Cape Peninsula · South Africa
Ellerman House
An Edwardian shipping mansion above the Atlantic, run more like a private home
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Built in 1912 for the shipping magnate Sir John Ellerman, this white Edwardian house steps down the cliff above Bantry Bay with the Atlantic directly in front and Lion's Head behind. There are thirteen rooms and suites in the main house, plus two contemporary villas alongside, and the whole place is run without a formal reception desk or printed menus.
The art collection is among the best in private hands in South Africa, spanning early twentieth-century painting to contemporary work, with a purpose-built gallery and a contemporary art space carved into the hillside. Guests are walked through it if they want to be.
Terraced gardens drop in layers to a heated pool, a champagne and wine gallery holds several thousand South African bottles, and the kitchen cooks to order. The V&A Waterfront, Camps Bay and the Table Mountain cableway are all within a short drive.
At a glance
What to expect
- Heated cliffside pool
- Spa and treatment rooms
- South African art gallery
- Wine and champagne gallery
- Terraced gardens
- Menu-free dining on request
- Private villas
- Wi-Fi
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