What’s on in August?
July 24th, 2025
A month of clear contrasts, as crisp, sunny days pierce the greyness with cheeky pops of colour. The first pink and white blossoms of the earliest stone fruit varieties make their welcome appearance, while we fortify ourselves for the last stretch of winter with our ruby red, antioxidant-rich blood oranges. We’ve got plenty lined up for you, so get out of hibernation mode, boot up and come out to play.
Blood Orange Day
Yes, our blood oranges have finally been picked, sorted and rested to enhance their signature red shade. They’re now ready to be devoured – fresh, juiced, sliced and infused into oils, vinegars and desserts. It has been an exceptional harvest and we’d love to share it with you. Blood orange week kicks off on 27 July, culminating in Blood Orange Day on Sunday, 3 August.
Expect mounds of fresh blood oranges to snack on, plus tasting stations where a range of blood orange products can be sampled. Think gelato, infused olive oil, treats, bakes, candles and body products. It’s a day to celebrate this deliciously juicy fruit with its sweet, sharp and aromatic flesh. That they’re also super healthy is just a wonderful bonus. What can we say? We simply adore blood oranges and want you to share in the bounty.
Rugby oracles
Faf and Tjokkie, Soetmelkvlei’s mini donkeys and ardent Bok supporters, have been exercising their powers of prediction. This mainly involves donkeying around in cute Bok jerseys and eating heaps of carrots to predict the test scores. Keep an eye on our socials for more of their kung fu carrot antics.
Our Dad & Me carpentry workshop for Father’s Day – where one learns to make a charming wooden milk stool – proved such a hit that we’re saddling up the shave horses (skaafperde) for another round of carpentry workshops. No previous woodworking skills required, just the desire to craft a beautiful wooden stool with a like-minded loved one.
Book now to avoid disappointment.
Cool beats, Greenhouse eats & spa treats
Get into the swing of things – quite literally – at a Beats & Eats silent disco held on the first Saturday of every month in our House of Shadows, in the company of thousands of clivias. It is followed by a delicious breakfast at the Greenhouse Restaurant. Open to all – booking essential.
Want to stretch the winter chill away? Visit the farm for a Stretch & Indulge or a Stretch, Indulge & Spa session, any weekday until 30 September. Get your chi moving under the watchful eye of our resident yogi as you stretch and breathe in the White Studio, followed by a healthy breakfast at the Greenhouse Restaurant. Need a little extra pampering? Spend the rest of the day in the Hot Spa, with full use of its sprawling indoor pool, sauna, salt room and two vitality pools. Spa treatments are an optional extra and should be booked in advance to avoid disappointment. Open to all but with only six spots per day, booking is essential.
Slow food downloading …
Babel’s innovation chef, Ailene Vermeulen, has been hard at work fermenting and preserving flavour bombs from our garden. The Babel pantry is stocked with an incredible assortment of vinegars, like blood orange vinegar, kei apple and lemon verbena vinegar, and a plum and shiso vinegar to add zingy acidity to seasonal platters. Liberal splashes of fermented mushroom sauce add rich layers of umami flavour to dishes, while the fig molasses captured during harvest season in February is used for basting slow-roasted lamb and pork. Lip-smacking! Executive chef Schalk Vlok is likewise paying tribute to blood oranges in the seasonal dishes and desserts on Babel’s menu throughout August.
Garden go-to spaces
Both the Puff Adder walkway and the Greenhouse continue to host their current exhibitions through August – so if you haven’t yet explored them, now’s the time.
In the Puff Adder, nature takes centre stage in the form of a rock installation that reveals life’s ability to hide in plain sight. Just past the House of Shadows, near the Welwitschia Garden, lies our rock gong – a relic of early human curiosity about sound and rhythm. Feel free to tap out your own earthy tune using the iron-rich volcanic stones.
Meanwhile, in the Greenhouse, our pineapples are showing off – and no, they don’t grow on trees. If you’re expecting something bushy, you’re in for a treat.
Hospitality with heart
We’re overjoyed when the dedication of our hospitality team is recognised. Hundreds of thousands of votes were cast and the travellers have spoken. With a score of 95.41, Babylonstoren Farm Hotel was ranked the No. 3 Favourite Resort in Africa in the Travel + Leisure 2025 World’s Best Awards – the only South African resort recognised in this category. Our Farm Hotel was also recently named South Africa’s Leading Country House Hotel in 2025 at the World Travel Awards. Only for the month of August, enjoy a night on us when you stay four nights and only pay for three. Or book for two nights and enjoy a complimentary 30-minute spa treatment. T’s and C’s apply.
Sunny Sister Estates
Our sister estates in the northern hemisphere are soaked in sunshine and making the most of it. The gorgeous gardens, woodlands and orchards of The Newt in Somerset are bursting with life, blooms and fruits. Step into the cool interior of the immaculately recreated Roman Villa for a journey through time and empires.
When in Cornwall, make time to visit The Story of Emily, where the remarkable life and heroic achievements of Emily Hobhouse are brought to life in the War Rooms – a multi-sensory museum exhibit that employs groundbreaking technologies and vivid storytelling to bring this chapter of history to life. Tuck into traditional South African dishes at the restaurant, for possibly the best South African food served on foreign soil.
Over on the mainland, our prettige Dutch sister, Over-Amstel Boerderij on the Amstel River, is close enough to Amsterdam for a day trip. Enjoy a slice of polder life when you book breakfast or lunch prepared with ingredients from their own garden and cheese from their dairy. Or book a workshop and learn to make your own delicious Dutch cheese.
Should you find yourself in the rolling hills of Chianti in summer, get a taste of la dolce vita at Vignamaggio, our graceful Italian sister. Spend a day at La Fattoria to taste the splendid food and wine of the land and embark on a historical trail that leads to The Roman Garden – a hidden oasis with flowing fountains, playful water features and a rich array of ornamental and healing plants.
Workshops in August
Babylonstoren
5 August – The fascinating world of rocks, stone tools & rock gongs
6 August – Sharpen your fruit tree pruning skills
13 August – Prune and weave with vines in the garden
19 August – Inside Scoop: the secrets to buffalo mozzarella & gelato
20 August – Harvest & distil chamomile
26 August – Craft your own homemade soaps
27 August – Discover and grow cycads
28 August – Forage for indigenous veld foods
Soetmelksvlei
1 August – Magic with milk: make your own butter, soft cheese & yoghurt
7 August – Traditional needlework: the basics of colourful quilting
8 August – Nuts for pecans: bake a pecan pie & carrot cake
14 August – Master Meat: make boerewors & droëwors
15 August – Cape Cookery: traditional melktert, melkkos & koeksisters
22 August – Bake with citrus & spice
29 August – Master Meat: debone a chicken & make stock
