In Wellington, South Africa, just under an hour from Cape Town, the landscape does the talking: bold mountain silhouettes, wild fynbos (shrubland), and a kind of grounding stillness you feel in your bones.
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It’s here that Kruijd rises naturally from the terrain, a quietly radical eco-hotel blending timeless vernacular architecture with rigorous sustainability. The word kruijd, which means “herb” or “spice” in Afrikaans, is a nod to the land's sensory richness. Co-founders Hannes and Tina Maritz – he’s a designer and founder of the experiential studio Kraak, she’s a chef with an intuitive feel for seasonal food – have spent more than a decade creating a retreat that lives lightly on the land, yet leaves a lasting impression.
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When Hannes first encountered the 350-year-old Cape Dutch farmhouse near Cape Town, with its thatched roof, deep verandas and stark white façade, he saw potential, both for restoration and reinvention. “After years of designing temporary environments, I needed something permanent,” he says. “Something that could evolve with time.”
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Surrounding the farmhouse are six newly built guest villas, designed by Hannes and constructed using traditional techniques and site-harvested adobe. The aesthetic is minimal, earthy and entirely rooted in place. No imported marbles or overstated glamour here. Instead, a palette of natural textures (plastered walls, clay floors, untreated wood) anchors the interior architecture, while the decor leans into restraint, with hand-thrown ceramics and simple linens.
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Tina’s kitchen is the heart of Kruijd. Menus are guided by the rhythm of the garden and the region’s terroir, with a clarity that mirrors the surroundings. Every dish tells a story of local growers, foraged ingredients and time-honoured techniques. “Tina designs food the way I build experiences,” Hannes explains. “Our work is about care – and that means respecting the land, our partners and the people who come here.” That sense of care expands outward through [k]apsule, their homeware line produced in collaboration with local artists and makers. It’s a natural extension of the project’s core values of sustainability, authenticity and community-building.
For the landscaping, the Maritzes worked with local firm DDS Projects, and allowed indigenous plants to reclaim space while weaving in edible gardens and shaded paths. There’s also a pool carved discreetly into the hillside, meditation huts made from earth, and outdoor showers that frame the sky. The result is a rare convergence of architecture, landscape and philosophy. Kruijd is sustainable from the ground up, and recalibrates your sense of pace and priorities. It offers a blueprint for what thoughtful, future-forward hospitality can be.
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