With pops of what I’ve come to call ‘bright Majeka blue’, as well as slightly outlandish cacti and rambling roses everywhere outside, we had time for a just a brief peep at our room – yay, the ‘floral flamingo’ one at last – before it was time to sample the new Majeka House's M Lounge lunch menu offering.
Served either in the 'more golden, less blue-lit, more blue-chaired' M Lounge bar area than before, due to recent renovations, or in the (hopefully) equally sunny outside area, the bar itself proved a popular choice on the day due to the warmth emanating from the fireplace, but we opted for a quieter lunch in eating under the trees, accompanied by birdsong.
The cocktail and drinks menu is impressive, but I decided to stick with the pink-garden theme invoked by our room, so I went for the rose martini. Sharp on the tongue and tingly fresh, it included a generous swig of rose water and orange bitters, while my husband had a glass of the Glenelly Red, which he paired with the linefish of the day, the Cape breem. It made for a perfectly crisp wintery meal.
When he said ‘Mmm,’ on first forkful, I knew we were onto a winner. The crispy outside was the ideal casing for that melt-in-the-mouth flesh, topped with four asparagus spears and made just as pretty as a picture due to the vibrant tomatoey topping and mounds of pale sauce vierge.
The only disappointment? The local Waygu beef burger with onion rings wasn’t in stock, but I was quite happy to go for the chili-coriander pasta instead.
It’s best described as a bowl of ‘pesto pasta’. It was brimming with coriander and chilli and almost-too-big blobs of chewy bocconcini cheese liberally sprinkled throughout.
The portions were large, yet light enough to still contemplate dessert. Looking for a sweet ending, we shared the vanilla creme brûlée, topped with full choc-chip cookie. The crisp top shell was perfectly caramelised, as the lightest crack of a spoon broke through to the creamy vanilla-custardy innard.
Paired with alternating sips of cappuccino served in glass cup, we soon felt at one with our surroundings.
Despite the lazy afternoon settling in, service was prompt and professional so we were soon on our way again, as guests of Majeka House are now treated to a free wine-and-chocolate pairing at Waterford Estate.
We actually made tracks surprisingly fast as the Estate is closed on Sundays and we only had limited time to get there in their Saturday window, winding our way through those stunning tree-lined Stellenbosch streets.
Before we knew it we were on the Blaauwklippen Road estate, seated with a view of the picturesque trees dotting the courtyard and ready for this wine-pairing with a difference.
We learned that Waterford Estate was amongst the first to offer a chocolate-and-wine pairing back in 2004, when Kevin Arnold and chocolatier Richard von Geusau specifically created this series of dark and milk chocolates to pair with Waterford Estate’s Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Natural Sweet wine. You won’t find these specific chocolates anywhere else in the world so be sure to snatch up a slab when ordering your wine of choice.
Back to the pairing, it’s a three-flight delight. First up is the Shiraz – we learned that each of the six Waterford children has a turn to be featured on the bottle. This is a rich, pepper-clovey red that we pictured pairing perfectly with a lamb curry to bring out that spiciness. Obviously the special chocolate paired well, too.
Last was a taste of Heatherleigh, named after the Estate’s two ladies, Leigh Ord and Heather Arnold. It’s described as “the sweetest wine on estate,” its smooth viscosity means it’s not as syrupy as the dessert wines we’ve come to know, but still sweet. In fact, when sampled with the rose-geranium chocolate you get a distinct hit of Turkish Delight. This combination is super-moreish.
The best part of the experience, though? The tiny, seedless citrus you can pluck right off the tree and squirt into your mouth before you’ve left the estate – we weren’t the only ones doing so! This is a truly wonderful way to relax into a Stellenbosch Saturday, but with daylight falling, it was soon time to return to Majeka House.
Once back, we noticed that the boutique hotel has definitely enhanced its unique design charm with recent renovations. It’s not just the wine talking here because those quirky pigs, botanical prints, pops of gold, and must-be-seen-to-be-believed bookshelf wallpaper are still high points, but they’re enhanced by the addition of a new pull-awning cover over the headed indoor pool, to let in natural light, should conditions permit.
It’s an excellent thing, as us water babies spent much of our evening there – despite our ‘flamingo room’ having its own private lap-worthy pool to share with the neighbouring room, as it was an extremely chilly pool. We got in for photographic proof-purposes only! We were instantly frozen but also quite refreshed and found the ‘Majeka blue’ loungers set around the pool were just right to watch the sunset from.
We were encouraged to wear the fluffy gowns provided in the room around the estate, especially when heading to the indoor pool and fitness area, so wear them we did.
As per our last visit a few years ago, the jacuzzi is slightly cold-yet-pleasant, with the sauna and steam rooms are just perfect for getting your internal thermometer up for winter, and the fitness centre equipped with treadmills, exercise bikes, a punching bag with gloves and assorted hand weights.
After turning to physical exercise to relieve some of the frustrations of the past few weeks, we were happy to retire to the recently refurbished room we’d seen numerous times on Instagram and make it our own for the night.
Your every comfort is catered to here, with marshmallow-soft pillows adorning the crisp, clean bedding making it heavenly to sink into, and a large TV mounted on the wall so you can easily while away a few hours there, if you’re so inclined.
In addition to that flamingo adorning the lounge wall, there were pops of pink and dove-grey everywhere – even the enormous padded headboard ties in to the colour scheme, and enormous artsy water birds adorn the glass shower and toilet doors in the bathroom.
Note that while there’s a super deep bath tub in the room, plugs are a no-no with the water restrictions. This is more of a downer for out-of-town guests than us Capetonians, who are sadly now used to taking a brisk shower instead. Luckily the water pressure was good, but you do need to insert the ‘lights card’ in the wall for the temperature to swiftly heat up.
We were still snapping all those birdy prints when there was a knock on the door followed by ‘evening treats’ of spiced orange juice, as well as jars of chocolate panna cotta topped with blueberries and nuts. Delicious!
Speaking of delicious, the rooms are also equipped with well-stocked honesty bars, but if it’s a hot drink you’re after (without raiding your personal piggy bank), you’re in luck. There’s also a Nespresso machine, with enough pods, milks and sugars for a decent stay, as well as a stash of fresh cookies that are also yours for the taking. Psst! These are perfect as padkos for the long trip home if you don’t get to them during your stay.
I’m talking a wide selection of cereals, clumps of sticky Bircher muesli, jars of yoghurt-and-fruit granola, homemade cleansing juices and smoothies, as well as a pleasing selection of charcuterie, a cheese board and pastries and danishes like those delicious caneles from the check-in desk.
Ruth Cooper 20 May 2014
Don’t fill up too much from the continental spread though, as you also get to pick something from the hot a la carte breakfast menu.
We went for the ‘American-style pancakes’ (crumpets) with blueberry compote and the traditional breakfast – two eggs cooked to your preference; but it was a tough choice as the menu is filled with favourites like eggs benedict, Florentine or royale, depending on whether you prefer them with ham, spinach or smoked salmon; a tomato-mushroom-and-cheddar omelette; smoked trout rosti; French toast with bacon and maple syrup; and Scottish oats served with a little whisky and honey.
Good choice as both plates were clean within minutes, and the hot, jammy blueberries were among the best I’ve tasted.
There's a new private dining room in the restaurant, too, and lots of photos on my pic-heavy blog post.
Simply magic as usual, Majeka House.
*Leigh Andrews was a guest at Majeka House and the MLounge Bar. For bookings, call 021 880 1549 or email az.oc.esuohakejam@snoitavreser, and visit www.majekahouse.co.za for more. Majeka House Spa and Makaron restaurant is situated at 26-32 Houtkapper Street, Paradyskloof, Stellenbosch.
