The Plettenberg refurbishes, overhauls newly renamed rooms and villas

Garden Room

The interior redesign was headed by the daughters of the late Liz McGrath, Lesley Kelly and Susan Nathan, who co-owns the hotel along with their brother Michael McGrath, the Liz McGrath Collection’s current chairperson.

Kelly and Nathan add their aesthetic style to all three of the group’s hotels, including the Marine in Hermanus and the Relais & Châteaux Cellars-Hohenort in Constantia.

Room updates

The Garden Room looks out on to the natural fynbos and rocky coastline of the "garden route" as well as the cultivated hotel garden directly beyond its windows. The focal point of the room is the view from Robberg to Nature’s Valley and the mountains in the East.

The room was previously decorated in a more subdued style that, according to the sisters, did not do it justice. The new direction they undertook entailed uplifting the fabrics and accessories and the addition of a botanical wallpaper.

The Blue Room

The hotel’s other common area known as the Blue Room, has an inviting zone to relax in. "We decided that because The Plettenberg overlooks the ocean, we would introduce the wonderful colours of the sea and the Plett skies. These same colours are reflected in the suites and rooms throughout the hotel, where turquoise tones and blues prevail."

"We took our inspiration for the very strong cobalt blue from a famous hotel in Capri where the colours used are very similar to the darker seas in Plettenberg Bay," they explain.

Although the Blue Room doesn’t have a sea view, it immediately feels fresh, modern and inviting. The cool, contemporary look-and-feel is in complete contrast to the older antique English appearance it had previously.

Away from the all-access rooms, the new interiors of the private Villas are awash with the hues of the ocean and offer stand-out views over the bay.

The entire redesign process took eight weeks to complete.