Montagu Country Hotel Review: Travel Back in Time at this Chic Art Deco Hotel
If I ever had the opportunity to travel back to the glam Jazz Age, I would… in a heartbeat. I would put on my rose-tinted glasses, grab a feather boa and be the first one out the door. Alas, time machines don’t exist and while we wait for scientists to hurry up and invent them, we’ll just have to be happy with enjoying the small pieces of well-preserved history we do have of days gone by.
If you’re an art deco fiend, like me, and love all things from the magical 1920s and1930s, then you’re in luck because there’s an stylish dame right here in South Africa, just begging you to visit. Situated in the lovely little Western Cape Town of Montagu, the Montagu Country Hotel is the only original art deco hotel in South Africa. Built in 1875, the family-run 4-star hotel has been lovingly preserved in the art deco style, celebrating everything that made the Roaring 20s so darn fabulous.
A great old dame
At this great old haven on the historic Route 62, art deco glamour meets warm, country hospitality to offer guests a truly unique small town getaway they won’t soon forget. The second you step into this retro stunner, you’ll feel transported back to the time of Charlie Chaplin and Fred Astaire. The hotel lobby and welcome lounge are a love letter to the style moderne period and set the scene for the well-executed theme that runs throughout the hotel.
Each of the hotel’s 29 en-suite bedrooms has been individually furnished and decorated to offer a unique experience in each room. Rooms in the main hotel building stay true to the period style, with beautifully restored furniture straight out of the history books. If art deco is your thing, then you can choose between the Classic Art Deco rooms or the larger Luxury Art Deco rooms.
In the garden of the Montagu Country Hotel, two Victorian-style villas boast rooms decorated with furniture and décor from that period, with a choice of either Classic Victorian or Luxury Victorian rooms. The hotel also offers a standalone African Chic rondavel as well as a 54m² Executive Suite, furnished with original early French Mahogany masterpieces.
I spent two nights in a luxury Victorian room, and it was absolute bliss. My spacious ground-floor room offered a lovely little sun-soaked garden patio, complete with a table and two chairs to enjoy the winter sunshine. The large king-sized bed was exceptionally comfortable and was dressed with marshmallow-soft pillows and bedding that made getting out of bed in the morning almost unfathomable.
Unwind and let loose
Of course, it wouldn’t be the roaring 20s without a place to let down your hair and revel in the glamour of the era. Luckily, the Montagu Country Hotel offers an in-house restaurant, Charlestons, for breakfast and dinner daily. The restaurant embraces the glamorous side of the vivacious period with divine dishes that are sure to impress.
Our group enjoyed daily breakfast and dinner at the tastefully decorated restaurant, and I was delighted with the dishes on offer. The restaurant’s dinner menu offers a great mix of hearty country cooking and modern flavours, and you can’t go wrong with the Charlestons Pork Neck Steak for mains.
For lunch or drinks, there’s the more casual Flatcaps and Feathers coffee and cocktail lounge. This laid-back spot is where the swinging spirit of the Jazz Age still lives on. Embrace your inner flapper gal or dapper lad and indulge in a delicious cocktail on the deck while you watch the small town theatre unfold on the street below. The cocktail menu offers plenty to discover, and there are also mocktails for the teetotallers among us (the Shirley Temple is a winner!).
If you’re hungry, this is the perfect spot for an easy lunch, and the menu features plenty of classic casual dining options to devour. Hungry customers will love Werner’s Beef Burger and chips (a 200g Beef Burger with all the trimmings) or a Bacon, Onion Marmalade & Cheddar Cheese Tramezzini, served with chips or salad. Don’t forget to save space for dessert because you will want to order a slice of the Cake of the Day or a scoop of heavenly speciality ice cream — do yourself a favour and try the Irish Brown Bread Ice Cream!
What to do in Montagu
As lovely as it is to revel in the hospitality of the Montagu Country Hotel, you’ll also want to get out and explore the town of Montagu — and what a town it is! Montagu may be a village, but don’t let its small size fool you, as the town is bursting with activities to keep you busy.
Explore the great outdoors
The area is known for being a haven for outdoorsy types looking to break a sweat. Montagu is beloved for its hiking trails, boasting breathtakingly beautiful landscapes, and is a destination of choice for those into the thrilling sport of rock climbing and bouldering.
Montagu is the most developed sport climbing area in the Western Cape and has over 450 climbing routes, catering for climbers of all levels of experience. The town is also home to the Klein Karoo Gravel Corridor mountain bike trail route and is quickly becoming a key mountain biking destination in the Western Cape.
I spent the morning exploring the 12km Cogmanskloof Trail with its 690-metre summit offering sweeping views of the Montagu valley. The trail requires a relatively good fitness level and should take around 5 hours to complete, but is oh-so-worth it if you love being in the great outdoors. The trail is a fantastic way to experience the raw beauty of the Montagu mountains and is a must for keen hikers. The Montagu Country Hotel is just a short scenic walk from the start of the trail, making the hotel a fantastic base for a hiking group wanting to explore the mountains during their stay.
Explore Montagu on an art bicycle!
For something slightly less active, but equally fun, the Flying Feet Montagu town tour offers history buffs an opportunity to explore Montagu on a Dutch-style art bike while learning about the fascinating history of the town. Flying Feet has a fleet of beautiful bikes, each hand-painted by a different local artist.
The single-speed, backpedal bicycles are easy to ride (you don’t have to be super fit either), and tour guide, Marchelle van Zyl, takes guests on a very slow and comfortable meander through town. The 90-minute historical town tour gives visitors a chance to immerse themselves in the lifestyle, history and heritage of this beautiful village and is a great way to get some fresh air and learn something while you do it.
If tours aren’t your thing, and you just want to have some fun exploring the town on a bike, then you can also hire a Flying Feet bicycle and go it alone. But remember, the self-drive option also means you’re opting out of the company of wonderfully charismatic and knowledgeable Marchelle and her chucklesome jokes. If you’re after something different, Flying Feet also offers an art tour and a ghost tour.
Take a trip down memory lane
Adding to the art deco vibe of the Montagu Country Hotel is the option to book a tour in a vintage American car. The American Dream Car Tour offers a special way of showcasing Montagu, Route 62 and the surrounding areas with a chauffeur-driven tour in a pastel blue 1956 Cadillac Sedan De Ville or a ruby red 1964 Cadillac Sedan de Ville.
Tours start at the Montagu Country Hotel and accommodate up to four people per car (excluding the driver). The hour-long tour includes a brief history of the town before heading out on a scenic drive along one of the world’s longest wine routes, Route 62. This was an absolute highlight of our trip, and it was such fun to experience being driven in these glamorous cars. Our group made it extra fun by dressing up for the occasion in the 1920s style, and we took along a bottle of bubbles to enjoy on a brief stop at a scenic lookout point just before the Huguenot Tunnel.
How to get there
Getting to Montagu from Cape Town is an easy 2-and-a-half-hour drive inland. Our party of six embarked on the road trip in two vehicles; one of which was a fully kitted-out Tread Lite Suzuki Jimny 4×4. The rugged little 4×4 is the perfect car for a couple tackling a road trip in the Western Cape, especially if you like to explore gravel roads and places off the beaten track.
Cape Country Routes member, Tread Lite 4×4 hire, offers the adventurous, yet discerning traveller the opportunity to hire compact Jimny 4x4s to discover Southern Africa. The vehicles come equipped with all the essentials for a self-drive trip so you get a vehicle with “everything you need and nothing you don’t.” Despite its size, the Jimny is an extremely capable 4×4 for peace-of-mind travelling wherever guests choose to venture — be it camping, self-catering or stays in B&Bs and Lodges, the vehicle set-ups are adapted to the specific travel needs of guests.
Also a Cape Country Routes member, the Montagu Country Hotel is within easy reach of the Klein Karoo winelands, as well as other fabulous Cape Country Routes members located along Route 62. If you love to make the journey to your destination part of your holiday, then a quick stop at Bonnievale’s Weltevrede Chardonnay Wine Estate on your way to Montagu is a must.
Here you can indulge in a delicious lunch at Kapokbos Restaurant and experience the Captivated by Cap Classique underground tour. The tour takes visitors on a magical journey through underground caverns and hallways to explore the history of Cap Classique, culminating in a Weltevrede Cap Classique tasting.
For a fun hands-on activity, try the ‘Create your own Cap Classique’ experience and go through the final processes that bring the Philip Jonker Cap Classique to the shelf. Disgorge, dosage, cork, and label your own bottle of Philip Jonker Cap Classique and take it home with you to enjoy. Read our full review of both experiences here.
For more getaway ideas in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape, visit the Cape Country Routes website. From places to stay to must-try activities, the site is filled with great local travel ideas.
