Martin Jacobs

Hotels Move over Stellies and Franschhoek, Paarl’s reopened Zomerlust Boutique Hotel has new custodians, and the results of their serendipitous interventions are top drawer Ask at reception to view the album of photographs of Zomerlust Boutique Hotel in its previous iterations, and what you’re handed is an entirely analogue experience: an oversized photo album, its plastic sleeves no longer adhesive, its pages filled with faded images of the property dating back to the early 1990s.

It needs to be said from the outset – the newly opened Tintswalo Summer House was not inspired by auteur Wes Anderson. Many a comparison has already been made, and it’s easy to see why: yes, there’s the symmetry (not uncommon in a hotel room), the distinct colour palettes and stylised spaces. There’s also no lack of curated quirk. But where Anderson’s interiors suggest an untouchable perfection, interior designer Camlyn Johnston’s debut project feels far less like a set piece.

Natasha Sideris, CEO and founder of Tashas Group, has been on something of a Cape Town tour these past few months. And, no, it’s not the sort that involves languid wine tastings or obligatory penguin selfies at Boulders Beach. While more than a million tourists drifted through the Mother City this past season, Sideris – who has called Dubai home for more than a decade – was building her empire in the Western Cape, one stylish space at a time.