Falling in Love with Tintswalo at Boulders

“Because there’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away.”
~ Sarah Kay

On 16 February 1870, Cutty Sark, the fastest clipper ship of the time took to the waters on its maiden voyage from London to Shanghai. Considered the pinnacle of design, the merchant ship successfully completed the journey, returning with 590 tonnes of tea in its hull. For the next 52 years of service, the Cutty Sark earned its keep transporting goods between the continents, visiting sixteen different countries and travelling the equivalent of two and a half voyages to the moon and back. Today, at 150 years old, she is the world’s only surviving extreme clipper hip and, having been retired, is open to visitors in Maritime Greenwich in London.

Cutty Sark was, is, a famous ship (named after a short nightdress nogal) but this article isn’t about famous ships…it’s about the theme inspired luxury suites named after famous ships and the glorious Atlantic-facing villa that houses them. This is about our one-night stay at the Tintswalo at Boulders Boutique Villa in Simon’s Town.

An ode to the Cape’s vibrant colour palette

The name “Tintswalo” has deservedly become synonymous with luxury, but it is a brand of luxury that does not attempt to outperform the spectacular natural landscapes in which each of the brand’s six lodges are ensconced. Rather, Tintswalo’s interiors are created and curated to pay homage to its setting with colours and textures that compliment those framed by its generous windows, balconies, and sliding doors. Tintswalo at Boulders is, of course, no different.

Each suite has a unique colour theme and is named after famous ships, such as Bounty, Grosvenor, Water Witch, Drommedaris, and the Mayflower, the lattermost of which is regarded as one of the most important ships in American history because it brought the pilgrims to Massachusetts during the Great Puritan Migration in the 17^th Century. All are an affectionate and luxuriously appointed ode to the vibrant colour palette of the villa’s surrounds, from the luscious aquamarine of Boulders Beach’s shallow waters to the rich, royal blue of the impending evening.

Location, location, location

This spectacularly beautiful villa is in Simon’s Town, centre stage to Boulders Beach, which, being home to a world-famous resident colony of endangered African penguins, hardly needs an introduction. Standing on one of the lodge’s large balconies, one can easily see the penguins, previously called Jackass penguins for their donkey braying-like call, carpeting the granite boulders, the beach sand, and even in the turquoise waters. Occasionally, a wanton ocean breeze carries the sounds of their braying up to the villa and its this, the yelping of black-backed gulls, and the gentle sigh of the Atlantic ocean kissing the shore that is the soundtrack to your stay at Tintswalo at Boulders.

A stone’s throw away from the lodge, less than a minute’s drive down the road, is “downtown” Simon’s Town, a historic seaside anchorage nestled into the eastern flank of the Cape’s dramatic peninsula. For more than 350 years, this sheltered harbour, which overlooks False Bay, has served as a major naval base, first to the Dutch settlers, then the British, and now the South African Navy. This explains why there is an enormous battleship and a retired submarine in the harbour. In spite of its small size and relative remoteness, there is a lot to do in Simon’s Town, including kayaking out to the penguin colony, perusing its various art and antique stores, curio shopping at Jubilee Square, and taking a photo with the statue of Just Nuisance, a Great Dane and the only dog to ever be officially admitted to the Royal Navy.

But sitting there on Tintswalo’s balcony with its panoramic ocean views or in my suite, swimming in poofy white duvet, all thoughts of stepping outside this slice of paradise were so far from my mind, it would have taken a high powered telescope to locate them.

Dinner and wine

Tintswalo at Boulders operates on a bed-and-breakfast basis; however, for our stay, we were treated to a four-course feast prepared by Executive Chef Christo Pretorius from none other than the 12 Apostles Hotel & Spa. This was paired with wines from Bouchard Finlayson, a boutique winery in the Hemel-en-Aarde valley dedicated to the making of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc wines.

We embarked upon the evening with a “celebration of summer wines” in the courtyard, featuring Bouchard Finlayson Sauvignon Blanc 2018 and canapés of seared beef teriyaki roll, yellowfin tuna sushi rolls, and the most divine springbok and chakalaka kare pan, a Japanese curry-filled pie. With introductions done and the wine beginning to melt away the social shyness, we headed inside to take our place at a long table glittering with impeccably polished cutlery, crockery, and glassware. Thus, beganneth our meal.

Our first course was Moroccan lamb en croute prepared in the traditional French technique and served with pickled apricot purée, home-made labneh, crispy chickpeas, and cured lemon peel. This was paired with Bouchard Finlayson’s unwooded Sans Barrique Chardonnay 2017. Next up was the Fizantakraal salmon trout tartar, served on a bed of garden pea panna cotta, with pea and mint salad, chive crème fraîche mousse, and trout roe. This was paired with the gorgeous 2017 and, as yet unreleased, 2018 vintage of Bouchard Finlayson’s Missionvale Chardonnay.

The main course was Angus bavette steak with artichoke purée, soy truffle cream, grilled king oyster mushrooms, pickled shitake mushrooms, and a Pinot Noir beef jus I would have gleefully licked off my plate had I not been sitting at a table full of people. The wine for this course was the 2015 and 2018 vintage of the truly exquisite Galpin Peak Pinot Noir. Nirvana found.

Our meal was brought to a sweet close with a medley of desserts: a coffee and caramel chocolate torte crowned with gold leaf, vanilla bean and passion fruit macaron (my personal favourite and not only because it was purple in colour), hazelnut bon bons, and citrus tart. With a fairly impressive number of empty wine bottles lining the table, we let our inner children free by plastering the gold leaf to our teeth and seeing if our table neighbours noticed.

A frame for nature and an unforgettable stay

A stay at Tintswalo at Boulders is really a frame for the appreciation of the surrounding area and its sublime natural beauty. While deeply, deeply luxurious and comfortable, there isn’t a sliver of ostentatious display to distract one from the glorious section of coastline and glittering Atlantic Ocean that unfurls below and before you. For one blissful day and night, we relinquished ourselves to the caring embrace of Tintswalo and steeped ourselves in fine wine and food, courtesy of Bouchard Finlayson and Chef Christo Pretorius. And the morning after, saying goodbye to it all – the views of penguins, our expansive bed, the villa’s tranquil interiors, and murmur of the ocean – was really rather heart-breaking.

But you know what they say: better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.

For bookings and enquiries, please call +27 (0) 21 612 0113 or go to www.tintswalo.com/boulders/villa/

7 Gay Road, Simon’s Town

This blog was originally written for Southern Vines, the largest leisure and lifestyle magazine in the Western Cape of South Africa: https://www.southernvines.co.za/2019/11/22/falling-in-love-with-tintswalo-at-boulders/

The Light House Boutique Suites: a Pearl Within the Paarl Winelands

A short 45-minute drive outside of the Mother City, lies a pearl within a pearl; a luxury guesthouse tucked into a verdant oasis of clipped hedges, flowering bushes, and winding garden paths, in the charming town of Paarl. The Light House Boutique Suites is a tranquil haven to retreat and recover from the rigors of the working week, or from travel, as is the case with 90% of the guests here. It was here that we found ourselves on what would turn out to be the hottest weekend the Cape had seen all spring. It’s just as well, because with air-conditioned interiors and a gorgeous pool at our disposal, not even Paarl’s sweltering heat could compromise our comfort.

The forgotten sibling

Paarl has been given somewhat of a raw deal as far as reputation is concerned. Forced to contend with the likes of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, the historic town has unfortunately lost out on a little bit of the attention it deserves. Sure, while Franschhoek may be a “fancy box of chocolates” compared with its more rustic cousin, Paarl is the real deal. Here, frills, fuss, and French charm are roughly exchanged for the kind of honest, rustic goodness that we all, at heart, find so endearing.

Named for the bulbous granite extrusion that stands sentry over the town (and whose constituent quartz and mica crystals make it glitter in the sunlight), Paarl – meaning “pearl” – features a fabulous array of diversions. Notably, a wine route dotted with exceptional wineries such as Avondale, which is an absolute must visit for great wine, an enchanting cellar tour, and a delicious lunch or dinner at its restaurant, FABER. The town is also home to a plethora of historic attractions and other top-notch restaurants like Noop, Terra Mare, and The Red Table at Nederburg wine estate.

Paarl Rock itself offers a decent hiking challenge and breath-taking views from the top. The Light House Boutique Suites, therefore, is the perfect base from which to explore the treasures this somewhat ignored town has to offer. Your biggest challenge will be extricating yourself from the sweet embrace of the poolside chaise longues or your bed’s Egyptian cotton sheets to go exploring!

Décor and aesthetic

The gentlemen that run The Light House Boutique Suites on behalf of the owners are Darrol and Hendrik, whose career has been unpacked in various disciplines of design and, according to their own testament, have “absolutely no hotelier experience”. Of course, you would never guess from the stratospheric standard of hospitality achieved here. Their design background, however, is evident in every quarter from the gorgeous artworks that thoughtfully adorn the walls to the unique design theme and colour palette of every suite. Even the dining room changes colour every day with the different themed tablecloths that are laid out each morning for breakfast.

At our request, Darrol was kind enough to take us on a brief tour of the guesthouse’s five suites, each of which has a unique personality inspired by luxury designer Ralph Lauren, with a dash of warm Africanism thrown in. Our particular suite, the Manhattan room, had black and white photographs of its namesake city with gorgeous lemon yellow highlights adding colour and vivaciousness to a design base of clean whites, warm greys, and crystal embellishments.

Every element of the design here – colour, texture, and otherwise – has been thoughtfully curated to achieve a theme and feel that is at once luxurious and comfortable. For this reason, The Light House delivers a level of comfort above that of any hotel; you don’t need to scatter your possessions and clothing all over the place for it to start feeling like “yours”. It feels familiar from the outset.

Weekend plans out the window

Outside, The Light House’s garden lazily sprawls down a series of terraces, culminating at the lowest level in an enormous crystal-clear swimming pool. Although temperatures soared in the thirties, the water was surprisingly icy and so we repaired to the poolside chaise longues on which we happily lounged with a glass of Avondale MCC 2010 in hand. With that, all of our carefully crafted weekend plans to give Paarl a thorough exploration went completely and utterly out of the window. I made peace with it, though. This place is so darned beautiful that I’d be willing to sacrifice the hours spent hiking Paarl Rock, visiting the Taal Monument, and enduring the unforgiving sun to remain within the cool, luxurious embrace of this tranquil location.

Outstanding service

The promise of excellent wine and food did eventually lure us from the pool and so we dined at Noop on Friday night and indulged in wine and lunch at Avondale on Saturday, both located a short drive from The Light House. We barely had to lift a finger; the staff made the bookings for us and even dropped us off and collected us in The Light House’s resident steed: a very sexy and sleek Limited Edition Chrysler.

From beginning to end, we were thoroughly spoiled and wanted for nothing. Anything your heart or stomach could desire, just ask and The Light House staff will pull the necessary strings (and pop the necessary corks) to make it happen for you. The staff almost constantly stands to attention at the bottom of the staircase and wherever you go – to your suite or down to the pool – you’re never far from the assistance you might need in getting a snack, a glass of bubbly, or arranging weekend plans.

Take me back!

I stand stubbornly by my original sentiment – The Light House Boutique Suites is a pearl within a pearl, a verdant oasis, and a luxury guesthouse of the highest order; indeed, higher than any I’ve experienced previously. The fact that it has a smorgasbord of wineries, fine restaurants, historic attractions, and outdoor adventures at its doorstep is a plus but, if you’re anything like me, you’ll struggle to get there.

Why seek pleasure outside when The Light House is already such an exquisite escape? 

For more information on the Lighthouse Boutique Suites, peruse the website at www.thelighthouse.co.za or call +27 21 863 4600 | +27 72 687 4516.

Address: 2 Lille Street | Courtrai | Paarl 7646 | Cape Winelands

This article was originally written by Thea Beckman for Southern Vines Magazine, the largest lifestyle and leisure magazine in the Western Cape of South Africa: http://www.southernvines.co.za/2018/10/11/the-light-house-boutique-suites-a-pearl-within-the-paarl-winelands/