The Drostdy Hotel is situated in the historic centre of Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape’s Karoo. Designed by Louis Michel Thibault in the Cape Dutch Style and built by local tradesmen in 1804/5, the Drostdy building and its courtyard garden are structures of great historic and cultural significance as they played a central role in the civic life of the town.
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The Drostdy Hotel first opened its doors in 1977, having previously served first as a Magistrate’s Court and then as a private home. The hotel quickly established a reputation as one of the finest heritage hotels in the country. Despite undergoing extensive restorations and alterations during the course of the building’s life, the old hotel had become fairly run down in recent years. The hotel was purchased in its run down state by its new owners, who shortly afterwards decided to close the hotel in order to allow for the development of a proposal for the extensive refurbishment and restoration of the hotel buildings and to allow for the construction work that will follow.
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The new owners’ vision for the property was to undertake an extensive refurbishment project on the property, carefully restoring the existing historic buildings and adding a number of new facilities in order to create a luxury country hotel with between 45 and 50 rooms. Their vision was for the Drostdy to be restored to the stately property it once was and to re-establish its reputation as the best accommodation in Graaff Reinet and the surrounding area.
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Our approach to the restoration was to integrate the historic fabric with new interventions throughout the property, creating a seamless experience of the rich heritage of the site, while bringing the hotel provision up to the 5-star luxury country hotel standard envisioned by the owners. The project included the masterplan of the entire site, sensitive restoration of significant historic buildings and architectural design of discreet new insertions.
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The reinvigorated Drostdy Hotel property now accommodates 48 new luxury hotel rooms with three swimming pools, a fine dining restaurant, bar and lounges, art gallery, wine shop, vinotheque and spa, as well as associated hotel amenities, all set within fully landscaped grounds. The precinct was designed with an urban design approach, and highlighting the importance of the spaces between the buildings as much as the buildings themselves. Open spaces between the various complexes were reactivated through the introduction of courtyards, swimming pools and terraces. This  creates a sense of community and opens up circulation routes that help to create a village feel. New interventions were designed to sit sensitively within the historic fabric, and to respond in design and material to the contrasting Cape Dutch and Victorian aesthetics.
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Given that the property has operated as a hotel on a continuous basis since 1867, it has played a significant historic role in the tourism of the town, in addition to the cultural, civic and agricultural importance of the site. The restoration project has returned the Drostdy Hotel to the stately property it once was and has re-established its reputation as the finest accommodation in Graaff-Reinet and the surrounding area.

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Wieland Gleich + Emma Jane Truter - Photographers