, an English couple, owned and managed the property full time. Peter is a retired consulting IT executive; and Gill is a people person and former British Airways employee who studied piano and violin and came from a family of musicians.

A food and wine enthusiast Peter knew all the best places in the Cape Town area and beyond and was generous with his knowledge and recommendations. Gill prides herself in knowing “what people want before they know themselves.” Peter has a keen interest in and love of the area.

Pets Welcome No

Size There were five rooms; three rooms were housed in the main two story building. The remaining rooms were in an annex to the main property on the ground floor overlooking the swimming pool. The property itself, including guest accommodations, the owners area and staff quarters, occupies a half an acre of land. In addition to the owners, there were six employees.

Year Opened The house is believed to be a 1930s Herbert Baker style house. The owners renovated the entire property, including the grounds, in 2006 and made enhancements to the patio in 2007.

DÉCor When they bought the property Peter and Gill embarked on a detailed hands on renovation of the custom made oak wood floors; saved a camellia bush against all odds; planted an herb garden; replaced all the soil; and hired a garden consultant who visits weekly.

The Beaumont House style was Classic Contemporary with a fusion of original antiques and contemporary furniture. The dining service was Villeroy & Boch china and glassware and Hepp cutlery. Dining room and bathroom linens were custom embroidered with the Beaumont House letters.

The fully renovated interior included handsome oak floors, custom made floor to ceiling recessing glass doors, and custom designed furniture: concrete composite dining tables and hand built U.K. sofas with a sparkle of fun. The heart of the common area was a baby grand Yamaha piano. There were overlarge mirrors in the hallway and guest lounge.

Bathroom Our in suite bathroom had a square black and white theme. There was an extra big glass enclosed shower and a separate full size bathtub. A large Bette Davis poster over the bathtub added a splash of levity.

Our Room To reach our first floor room we went up the wooden staircase by the entrance and turned left at the top. What our room, the Bay Suite, lacked in size it made up for in comfort and a city view. The Bay Suite was 30 square meters big. A comfortable king bed, with an oversize head rest and replaceable runners as well as goose down and duck down pillows and duvets, occupied the center of the room.

An antique chandelier hung from the ceiling to create a contrast with the custom made spot themed chairs. The floors were of original Rhodesian teak parquet wood and the stained glass windows were also original. Against the wall there was a floor to ceiling built in closet with an electronic safe. The opposite corner housed a dresser with a small lamp and upright vanity mirror. Sounds carried in the neighborhood and into our room. Saturday night we could hear loud music from a nearby party.

Although our stay was brief and we were busy exploring the area, we enjoyed the entertainment features of the room. Hanging above the dresser there was a remote controlled ProLine flat screen High Definition Multimedia Interface television. Tucked in a dresser drawer there was a DVD and CD player integrated into the television.

Breakfast A delicious and refined breakfast was served in the dining room or, if there was sunshine, on the terrace under a newly installed awning. Breakfast specialties included home-made granola (a favorite), freshly baked bread and muffins, fresh fruit platters, yoghurt, meat platters, cheese platters, smoked salmon and hot dishes cooked to order.

Amenities There were Charlotte Rhys toiletries; linen robes; slippers; extra length king size bed with cotton 400 count linen and goose down duvets and pillows; beach baskets and towels; mini-bar with complimentary soft drinks, tea and coffee service, air-conditioning, and an electronic closet safe. There was also a flat screen satellite TV, DVD/CD player; and a selection of DVDs and CDs was available for guests to borrow.

Facilities There was an outdoor freshwater swimming pool; library with reference and fiction book and holiday novels; honor bar in the guest lounge offering soft drinks, bottled water, beers, and a wine cellar with selections fondly amassed by Peter and available for guest purchase.

Pool The swimming pool was 10m x 5.5 meters large and.1.9 meters at the deep end. There were lounge chairs and umbrellas for shade.

Conference Facilities In-house delegates and up to 12 guests were welcome. Audio visual equipment was available to hire.

Other The owners of Beaumont House are conservation minded. They added eco wise features to the house such as Australian solar panels and water wise plants and recycled and used organic ingredients whenever possible. Produce from the property’s herbal garden (oregano, thyme, mint, parsley, rosemary, basil, sage, and tomatoes) were served at breakfast and with pool side snacks in peak season.

Most visitors to Beaumont House were international, especially from the U.K. In the 12 months prior to our visit, 12 nationalities were represented among their visitors. Beaumont House is a family friendly property. The owners coordinate accommodations to match guest preferences. There were only adults when we visited.

The property wine cellar included rare and hard to find South African vintages. There were more than 500 bottles and 10 types of cultivars and blends as well as a broad range of spirits, and malt whiskies including 12-year old Highland Malts and Talisker.

For those mindful about crime, the property had electric fencing and an access control system. We parked our rental car in the secure off street parking area in the rear of the house. The owners did their best to accommodate early check-in and late check-out requests. Whenever possible, they also offered all day luggage storage, use of pool and lounge, and shower facilities after check out.

Beaumont House was selected a Decorex Designer Hotel in 2007. The property has been featured in the following articles: June 2007 Woman & Home (South Africa), August 2007 Sunday Express (UK) Travel, 21 January 2007 First magazine (UK), January 2007 De Kaat magazine (South Africa), January 2007 Home magazine (South Africa), November 2006 Wrapped magazine, March 2007 Attitude magazine (UK), and November 2007 House & Leisure South Africa.

Date Of Review November 2007

Reviewers Article by Elena del Valle

Photographs by Gary Cox

Would You Stay There Again? Yes