Mosaic Farm is a 933-hectare conservation reserve and luxury guest lodge situated outside Stanford on the Hermanus Lagoon. It borders unspoilt whale-watching beaches of Walker Bay, and the birdlife-rich Klein Rivier Estuary with sweeping views of the Overberg Mountains.

Owners Breese and Kathryn Johnson, residents of Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, purchased the land in December 2002 from Anglo American while hunting for land to establish a wine farm. However, after careful consideration and consultation with bordering landowners and environmental specialists the Johnsons began restoring the land to its original habitat, creating one of the largest conservancies for the area in the process.

At the same time, the Johnsons began massive restorative work on some of the buildings, as well as implementing a service infrastructure to support the workings of a guest lodge.

For over a century this farm has been a core of the local heritage, best known for its 19th century limestone stacked homestead, the 1892 Stanford Spookhuis. The original owners, Jack and Henrietta Poole, built the three-storey homestead with solid limestone in 1892 but abandoned the property five years later. Caretakers and temporary residents occasionally occupied the homestead up until the 1950’s after which it remained unoccupied for almost fifty years.

In 2007 the Johnsons appointed Cape architect, Greg Goddard, with his expert knowledge of historical buildings, and gave him the task of transforming the ruins of the 1892 Stanford Spookhuis back to its original character.

It is now Mosaic Farm’s homestead and the heart of its activities, offering facilities such as an exclusive conference venue, wine cellar and an exquisite fine dining restaurant under the leadership of executive chef Craig Andersson.

Mosaic Farm has two self-catering cottages of enormous character: the nine-sleeper Duminy Cottage and the two-sleeper Duminchie Cottage. They lie close enough to the homestead for convenience, far enough for privacy and quiet. The cottages offer lagoon and mountain views.

There is also Lagoon Lodge, a cluster of six private luxury safari-style thatched chalets, situated on the water’s edge. They adjoin a communal lapa and spa pool with sweeping views overlooking a bird sanctuary on the lagoon.

Mosaic Farm offers guests a host of activities including guided nature based quad bike tours though 930 hectares of fynbos and over 3 kilometres of lagoon frontage, as well as whale watching at Walker Bay during the months of June and December.

Klein Rivier Estuary is rich in bird life and home to approximately 141 different bird species. Guided bird tours are available along the lagoon by kayak or guests have the opportunity to hike along 30 kilometres of Mosaic Farm’s farm roads through fields and hills.

Popular activities in the Overberg area include shark cage diving in Great White shark infested waters of Gansbaai, visiting the Klipgat & Duiwelsgat Caves in De Kelders, playing golf at the Hermanus or Arabella Golf Clubs and wine tasting at award-winning wineries in the Hemel-en-Aarde and Walker Bay regions including Hamilton Russell, Bouchard Finlayson, Raka, Lomond, Stanford Hills Estate, Hermanuspietersfontein and Springfontein.

For more information on Mosaic farm, visit www.mosaicfarm.net or call 028 313 2814.

GALLERIES > Mosaic Farm
Start Slideshow PicLens


Cruise for less Find the cruise holiday of your dreams with our powerful travel booking engine...
Book your flights online Why use a travel agent when you can get the best fares online and do it yourself?
A guide in your pocket Are you ready for landing? Get set for the city with our free travel guides...