A top Franschhoek Hotel
A Franschhoek hotel & spa like no other, Klein Genot is located on a small, verdant estate at the edge of the quaint Boland town of Franschhoek. When Joey and Angie Diamond first stumbled across the property in 1999 it was in a sorry state. After being sectioned off from the erstwhile Swiss Farm Excelsior Estate, it was put up for sale and left neglected when it failed to sell. Luckily, the Diamonds are people of great vision and were able to see the potential hidden beneath the weeds. They purchased the property in June of 1999 and set out to turn it into a wine-producing estate.
Originally only intent on the wine-making side of things, accommodation was the last thing on the Diamonds' minds. It was only when Angie was overseeing the construction of their house that she realized she would be rattling around the large building all alone since her and Joey's children are all grown up, either married, pursuing careers or finishing their studies. That is when the idea of a hotel came about.
A devoted mother and housewife all her life, Angie never the less had extensive experience in entertaining. She grew up with a very hospitable mother and quite naturally developed into an accomplished hostess, entertaining and housing many of Joey's important business associates and colleagues at their house, rather than putting them up in fancy accommodation. Furthermore, their Jewish heritage meant that Fridays were designated family affairs with scores of people descending upon the Diamond home for evenings of banter and easy camaraderie during the holy day of Shabbat.
Knowing this, Angie decided to convert the premises into a small top-end Franschhoek hotel. A Feng Shui consultant was brought in and the building was angled in a northwesterly direction to ensure an uninhibited flow of chi. According to the consultant, Klein Genot is one of the most ideal places one could ever live. The farm is nestled between the Franschhoek and Stony Brook rivers, the latter of which runs dry for six months of the year. At the convergence of these two rivers lies 'The Dragon', a large rock which according to Feng Shui principles, bounces good chi back upon the estate. On the other side of the estate, the Franschhoek Mountains keep watch. Look closely and you'll see the outlines of a majestic elephant head, its watchful eye a deep spelunk in the mountainside.
Angie decorated the Klein Genot premises with her own personal collection of art and antiques that she has been building up for 35 years throughout her and Joey's frequent travels to the East. Not one that subscribes to the modern idea of minimalism, she strove to let her personality prevail in the décor. What you see today if you look around the premises is pure, unpretentious Angie. Honesty is something the Diamond family values very highly and they see no point in pulling the proverbial wool over anyone's eyes, instead choosing to play with an open deck of cards from day one.
As an aside: Angie takes particular pride in her bathrooms. Having travelled around with Joey on business for many years, she has stayed at the best of the best and says this experience stood her in good stead while personally designing Klein Genot's exquisite bathrooms. By no means claiming to be an expert, she simply set out to correct all the errors she noticed in the bathrooms of other establishments, creating the perfect bathroom by process of elimination. Step into one of these sanctuaries and you'll soon notice all the thought that has gone into the design. Large, comfortable baths are flanked by high powered showers and basins topped with angled mirrors, ensuring you can get a good look at the back of your head if you ever feel the need to. Toilets are sheltered from the rest of the bathroom by means of a side wall and sleek wall cupboards provide ample space for bath time paraphernalia.
Add to all of this the sparse elegance of the house's Cape Dutch architecture and a prevailing sense of tranquility and quiet splendor and you get one of the most inviting Franschhoek hotel & spas around.