The Stanford Hotel is a landmark in the village of Stanford in the Cape Overberg, which can be found teaming with life every Saturday morning, attracting market-goers to the Saturday Morning Market held at the hotel every weekend. Built in 1920, with parts of it dating back to the 1890’s, The Stanford Hotel was Stanford’s first accommodation…
The hotel offers both self-catering and typical hotel accommodation, although there is very little that is typical about this hotel! Each corner of it has been thoughtfully decorated with antiques and vintage finds, from owner Penny van den Berg’s road trips across the Overberg and the Karoo.
When Penny first stumbled across Stanford, she bought a property with weekend visits in mind, but as it so often happens, she made the move to Stanford permanently a few years after, once the country bug had bitten. The hotel came onto the market shortly after and she saw it as serendipitous…
Penny spent years renovating the then out-of-date interior, revealing beautiful wooden floors and open, sunlit spaces. The décor and interior now adhere to the age of the building, with distinctly 1920’s collectables displayed throughout the hotel, including antique beds and wardrobes in the hotel rooms.
The building where the hotel’s pub is now situated in Queen Victoria Street dates back to the late 1890’s, when it was originally a general dealer store. It was converted into a pub, a bit of a scandal at the time, and remained a ‘men’s only’ bar until the early 1990’s.
With renovations and new ownership, the pub also received a fresh look, upgrading it to a respectable vintage-themed bar, although the original general dealer fittings still remain. The pub is now opened for functions and as a space for pop-up restaurants, something which has proven popular with locals and visitors alike.
The hotel offers several kinds of accommodation; double rooms which lead out onto a private garden or a courtyard; classic hotel rooms within the hotel wing, and self-catering accommodation in a separate cottage. The rates include a light continental breakfast and freshly brewed coffee delivered to your door, even if you’re a self-catering guest.
The rooms are plush and comfortable, complete with white cotton bedding, down duvets and antique furniture. Bambi Cottage is a stand alone self-catering unit, with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a fully equipped kitchen and an open plan lounge.
The Stanford Hotel is centrally situated in the village, perfect for guests wanting to explore the village on foot or by bicycle. Only two minutes walk from the river, the hotel is close enough to carry canoes down to the banks or to enjoy a walk along the ‘wandelpad’. The Saturday Morning Market takes place on the hotel veranda every Saturday, where talented local ‘Stanford Food Heroes’ sell their delicious gourmet goodies to throngs of keen foodies, between 9.30am – 12pm.
Graze and Don Gelato are just across the road, offering the best breakfasts (and Italian ice-cream) in several counties, while The Stanford Trading Store, The Vine and The Stanford Bottle Store offer much for visitors to see and do.
With a second bar located in the courtyard especially for summer soirees, the hotel has proven to be a popular venue for Friday night pre-wedding mixers, before weddings take place at Stanford’s popular wedding venues, such as Beloftebos.
A fully equipped conference room (which is also home to yoga once a week!), two bars, a double volume dining room, a hotel lounge and a pub, make The Stanford Hotel the perfect venue for small country business getaways too. The hotel has hosted hundreds of different events over the years, including jazz evenings, live folk music nights, art exhibitions, gourmet events, themed birthdays, weddings and dance parties.
But whatever your reason for needing to breakaway to the quaintest villages in the Cape, The Stanford Hotel offers everything you could possibly want. All you need to do is book, pack up your canoes, bicycles and fishing rods, and leave the city behind for a great big dollop of vintage charm and fresh country air…
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