Liz Biden went into the hotel business having never run a hotel, but she knew what she liked.
At 50, she sold out of a fashion business, but brought her eye for style into her new projects. She converted her family’s holiday home on a private game reserve into a luxury lodge, Royal Malewane, in the Kruger National Park. That was followed by Birkenhead House, perched on a cliff in Hermanus; the art-filled Silo Hotel, on top of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town; and La Residence in Franschhoek.
Franschhoek House is the most recent addition to her Royal Portfolio’s group of boutique hotels, villas and lodges. It’s a standalone villa in the winelands on the La Residence estate near the hotel, where guests have included Elton John, Richard Gere and Michael Jordan. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner spent their honeymoon there.
It’s maximalism mixed with a bit of theatre, elements of fun and a contrast between old with new. Each room is different
At Franschhoek House, she has used bold colours and layered luxury; she is not about beige and white.
It’s maximalism mixed with a bit of theatre, elements of fun and a contrast between old with new. Each room is different.
Biden collects what she loves. She doesn’t generally go out seeking particular pieces, but her love of travel — notably to India, Morocco and the south of France — regularly adds to her collection. She picks out items from markets, stores and auctions, and keeps them in a warehouse until the right space opens for her to use them.
It’s very much a family business, with an executive team. Most guests come from overseas, especially the US and the UK.
Franschhoek House has six en suite bedrooms, each with its own colour theme. The “long room” (the communal space) features a billiard table and offers views of the valley. At its centre hangs a candelabra that could hold its own in Versailles — it once adorned Cape Town’s City Hall. The wallpaper throughout the downstairs area has a fresh yellow backdrop patterned with flowers. Floors are made of kaolin combined with other materials such as plastic and wood.
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The food is tasty, fresh and not overly complicated, including duck parfait, grape dip, duck salad, Gorgonzola salad with tomatoes, wild rice and flatbread during an FM visit. Fresh fruit, picked from the estate, was abundant in the meal and, on the day, included plums with cheesecake, along with vanilla ice cream.
The nightly rates include breakfast, but the chef is available to prepare whatever guests feel like — pizza, a seafood platter, a multicourse meal or soup and bread if they’ve been out at a wine farm for the day.
Rates range from R152,000 a night for up to 12 people in low season to R248,000 a night in peak season for the villa. While the house sleeps up to 12 guests, there’s a lower rate for smaller groups of up to eight guests.
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