Here are some of the award winning places associated with hope that have won top awards this year, many of them have been long standing customers.

Wine Awards

South Africa came out tops in the 2025 World’s 50 Best Vineyards Awards.

Klein Constantia Wine Estate was ranked no 6 globally. On top of that it was named “Best Vineyard in Africa” and also received the “Highest Climber Award” after climbing 35 places from its 2024 ranking.

Best Heritage Wine Estate was awarded to Blaauwklippen at the 2025 Global Brand Awards. This award covered heritage, craftsmanship and visitor experience, with Blaauwklippen coming out tops out of hundreds of global wineries.

2025 Global “Top 100” list

Tokara Wine and Olive Estate (Stellenbosch) — ranked no. 71 globally. 

Delaire Graff Estate (Stellenbosch) — ranked no. 79 

La Motte Wine Estate (Franschhoek) — ranked no. 94

Hamilton Russell Vineyards (Hemel-en-Aarde) — ranked 99.

2026 Platter Awards

A long standing customer, Diemersdal Estate has been named the Top Performing Winery of the Year, with several wines awarded Five Stars.

Top Hotels

The Times best hotels in Cape Town

Includes

3. Dorp, Bo-Kaap

10. Labotessa

15. Cape Cadogan, Gardens

World Travel Awards

Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff was awarded South Africa’s Leading Luxury Hotel by World Travel Awards. This is a top accolade reflecting the hotels high standard of luxury and service. 

Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards

Some South African hotels were featured in the top 15 including:

Babylonstoren

Spier Hotel

Award winning restaurants

2025 Eat Out Awards

La Colombe – was awarded a 3‑star rating, as well as maintained its position at no. 55 in the 2025 extended list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, making it one of the top restaurants in the world

Foxcroft Restaurant — Received a 2‑star rating. 

Congratulations to all of these establishments. This list is, of course, is not extensive as South African businesses continue to demonstrate excellence, contributing towards a growing national pride. We’d like to consider hope garden furniture as belonging to this group of high achievers manufacturing high quality products, as well as sustaining workers and their families.

This same phrase came to mind recently when Adrian realised that the leaking, dilapidated kitchen and toilet block at the Observatory showroom was not fit for human use. What any sane persons would have knocked down Adrian had a vision for.

Armed with the super hero, Washington, the gentlest man with herculean strength, both blocks were transformed over many months into cheerful, human friendly buildings, much to the dismay of the cockroaches. The metamorphosis, however, was not without its trauma. The lintel collapsed on Washington and Adrain and a lot of Arnica was consumed. The new kitchen window was put in the wrong way and had to be chiseled out and re-installed. Regulating the consistency of the natural mineral oxide colours for the walls failed all scientific experiments. Perhaps they should have knocked it all down and started again, but they didn’t and the results are consistent with their tenacity. With their nautical round windows it’s as if 2 ships have landed in the garden.

Watching patiently from the side was master craftsman Nazeem, eagerly waiting to move the sewing machines into this new space as ythe kitchen has been multi-purposed into a sewing room. You will now find Nazeem here cutting and stitching the Origami range, interspersing his work with anecdotes and pearls of wisdom.

OOSA is the prodigy of the very talented 7 Koppies team, Marc and James. the duo were clever enough to add Korbinian Winkelmann, and South Africa Tammy Tinker, to the team. Marc von Schmarsow is the architect behind Lumisol Interiors and the itinerant James Jayasundera is founder of the award wining Ampersand travel company. Tammy brings a host of experience in the media and design industries and her enthusiasm for South African design is unparalleled! She is also co-founder of the Big Little Store and an editor at large for House and Leisure.

“Every piece we stock has been carefully chosen, not only for its beauty but for the heart and soul behind it. We believe in showcasing design that’s timeless, meaningful, and crafted with care.”- OOSA

The diversity of the brands that you can find at OOSA include James Mudge furniture, Merven Gers Ceramics, chommiesdog accessories, mama wata surf apparel, mungo linen, Gregor Jenkins and many, many more brands are represented, and we keep seeing new one’s being added. with the incredible selection of talent and high craftsmanship in South Africa a shop like OOSA is way overdue. so when in Munich pay them a visit or even better – book into Pied-de-Terre the apartment above the shop. the accomplished team has created a space with “handpicked furnishings that reflect the best of what OOSA has to offer.” Think ‘home from home’ as only the owners of 7 Koppies can do and if you would like a certain something in your home you can pop into the shop and make that a reality. 

Find our more about OOSA here.

The sunset, however, is our own as the yellow walls of Rockwood Cottage burn orange. Drinks in hand, the birds settled and the fynbos silhouetted, we exhale a Friday evening breath, whilst the valley shifts into darkness.  

Rockwood Cottage is about an 8 minutes walk from the main house. A well equipped, private space with en suite bathroom, kitchenette, outside bath and a plunge pool. At dinner time we saunter down the road to the warm main house. On warmer nights al fresco dining should be made compulsory, as missing the sunset would be almost immoral.

The butler, Artwell?s infamous G&Ts hit the spot and then we are called to dinner, a delicious home cooked lasagne, beef shin for Adrian and spinach and ricotta for me. Once again we wonder if James and Jay are hiding in the kitchen as it feels more like a dinner party than a hotel dinner. We start small talk with the other guests, luring them out of their dulcet tones and by the time the evening has grown long and the wine slunk down the bottle, the conversation has traveled many destinations. However if after a day of touristing you find the idea of convivial dinners too much for the central nervous system, meals can be ushered to your accommodation at a requested time. How very civilised, as my mother-in-law would say! 

The fresh walk back to the cottage pleases the digestive system and Adrian fires up the wood burning stove. We tick off the coziness box. That itching guilty of being favoured guests returns as we slide into the Tissus d?H?l?ne linen sheets and watch Netflix on our friends’ account! I keep an eye on the two stuffed toy Daschunds, on the shelf next to the bed, in case they just jump on the bed, lick my face and settle down at our feet. Who wouldn?t in the face of such snugness. 

Being a breakfastier the excitement of the 7 Koppies breakfast has me rocketing off to the main house as soon as the clock chimes breakfast. There?s always the option of taking the car to Rockwood from the main house, but we felt that the fynbos would object to not being admired as frequently as it was. Each month presents a new array of fynbos to be smelt and fondled. Being late winter we are thick in the red-orange hues of Aloes, pin cushions and Honey Bush. (Melianthus major)

Closer to the main house (garden by Franchesca Watson and Fiona Powrie) a path take us through the terraced vegetables garden, lined with citrus trees drooping with fruit. William the cat pounces through the lavender and I stop to talk artichokes with the gardener, but not for long because breakfast beckons?..

A spread of fresh fruit, granola, creamy yoghurt, pastries, jam and artisan bread from Motherdough in Franschhoek lies before us. All this is followed by a cooked breakfast of our choice from the menu. Artwell rises to the challenge of a making us cortados, which entices us to have breakfast all day, but we reign ourselves in and recline on the sun loungers, mesmerised by the Malachite sunbird chasing the white eyes out of the Coral trees. 

There is no perfect season for visiting 7 Koppies, the wood burning fires keep you warm through winter and the 25 m pool refreshes during summer. Caught between seasons we were grateful for the wood burning stove and the warm days tempted us to plunge into the pool, but the temperature remained arctic and I and was not in a Wim Hoff frame of mind. Adrian managed just short of a full length underwater, whilst I managed a dip and shriek.

G&Ts are on hand all year round and each cottage is well stocked with a variety of alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks. The establishment relies on an honesty bar, so no need to feel guilty about finishing James and Jay?s best bottle of red! There is a variety of accommodation to choose from around the main house, all as beautifully and sensitively finished with some of the best of South Africa products such as wonkI ware and James Mudge furniture, and it goes without saying that you will find a a set of hope garden furniture outside each room.

Should you love something in your accommodation, like a the Simply Bee toiletries or Mungo Towels, then you can pop into their small shop that stocks a selection local goods, jewellery and books.

There is no shortage of restaurants and wine farms to choose from in Franschhoek and surrounds. The hotel staff are well equipped to help make arrangements and give local advice. As for us we were content surrounded by the beauty of the 7 Koppies so we felt, well, completely at home. To find out more or make booking go to the website.

PS if you love chickens, as I do, there’s is a great book on chickens in the main house loo.