Klein Eikeboom

Welcome. We're Pieter and Anrie.

We live in the stone cottage to the left of the main house. Knock if you need us, but the manual answers most things, we'd rather you enjoy your morning than come find us.

The property's an oak grove with a working vineyard along the eastern fence. In autumn the oaks go the colour of red wine. The view from the stoep is embarrassing.

Rooi is the dog. Big optimistic Boerboel who thinks everyone arrived to see him. He doesn't go in the rooms. He'll meet you at the gate.

A few things for the first morning:

• Breakfast runs 8 to 10 in the conservatory
• Pool is open 8 to 9
• Wine route is in your Local section, three farms within 15 minutes

Two or three nights is the right length. Short enough to feel like a treat, long enough to do the wine route without rushing.

Small WiFi box above the door in each room. Rooms 3 and 4 (back wing, overlooking the vineyard) get the strongest signal, the furthest box happens to be the newest.

Lost connection? The reset button is at the top of the stairs going down to the wine cellar, on a small panel to the right of the door. Daytime only.

About the cellar door. Don't go down there after dark. The alarm is linked to that door and pings us if it opens between 9pm and 7am.

It's not a trust thing, a guest once wandered in at midnight looking for a phone charger and triggered a full security callout. Cleared up after, but everyone lost an hour.

The B&B is set back from Vineyard Road behind a row of oaks. Turn into the white-pillar entrance with the wrought-iron sign reading "Klein Eikeboom" and follow the gravel drive through the working vineyard for about 200m.

📍 Stellenbosch town centre is 6km away, your easiest landmark for navigation. From town, head south on the R310 toward Spier, take the second left after the wine route signs.

From Cape Town International (CPT): 35–45 minutes via the N2 then R310 (R400–R500 by Uber, but most guests rent a car for the wine country).

On the wine route: 📍 Spier Wine Estate is 4km north, the start of the Stellenbosch wine route. We're a 12-minute drive from 📍 Tokara Wine Estate and 8 minutes from 📍 Delaire Graff Estate.

Parking is on the gravel area in front of the welcome veranda. Pull in nose-first under the oaks. Two cars per room, plenty of space.

Check-in is from 3pm.

• Drive through the main gate, park on the gravel in front of the welcome veranda
• Plenty of room, two cars per room
• The small fridge on the welcome table has a cold welcome bottle for you (Klein Eikeboom Chenin Blanc, one per room)

Your room key is in a small wooden box on the welcome table, marked with your room number. It's a latch, not a lock, the key inside is the one that matters.

Breakfast: 8–10am, in the conservatory

The conservatory is the glass room on the south side of the main house. You'll spot it from the garden.

• Gluten-free is standard across the menu, no need to ask
• Vegan? Leave a note on the pad in the conservatory before 8pm the night before. We need 24 hours to do it properly
• There's usually a pot of rooibos going from 7:30am

Rooi. He'll be at the gate when you arrive. He's friendly, large, and has no concept of personal space. He doesn't go in the rooms.

Room keys

Mechanical brass keys, not cards. Don't take your key with you when you leave the property, either give it to us or leave it on the welcome table in the entrance.

We have a spare, but the round-trips do add up. Guests have left keys in hire cars, pocketless beach bags, and one memorable time at a wine farm 12 km away.

Shared spaces

• Lounge. Fireplace we light on cold evenings. Stellenbosch winters get properly chilly, June and July can surprise people.
• Library is off the lounge. Help yourself to a book. If you take one back to your room, leave a note in the visitor's book on the shelf. Not chasing, just a lovely record of who read what.
• Pool. Open 8am–9pm. No glass at the pool (acrylic glasses are in the cupboard beside the towel rail). No splashing after 9pm, the garden amplifies noise toward the neighbours.
• Terraced garden runs down toward the vineyard boundary. Bottom gate is unlocked; walk through if you like, but stay on the path, the vineyard is a working farm.

Towels and linens

Fresh towels on the peg outside your door by 11am each morning.

• Towel on the floor → we swap it
• Towel hanging → we leave it

A saved towel is a free towel. Not a sustainability lecture, just the honest reason.

• Breakfast: 8–10am. If you want to be counted in for your final morning, let us know the night before by 9:30pm. We prep fresh quantities daily and late additions are hard. Same notice if you're leaving early and want a breakfast bag instead.
• Vegan breakfast needs 24 hours notice. Notepad is in the conservatory. Gluten-free is already covered.
• Pool hours: 8am–9pm. No glass, no splashing after 9pm.
• Kids welcome during school terms. We go adults-only in winter (June, July, August), quieter season, different vibe. Message us before booking if you're not sure.
• Smoking on the front stoep only. Not in the rooms, not near the pool.

Late returns: front door auto-locks at 11pm.

If you're out after that, use the side door (the one facing the car park).

Close the side door firmly behind you, it doesn't self-latch and Rooi has learned to nose it open.

A handful of farm-side add-ons. None are required, all happily skipped.

Private cellar tasting at Klein Eikeboom, R450/person

Pieter walks you through six of our own wines in the cellar below the main house. About 75 minutes, with a cheese board on the table.

• How to request: Message Anrie 24 hours ahead with how many
• Pay: Added to your room invoice

Picnic basket for the wine route, R380

Roast chicken, two cheeses, bread, fruit, a bottle of our own Chenin, a flask of espresso. Cool bag included, drop it back at reception.

• How to request: Order by 5pm the day before pickup
• Pay: Cash, card, or invoice

Driver for the wine route, R900 for the day

Our friend Themba drives a clean, quiet sedan. He knows the farms, the back roads, and how long each tasting takes. No one in your group has to be the designated driver.

• How to request: Two days notice; we book him directly
• Pay: Cash on the day, settle directly with Themba

Cape Town airport pickup, R650

Door-to-door, sedan, water in the back. 45-minute drive depending on traffic.

• How to request: Send us your flight number a day before arrival
• Pay: Added to your booking

Check-out is by 11am.

• No strip-the-beds theatrics. Just leave the room reasonably tidy and close the windows
• Drop your room key in the wooden box on the welcome table (same place you found it). Lost it? Knock on our cottage door, we have a spare, no drama

Tipping housekeeping is up to you. If you'd like to, cash on the dresser is the kindest way. The team is on the noticeboard in the breakfast room: Maria looks after Rooms 1 & 2, Patience looks after Rooms 3 & 4. They're both here six days a week and they make the beds in a way worth acknowledging.

Final breakfast. If you want to sit down on your last morning, count yourself in by 9:30am so we can hold a table. Otherwise grab a coffee and a rusk from the sideboard and hit the road. Both are valid. Safe travels.

Tap any name for the map.

Wine route: three farms within 15 minutes. We've nudged the closest ones to expect you.

• Tokara, 12 min. Book the 11am tasting. Tell them you're from Klein Eikeboom: terrace table sorted. Olive oil tasting alongside the wine flight is worth the R80 extra.
• Waterford Estate, 10 min. Chocolate-and-wine pairing. Sounds gimmicky, isn't. Book direct, mornings only.
• Jordan Wine Estate, 8 min. No booking needed before noon. The Cobblers Hill Bordeaux blend is the one bottle to take home.

Dinner: Overture, Hidden Valley Wine Estate, 15 min. Chef Bertus Basson, seasonal menu, wine list all local farms. Book ahead: three weeks in summer, one week in winter.

Coffee: Schoon de Companje, Church Street, 20 min. Sit outside. Order a flat white and whatever pastry is on the board. One of the few coffee shops in the Winelands where the coffee is as serious as the food.

Saturday market: Stellenbosch Slow Market, Oude Libertas Amphitheatre, 8am–2pm. Local produce, baked goods, the smokie bun from the stall at the entrance.

Load shedding. South Africa still has rolling power cuts. The B&B's inverter handles lights, WiFi, the kitchen, and the fridge for up to four hours per cut, so you may not notice. Check the Eskom SePush app (free, iOS and Android). Search "Stellenbosch". Stage 2 and below barely touches you here; Stage 4 and above, plan dinner timing.

Pieter & Anrie, your hosts. WhatsApp: (demo only). We're in the stone cottage to the left of the main house, usually reachable until 10pm. For anything urgent (security, a medical concern, Rooi behaving oddly), call rather than message.

Maria, housekeeping (Rooms 1 & 2). (demo only). Call her directly for towel or linen requests. On site 7am–1pm on her days.

Stellenbosch Wine Routes, concierge. (demo only). If you want help booking a specific farm or a private tasting not on the standard route. Open weekdays 9am–5pm.

Quick numbers

• Emergency (any mobile): 112
• SA Police: 10111
• SA ambulance: 10177
• Stellenbosch Mediclinic (hospital), Saffraan Avenue, Stellenbosch. About 15 minutes by car
• Strand Street Animal Hospital (vet), (demo only). Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 8am–1pm. Out-of-hours: (demo only). Save it if you've brought a dog, Rooi goes here and they're good