A short half-hour drive from Cape Town, one man’s extraordinary dream has become a remarkable reality.
Nestled in the Bottelary Hills of the Western Cape, the Hazendal Wine Estate dates back to 1699 but it’s only in the past 30 years that Dr Mark Voloshin’s vision has taken shape.
An international businessman, investor and philanthropist, Dr Voloshin recognised the potential to turn Hazendal into a world-class destination offering culture, cuisine and entertainment for the entire family.
He purchased the 60 hectare site in 1994 and thus began a remarkable transformation, with the latest addition a luxury 34-room boutique hotel which opened in 2023.
Willem van der Merwe has more than 30 years’ experience in the hospitality industry. He has been working at the property for six years and is currently Guest Relations Manager.
“They were investors from Europe and like anybody that came to South Africa in the 1990s they fell in love with the country, they fell in love with the people and they fell in love with the landscape,” he tells me as we chat in the lavish reception area.
“When they purchased Hazendal it was not only as a working farm, but it was as their home. So it’s their pride and their joy.
“The owner had a vision for Hazendal to create a luxurious, five-star African property. That is the vision. It was not shared by everyone, but he could see something that other people didn’t see. He saw the beauty, he saw the potential and slowly but surely he invested in the estate.”
The good doctor became so invested in the property that he asked his children to help him run the business. At first they declined, claiming it was “his baby”, but now they are fully onboard.
“We have taken Hazendal from a small working Stellenbosch farm, the average employee total for which is about 20, and now we have an employee total of 350,” Willem adds.
“We want job creation but we also want to do it sustainably. So we created a farm where on the one side we produce beautiful, stunning wines, and on the part where we couldn’t produce anything, we developed a beautiful, luxury African resort.”
I was lucky enough to stay at the property during the recent Mega Lekker trade famil to South Africa. Our visit began with a wine tasting and food pairing that was a delicious pre-cursor to what was to come.
Think savoury macadamia nut and apricot chutney pancake roll with a crisp chenin blanc or Ostrich carpaccio and dukka spiced vetkoek (fried bread) with the famous South African pinotage.
Needing a quick lie down after that culinary excellence, I repaired to my room and was immediately struck by how quiet it was…perfect for an afternoon siesta.
Apart from an uber comfy king bed, the room had a massive bath and shower room, a desk for those pesky work emails and a patio, on which I took advantage of the swing chair to simply watch the world go by.
For most people, however, there is just far too much to do at Hazendal to spend it in your room trying to shake off jet-lag.
There’s a par-three golf course, a spa, an outdoor heated pool, a fitness centre, a padel court and a 16-seater cinema. That’s in addition to several bars and restaurants…and even a collection of vintage cars.
Another of the highlights of the property is Wonderdal, an interactive entertainment centre for kids aged five to 13. It blends creative design, award-winning educational resources and world-class technology to combine learning with play, concentrating on science, nutrition and nature.
“If your kids are at Wonderdal then you’re going to have a great holiday,” continues Willem. “I have had parents crying on my shoulder and saying this is the first time since the children were born that they have had some ‘me’ time, so that is just beautiful.
“Since we opened up the hotel, I have not had to put so many roller beds in rooms in my entire life. The hotel is perfect for families and every second booking we get they’ve got children.
“People are impressed with the facilities that we’ve got for children and that they can have little bit of quality time on their own.”
Our time at Hazendal was all too short but we did get to enjoy a fabulous dinner in The Deli, one of several dining venues at the property. We all agreed, however, that we really needed a couple more days to fully appreciate and enjoy Dr Voloshin’s creation.
“Australian visitors are always amazed when they come to South Africa and they feel that it was worthwhile traveling 30 hours on a flight to get here.
“Because of the length of the flight it’s not something that you can quickly pop over for. We do recommend that when they do come, they come and stay for at least a period of two or three weeks.”
Now that sounds like a plan to me!
