Bellingham Homestead

Bellingham Homestead

Franschhoek, Western Cape, South Africa
Self-catering from R 350 (family units from R 1,600)
R 350

The Historical Bellingham Homestead, is Nestled at the Foot of the Groot Drakenstein Mountain, a National Monument owned by The Podlashuk Bellinchamp National Heritage Foundation. It is the Birthplace of the World Famous Bellingham Wines, although they are no longer made here, Bellingham Wines have a tasting room at Franschhoek Cellars, in the Village of Franschhoek.

We are just 10mins drive from Franschhoek, the Dining and Art Capital of South Africa. We too are a comfortable and easy 20 minute drive from Paarl and Stellenbosch, as well as a mere 45 minutes from Cape Town International Airport and the V & A Waterfront, as well as Worcester. Hermanus is just under 1 hour drive from here.

We are a Separate Entity, nestled amidst a Privately owned Vineyard, offering you an Affordable, Simple, Unique, Relaxed location with absolute Peace and Tranquillity. Bellingham offers you a very private, Self-Catering getaway. The Homestead was built in 1693 and is the Ancestral home of Bellingham Wines. The property was bought in 1943 and produced, amongst other wines, South Africa's first Premier Grand Cru, Shiraz and Rose Wines. Bernard Podlashuk, the father of Bellingham Wines, was the first South African to receive The Chevalier de Taste de Vin and at the time, only the Second person, outside of Europe to have been Honored with this Award.

Each Suite and Cottage has a Kitchenette, giving you the opportunity to prepare light and easy meals. Guests can also make use of the Communal BBQ area at the Swimming Pool.
We only have local TV Channels available and Guests have access to Free Wi-Fi in the Common Ground. While the Property is a National Monument, Air-Conditioning is precluded from being installed, however, Zoe's Cottage and Lara's Cottage, which are not Heritage Buildings, have Air-Conditioning in the Living area.
We do provide Fans in the Suites and Cottage for Summer, and Oil Heaters in Winter, for our Guests Comfort. Garden Cottage has a Fireplace in the Main Bedroom and Living Area, Zoe's Cottage has a Fireplace in the Living Room.

Guests who may require a Camp Cot, please indicate this with your booking/enquiry, we will gladly provide one for you at No extra Charge. We provide an Undersheet, You will need to bring bedding for your Baby/Infant

Weather  >> Restaurants Attractions Directions Request a Quote
BELLINGHAM HOMESTEAD PHOTO GALLERY
Click thumbnails to enlarge photo
BELLINGHAM HOMESTEAD RATES
Rate Colour Key:
 
On Request
 
Unavailable
 
Unspecified
The rates table below is a guide and is subject to change. Please confirm rates and availability by requesting a quote.
RATES: SingleSharingPer Unit
MinimumR 350R 350R 1,600
Maximum
Request a Quote
BELLINGHAM HOMESTEAD FACILITIES
Available Next Weekend Braai/Barbecue Cosy Covid Safety Approved December School Holidays Luggage Room Luggage storage No Credit Card Facilities Non smoking rooms Parking on Premises Pets Not Allowed Swimming Pool Wi-Fi Womans Day Weekend Child Friendly Covid Safety Approved
BELLINGHAM HOMESTEAD REVIEWS (88%)
Great fun by

Great fun!

Strongly recommended by

We very much enjoyed our stay. A comfortable cottage. We were able to enjoy the pool and the beautiful gardens of the Homestead. We also had a most interesting tour of the Homestead itself. Also good value.

peaceful and beautiful by

The accommodation was very comfortable and spacious. Unit was not serviced, but we prefer to do our own cleaning and tidying up and we feel more secure knowing that no one else has access to our unit and our goods are safe.

the house, setting and gardens by

Loved feeling total relaxed, a wonderful place

The Natural Beauty by

We loved every moment of our stay. Very warmly welcomed and looked after whilst there. The place was clean and well maintained. The only problem was the TV reception but the natural beauty of the place more than made up for it :-)))). Thank you for an awesome break away.

What you need to know by

The Bellingham homestead has the most fantastic views of the mountains but there are a few things to note before you make up your mind to stay there for more than one night.

It is not a B&B, nor a proper Guest House or a Hospitality Inn, it is just a "room with a view".

We were informed that there is no housekeeping to clean our rooms, this means that you have a hetic fly infestation in your room as they are after your garbage. There is no windows in your bedroom, that makes it very stuffy and hot.

They have a rotting pond outside that has not been cleaned for years and is a breeding ground for mosquitoes as we discovered. We had to open a window which has no burglar bars compromising our safety and security. We also had to open our bedroom door to get some fresh air which attracted about a dozen or more mosquitoes we had very little sleep that night. There is no air conditioner in your rooms.
You need to know that you are 10km from the nearest town, the estate gates close at 6pm and open at 7am, you need to bring light snacks to carry you through the night and morning.
The estate is run by a caretaker and trustees who do not live on the grounds, it needs a large cash injection for the proper upkeep and to provide a service to their guests. At least provide a bowl of fruit and some muffins for your guests to carry them over for the night as the estate is far out of town.

If they want clients they will have to conform to the minimal service and standards of a Guest House that people are used to, I hope that the trust take note of our advice.

Establishments response:

Our listing on SafariNow very clearly states that we a Self-Catering Establishment and that we are located 11 kms from Franschhoek Village, and that we do not provide Room Service at all. Our Guest Pamphlets in each Suite outline further details for each Guest ? which encompass some items raised by Mr Salkinder in his review of us.

Bellingham Homestead is a National Monument and we are bound by stringent regulations of what we may and may not do with regard to Installations here. The particular Suite Mr Salkinder stayed in does not have a Window and it never has, it has taken many years to obtain the necessary permission to install a Window and we are due to commence an Upgrade of that Suite, which is imminent to begin.

The little Pond which Mr Salkinder refers to has been empty for a number of months, on account of the Water situation here. However, we are aware of the Mosquito problem which emanates from the surrounding Azalea's and Gardens. All the Staff, including the Chairman all live at Bellingham and we too face this self-same problem of Mosquitoes and Flies and to that end, each Suite and Cottage is supplied with Insect and Mosquito repellant for their convenience and comfort.

There is a Trellidor-style Security Gate on the Four Poster Suite, which provides protection to Guests when they open the door of that Suite, it also allows them to leave the doors open at all times. We are fortunate that we have a very sophisticated Security system operated and run by Anthonij Rupert Wines, as we are located in the Centre of their farm and we are happy to report that they have roving foot patrols, Four Wheeler patrols as well as Vehicle patrols all through the day and the night. Each Guest too has a Panic button on their key-ring in the unlikely event of a Security Emergency. We are in regular meeting with Anthonij Rupert Wines with regard to Security, and we are more than satisfied that our Guests have the very best, innovative and sophisticated Security System, which includes Camera's, infra-red etc, available to them. We of course can never prove this ? until something untoward may happen ? yet the system is in place, and we can say that for the past 15 years since we have operated as an Accommodation Establishment, we have not had a single breach of security here.

We do not have Air-Conditioning in the Suites attached to the Homestead, on account of it being a National Monument, they will not permit that on account of the aesthetics. We do however, provide fans, and heating for Summer and Winter, these facilities are listed on our SafariNow listing.

The Estate Gates do indeed close, for added Security after hours. However, there is a Goose-neck on the inside and outside of the Gates which together with the Camera's gives the Central Security Control office opportunity to give Guests access to either exit or enter the Estate at any time between 6pm and 7am. There is no curfew on Guests coming and going from Bellingham. This detail is provided on the Guest Pamphlet in each Suite/Cottage.

The Chairman of the Trust, the Estate Manager and all staff are all Resident at Bellingham. The Chairman's contact number as well as our Office numbers are provided on the SafariNow site as contact details. In all pre-check in emails, All Guests are provide with the Estate Manager's contact number, he resides on the Estate and our Office number. All our Guests are further provided with the Estate Manager's Contact details as well as mine, on the Guest Pamphlet provided in each Suite/Cottage and we invite Guests to contact us in the event of any queries or need they may have, during their stay with us. I have attached a picture of this pamphlet

Our returning Guests love the casual homeliness that Bellingham offers. We do not Check in on our Guests every day, yet we do advise them we are all available at any time, to answer any questions or queries they may have of any kind ? they need only to ask. Bellingham offers an Affordable stay in the Cape Winelands from just R400 per night per person, which is largely affordable and outside of the local Backpackers, it is not possible to stay in Franschhoek Valley at this price. Our Guests love that they are on the doorstep to a variety of Activities, Shops, Restaurants, Wine Estates and towns (Franschhoek, Paarl, Stellenbosch) which are a mere 10 ? 20 minute drive from here. This provides the choice of going out for meals or preparing a light meal in their own kitchenette in their Suite or Cottage, whichever is their choice and whichever suits their affordability.

We value Mr Salkinder's time in reviewing us ? and we value that he gave us a thumbs up on all our facilities. Our Guest reviews are most important to us and the Trustees and Management do note and take Guest reviews into consideration when changes, upgrades and implementation of changes are planned and carried out.

We value Mr Salkinder's choice of staying at Bellingham. We are a Charity Trust and each Guest who stays with us and each Function/Event/ Wedding / Film Shoot that is held here ? ensures our abilitiy to maintain our commitment to the Charities that we are committed to. It is for this reason, we thank him, for choosing us ? he has played a role in changing the circumstances or the life of Somebody within that realm.

Thank you for the opportunity to give a reply, albeit that it is now not possible to give it to Mr Salkinder in our original review of him ? we have respectfully included Mr Salkinder on this email, as we appreciate the time he took to review us.

BELLINGHAM HOMESTEAD LOCATION

Location of Bellingham Homestead

Latitude: -33.88252   Longitude: 19.02064


Map of Bellingham Homestead in Franschhoek





Please wait: Loading map ...



If the map does not load then please
click your browsers REFRESH button.

NOTE: Javascript must be enabled
Get driving directions
From:
Enter your street address [Street, City/Town, Country] or click the [FIND ME!] button.
Via:
Enter your stopover towns seperated by semicolon e.g. [Upington,South Africa; Springbok,South Africa] then drag the markers to your desired street address.
 
To:
 Avoid Tolls      Avoid Highways