Stanford Hills Estate occupies Weltevrede Farm just outside Stanford, the small Victorian village on the Klein River about twenty minutes inland from Hermanus. It is a working farm that makes its own wine, and the accommodation ranges from cottages and a manor house to vineyard villas and luxury glamping tents, all with wood-fired hot tubs and braai facilities.
Best for
Families and groups who want space and self-catering on a farm; travellers who want the Whale Coast without paying Hermanus seafront rates; anyone who would rather walk, ride or cycle than sit on a beach.
It is not a hotel and it is not on the sea. There is no room service, no front desk at midnight and no ocean view.
Location
The farm lies on the hills above Stanford, roughly an hour and a half from Cape Town along the Whale Coast route. Stanford village, with its oak-lined streets and its river, is a few minutes away; Hermanus and the cliff path are about twenty minutes west; Gansbaai and De Kelders around twenty-five minutes south-east.
Rooms and style at Stanford Hills
Accommodation is spread across the farm: a manor house sleeping eleven, cottages sleeping five, vineyard villas sleeping four, and ten glamping tents sleeping up to five each. These are genuinely different products at different prices, so confirm exactly which unit you are booking — the tents and the villas are not interchangeable.
Facilities at Stanford Hills
There is a tasting room open daily, a Portuguese-inspired restaurant serving breakfast and lunch, a farm dam for swimming and fishing, and horse riding, hiking and mountain-biking trails on the property. Stanford Hills is set up for days that never leave the farm.
Who should consider Stanford Hills
Consider it if the point of the trip is space and quiet rather than a sea view. Stanford Hills works particularly well for two families travelling together, and as a base for the whole Whale Coast: whales at Hermanus, marine tours at Gansbaai, and the village and river at Stanford.
Trade-offs, honestly
No property suits every trip, and Stanford Hills is a better fit for some than others. These are the points worth weighing before you book.
Self-catering, mostly. The restaurant serves breakfast and lunch. Dinner generally means cooking, driving into Stanford or driving to Hermanus.
Not on the water. Whales are twenty minutes away at Hermanus or Gansbaai. From the farm you get vineyards and mountains.
Unit variation is extreme. A glamping tent and a manor house are not the same holiday. Read the unit rather than the estate name.
Farm roads and distances. Everything here involves a car, and some of the driving is on gravel.
Explore the area
- Stanford: the village on the Klein River
- Hermanus: the cliff path, the whales and the Hemel-en-Aarde valley
- Where to stay on the Cape Whale Coast
- Western Cape accommodation guide
Getting there and getting around
Cape Town International is roughly 130 km away, generally about an hour and forty minutes by the N2 over Sir Lowry’s Pass and the R43. Hermanus is twenty minutes, Gansbaai twenty-five and Cape Agulhas about an hour and a half further east. A car is essential; there is no visitor transport around Stanford Hills.
How Stanford Hills compares
Against a Hermanus cliff-path hotel, you trade the sea and walkability for space, self-catering and a much lower nightly rate. Against Cliff Lodge at De Kelders, Stanford Hills gives up the bay view and gains room to spread out. Against a guesthouse in Stanford village, you gain a farm, a dam and trails.
Practical notes for a stay at Stanford Hills
Stanford village itself is worth an afternoon: a grid of oak-lined Victorian streets, a river you can cruise or paddle, a good weekly market and several small producers of beer, cheese and gin within a few kilometres. It is one of the least commercialised villages on this coast.
Southern right whales are in Walker Bay from roughly June to December, peaking between September and November. From the farm the whales are a twenty-minute drive to the Hermanus cliff path or a similar distance to De Kelders, both of which are free and land-based.
Seasonally, December to February is hot, dry and busy with South African holidaymakers; the farm dam matters in those months. June to November is cooler, greener and better for whales. Autumn is quiet and often has the best weather of the year.
Before you book Stanford Hills
Confirm exactly which unit you are booking, how many it sleeps and whether it is self-catering. Ask what the restaurant serves on your dates, since hours change by season. Check whether bed linen, firewood and the hot tub are included. Confirm the current cancellation window at checkout.
Current rates and availability
We do not publish rates for Stanford Hills, because they move constantly with season and demand. Use the availability button on this page to see what the property currently costs on your dates, what is included and what the cancellation terms are. The booking provider is the merchant of record; Cape Town Travel Guide does not set prices, hold inventory or take payment.