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Ellerman House Was Built for a Shipping Magnate Who Wanted to Watch His Own Vessels Dock
Ellerman House, a clifftop Edwardian mansion above Bantry Bay, was once the private home of shipping magnate Sir John Ellerman and today operates as an 11-suite hotel built around a 9,000-bottle wine cellar and a private collection of South African art.
Sep 26, 2026 · BigTravel.in
Ellerman House sits on the slopes of Lion's Head above Bantry Bay, a short drive from Cape Town's city centre, in a house originally built in 1906 under the name Florida House. It passed through several owners before Sir John Ellerman, a British shipping magnate, acquired it as his Cape Town residence, drawn in part to the hillside site because it let him watch his own vessels enter the harbour below.
From private residence to boutique hotel
Paul Harris, a founder of Rand Merchant Bank, bought the 1.5-acre property and, after an extensive renovation, reopened it as a boutique hotel in 1992. The house kept its Edwardian bones and clifftop setting but was rebuilt around eleven suites and a series of public rooms furnished with the owners' private collections rather than standard hotel decor.
A cellar carved into the hillside
Ellerman House's wine gallery and cellar hold around 9,000 bottles, including rare Cape vintages, in a space cut directly into the hillside beneath the house. The collection leans heavily on South African labels, reflecting an ambition to give guests a serious introduction to the country's wine regions without leaving the property.
A private art collection on the walls
The house displays close to a thousand works spanning two centuries of South African art, including landscapes and portraits by Irma Stern and Maggie Laubser, two of the country's pioneering modernists. Nothing on the walls is generic hotel art; the collection was assembled specifically for the house and is treated as part of what guests come to see, alongside the wine and the view.
Traveller tips
- Cape Town International Airport is around 25 minutes' drive from Bantry Bay in ordinary traffic.
- The wine cellar and art collection can be viewed on a guided walk-through arranged through the house, not only by staying guests browsing on their own.
- Bantry Bay's position on the Atlantic seaboard means afternoon winds can pick up in summer; mornings tend to be calmer for the pool terrace.
- Suites are limited to eleven, so the house books out well ahead of Cape Town's December to February peak season.
Where this is
Bantry Bay, Cape Town