Sleep over in charming Eendracht, one of the top small hotels in the country

Dorp Street, the historical heart of Stellenbosch, is quieter than some other parts of the town, yet offers many attractions close by. And it's here that you'll find the delightful Eendracht Hotel, says Brian Berkman.

- Brian Berkman

From historical evidence, it seems that guests have been a tradition at 161 Dorp Street for no less than three centuries! The first owner of today's Eendracht Hotel property was a French woman named Sara Couchet, and furniture, crockery and stemware from her estate sale in 1714 suggested that she offered meals and lodging.

Subsequent years saw many additions and changes made. Then, in 1890, the place was essentially rebuilt as an elegant, double-storey student boarding house, a role it served for the next 70 years before it was demolished.

The Lutz family acquired the property in 1996 and conducted extensive research to establish what the original boarding house looked like. They then worked with the Simon van der Stel Foundation and Stellenbosch Aesthetics Committee to plan its reconstruction, which was completed the following year.

With only 13 rooms, the Eendracht Hotel is an intimate property that has the gracious feel of the type of small-but-quality hotel you'll find in Switzerland, Germany or France. A member of Cape Country Routes, it was awarded the Lilizela Tourism Award for Best Small Hotel in South Africa in 2019 and is a regular winner of Trip Advisor's Best-of-the-Best Travellers' Choice Award, most recently in 2022. The hotel was awarded four stars in July 2021 in the Boutique Hotel category.

POWERED UP

The property is load-shedding-proof, with alternative solar power supplies and a 24kW electric vehicle charging point in the off-street parking. The free but secure Wi-Fi is very fast.

As far as green and sustainability credentials go, the property was ahead of the game, electing to reduce its carbon footprint and reliance on fossil-fuel power well before Eskom's failures.