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Delaire Graff Lodges & Spa
Stellenbosch, South Africa · Independent · Apex Luxury
Laurence Graff OBE — the London jeweller who reworked the £16.4-million Wittelsbach diamond, enhancing its clarity and more than doubling its value — purchased this Helshoogte Pass farm in 2003 and rebuilt it as an integrated winery, lodge, and art gallery. The estate now displays over 400 works from his personal collection, including the original of Vladimir Tretchikoff's 'Chinese Girl', purchased at auction for approximately £1 million. The only Graff Diamonds boutique on the African continent operates from the estate, alongside restaurants run by chefs Virgil Kahn (Indochine) and Michael Deg.
- 17 rooms
- Opened 2009
- Neighborhood: Arbeidslus
- Rooms from 753 sq ft (70 m²)
About Delaire Graff Lodges & Spa
- Laurence Graff famously cut nearly five carats from the Wittelsbach Diamond — a 35.56-carat blue diamond with ties to 17th-century Bavarian and Habsburg crowns — enhancing its clarity and more than doubling its value, a controversial intervention that divided the gemological world.
- The estate's art collection includes the original of Vladimir Tretchikoff's 'Chinese Girl' (1952), one of the most widely reproduced artworks of the 20th century; Graff purchased it at auction for approximately £1 million in 2013 and it now hangs in the main foyer as the centrepiece of the collection.
- Graff sits on the boards of the Guggenheim New York, serves on the International Council of the Tate Modern, and is a trustee of MOCA Los Angeles — making Delaire Graff arguably the only hotel estate in Africa where the owner holds simultaneous trusteeships at three of the world's leading art institutions.
- The name Helshoogte — 'hell's heights' in Afrikaans — reflects the notoriously steep and dangerous wagon route early Cape settlers navigated to move goods between the Stellenbosch valley and Franschhoek port; the pass still traces the original track above the Banghoek Valley.
- Entry-level rooms start at 753 sq ft (70 m²).
History
A wine-and-art estate in Stellenbosch owned by jeweler Laurence Graff. Ten cliff-edge lodges plus ten owners-quarters opened in 2009 amid the working vineyards.
The setting
The Helshoogte Pass between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, with views across the Banhoek Valley to the Drakenstein mountains.
Restaurants and bars
- Indochine — Restaurant · Pan-Asian · Chef Virgil Kahn
- Delaire Graff Restaurant — Restaurant · Modern Cape cuisine · Chef Michael Deg
- Hōseki — Restaurant · Contemporary Japanese · Chef Virgil Kahn (Head Chef)
- Lorenzo's — Restaurant · Italian
Experiences
- Private dining in The Vinoteque — Intimate dining and wine tasting room for up to 18 guests, suited to private dinners, family celebrations or business meetings.
- Tutored wine tasting in the art-filled Wine Lounge — Tutored Wine Tasting Experiences in the art-filled Wine Lounge.
- The Art and Gardens — Explore Laurence Graff's art collection and the gardens.
- Spa treatments and wellbeing journeys — Skin treatments, massages, body therapies and wellbeing journeys, plus tailored spa packages of rituals.
- Lorenzo's Italian restaurant — Antipasti, wood-fired pizzas with fresh truffle and handmade pasta.
Amenities
- Spa
- Pool
- Art collection
- Wine tasting
- Working vineyard
- Private pool
- Fitness center
Awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN Three Keys (2026)
Open Delaire Graff Lodges & Spa in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.