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A House on Two Continents
Benguela Cove began as a winemaker's dream on the Southern African coast. It grew into something else entirely a place where wine, landscape, and hospitality sit so close together that you stop noticing where one ends and the other begins.
The same is true in West Sussex. When Penny Streeter acquired Leonardslee, she didn't create a hotel that happened to have a garden. She restored one of England's most extraordinary private estates and built a world around it with a Michelin-starred restaurant, a Michelin Key hotel, and vineyards producing sparkling wines now ranked among the World's Best.
Both properties are connected by the same family, the same winemaker, and the same conviction: that the finest experiences are the ones you can walk into, sleep inside, and wake up to again the next morning.
Wherever you begin, the invitation is the same. Stay longer.
Destination One
South Africa
Benguela Cove Estate, Walker Bay · Hermanus, Western Cape · 1 hour from Cape Town International
The Estate
Where Vineyards Meet the Lagoon
On the edge of Walker Bay, where the vineyards run down toward a wide saltwater lagoon and the Antarctic Benguela Current shapes everything it touches, Benguela Cove is one of the most distinctive places to stay in the Western Cape.
The estate covers 200 hectares within the UNESCO-designated Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve — fynbos, vineyards, olive groves, and a lagoon separated from the Atlantic by a narrow sandbar. Wild horses roam the beach. Southern Right whales breach in Walker Bay from July to November.
This is not a resort. There are no corridors, no lobbies, no check-in desks. There are private villas, a manor house, award-winning wines, and a landscape that asks nothing of you except that you pay attention to it.
●WWF Conservation Champion ●Travelife Gold ●Travelife Gold ● Kogelberg Biosphere
200
Hectares of Estate
2nd
Longest Lagoon Beach in S.A.
The Villas & The Manor House
Accommodation
Two ways to experience the estate both private, both rooted in the landscape, neither anything like a hotel.
The Villas
12 Architect-Designed Villas · Sleeps 6–10
Each villa was designed as a fully independent home not a hotel room, not a serviced apartment, but a private residence with its own character, its own views, and its own rhythm. No two are the same.
En-suite bedrooms - 6–10 guests
Private pool & sundeck - Outdoor braai
Self-catered or fully catered - On request
Lagoon beach access - Watersports
The Water’s Edge Escape
Self-Catering or Catered
A private villa escape shaped by the lagoon. Days move between open water, hidden sandbars, and long evenings watching the sun slowly drop behind the mountains and Atlantic coastline at dusk each evening.
En-suite bedrooms · 6–10 guests
Private pool & outdoor living spaces
Self-catered or chef-catered stays
Lagoon access · Watersports & sunset cruise
Three Ways to Stay
Stay, Dine & Taste — South Africa
The Estate Stay
Villas · From 2 Nights · Self-Catering
Private villa stays with complete freedom to explore the estate, lagoon, vineyards, and nearby beaches at your own pace. Includes a welcome bottle of Benguela Cove wine and access to all estate grounds.
Private villa accommodation (2-night minimum)
Welcome bottle of estate wine
Lagoon beach and estate access
Shuttle to Hermanus on request
The Winemaker's Stay
Villas · From 2 Nights · Catered
A fully catered villa experience with daily dining and a private wine tasting guided by a Benguela Cove specialist, showcasing the story behind the estate and its wines.
Private villa accommodation (2-night minimum)
Daily breakfast and dinner by private chef
Private tutored wine tasting
Full access to estate grounds and lagoon
Langon Stays
Lagoon Stay · 3-Night Minimum · Self-Catering or Catered
Private villa stays centred around the lagoon, with watersports, secluded beaches, and relaxed outdoor living from sunrise to sunset.
Private villa accommodation (3-night minimum)
Lagoon beach and full watersports access
Private sunset pontoon cruise with sundowners
Destination Two
West Sussex, England
Leonardslee House, Lower Beeding & The Vineyard Hotel, Mannings Heath · 25 minutes from London Gatwick · 1 hour from London
Two Extraordinary Places to Stay. Two Miles Apart.
Benguela Cove wines have a home in England, and it comes in two distinct forms. Leonardslee House at the Gardens and The Vineyard Hotel at Mannings Heath sit two miles apart — connected by the same family, the same wines, and the same commitment to exceptional hospitality. They offer different experiences, and some guests choose both.
Leonardslee House
A Michelin Key Country House
10 Bespoke Rooms · Lower Beeding · Grade II Listed
Leonardslee House is not a conventional country house hotel. It is a 19th-century Italianate mansion set above a valley of seven interconnecting lakes, surrounded by 240 acres of Grade I listed woodland gardens, and home to the Michelin-starred Restaurant Interlude.
Each of the ten bedrooms is individually designed. After dinner at Interlude, the gardens are yours alone. In the morning, breakfast is served and the estate is quiet and yours to explore before the day visitors arrive.
●One Michelin Key ●Michelin Star Interlude ●Sunday Times Best in UK
The Vineyard Hotel
Wake Up Inside the Wine Estate
9 Elegant Rooms · Leonardslee Wine Estate · Mannings Heath
Just across the road from Leonardslee Gardens, nestled in the woodland of Leonardslee Wine Estate, The Vineyard Hotel is the natural base for those who want to be at the centre of it all — close to the vines, the tasting lounge, the Vineyard Kitchen, and the fairways of Mannings Heath Golf Club.
Nine rooms, each with vineyard views and boutique comfort. Less formal than Leonardslee House, but no less considered.
Three Ways to Stay
Stay, Dine & Taste — West Sussex
The Garden & Michelin Stay
Leonardslee House · 1 Night Minimum
Arrive to gardens, lakes, and sculpture trails before dining at Restaurant Interlude and waking to peaceful countryside views.
One night at Leonardslee House
Breakfast at The Clocktower
Restaurant Interlude dinner option
Full garden and lake access
Optional sparkling wine tasting
The Vineyard Weekend
Vineyard Hotel · 2 Nights · Wine & Golf
Enjoy two nights of wine country relaxation with vineyard tastings, countryside dining, and a round of golf included.
Two nights at The Vineyard Hotel
Breakfast each morning included
Guided vineyard tasting experience
18 holes on the Waterfall Course
Benguela Cove wine on arrival
Follow the Swallow
Two Estates · One Story · 2 Nights
Experience both estates with fine dining, vineyard views, elegant accommodation, and relaxed countryside experiences throughout.
One night at Leonardslee House
One night at The Vineyard Hotel
Breakfast included both mornings
Restaurant and wine lounge access
Vineyard and golf estate experiences
