We spent a night in one of its Mountain View suites - an impossibly elegant and creatively styled room. A palette of soft greys and cobalt blue (a signature colour seen throughout the whole hotel), innovative lighting, as well as illustrative tree wallpaper and cloud design above the bed, plus a sumptuous and spacious bathroom, make this suite the furthest thing you could imagine from the usual run-of-the-mill hotel room. Instead, it's a magical landscape worthy of Alice and an inspiring space in which to do some delightful dreaming. Aptly named, the suite boasts a sizable balcony equipped with umbrella and lounge chairs in which to do some serious mountain gazing.
Once acquainted with our lovely room we ventured onwards to Makaron, the hotel restaurant, for a true culinary adventure. Welcomed with complimentary artisan bread and butter, plus the most delicious shot of bread soup I have ever wrapped my lips around, it was easy to see why Makaron had been recognised as one of Eat Out's top-20 restaurants. Once our bread and soup had been cleared another little complimentary teaser of tastes made its way to our table, this time a crumbed quail's leg and a quail scotch egg - both equally delicious. For our main courses, I chose the braised beef cheek with homemade rice paper, turnip and radish while my partner wisely chose the pan-seared springbok with potato, ash and green onion. Both plates were true artistic endeavours and were deceivingly filling, each flavour incorporated packing a punch and a half. I, however, much preferred my partner's succulent springbok dish to my own - the beef cheek being just a tad too rich for me. I made up for my order envy when it came to dessert, however, by choosing the oh-so-decadent Fifty Shades of Chocolate. I was in chocolate heaven - but that's not to say that my partner's deconstructed cheesecake with hibiscus and plantation pepper was not (almost) equally delightful. And just when we thought our culinary adventure had come to a close, a decadent box of sweet delights accompanied my partner's cappuccino and we were just able to squeeze the homemade caramel chocolates, toffees and chocolate macaroons into our already bursting bellies.
With all our decadent dining completed we settled into the comfy couches in the cozy and quirky MLounge for a whiskey nightcap. Roaring fire, piano, retro objects and artworks make this bar seem like a James Bond or Ron Burgundy gentleman's spot for sure, that is until you notice a few unusual touches: that bookshelf of many "leather-bound books" seen on the back wall is actually just wallpaper and many of the objects scattered around the room are sculptures of pigs. Apparently the owner; Karine Dequeker has a great love for these intelligent creatures and uses them throughout the hotel (like the bright bursts of cobalt blue) as a quirky common motif.
Awakening the next day to a beaut of a day - sunny, clear and crisp - we wandered down for a leisurely breakfast at the Makaron restaurant. Just like its décor, its breakfasts set this hotel apart from most. Including both a continental-style breakfast array and an a la carte menu, one is supremely spoiled for choice. I, however, rallied and for the sake of a well-researched review sampled as much as I could. Starting with a slice of homemade gluten-free bread, cream cheese and smoked salmon, accompanied by a fresh concoction of citrus juice cutely served in a little bottle with a label declaring its antioxidant effects. I then followed this up with a traditional fry-up of scrambled eggs, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, avo and the crispiest of crispy bacon. Well satisfied, but for the sake of journalistic integrity, I forged on, ending the meal with a baby croissant, baby bran muffin and pot of Earl Grey tea. Needless to say, no more food was needed to be consumed that day until dinner time.
Breakfast bellies very much sated we had a half an hour or so to kill before check out. Using this time to explore the hotel further we discovered the incredibly glamorous indoor heated swimming pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, intimate spa, as well as pretty herb-and-vegetable garden, the produce of which is utilized in the restaurant.
Our stay at the magical Majeka House passed in a flutter of the eyelashes and I would have loved to stay the entire weekend, but have made myself a promise to return to this lovely and quirky hotel sometime in the not-too-distant future - if only to check out what the next phase may be as the hotel closes on the 27 June for renovations, opening again on the 1 August. For more info or to make a booking, go to www.majekahouse.co.za.
