PROJECTS

The Views BoutiqueHotel and Spa

This five star hotel and spa offers individually designed and styled suites,with floor-to-ceiling windows taking full advantage of sea and mountain views.

THE VIEWS BOUTIQUE HOTEL & SPAWilderness, Western Cape

DeveloperTheo du Toit

ArchitectsHarry Burger Architects

Quantity SurveyorsProQS

Consulting Engineers:StructuralDMS Engineers

Electrical & MechanicalDe Villiers & Moore

Interior DesignLunique Interiors (Hotel interior)Anthony Brent Steytler Interiors(Restaurant Interior Design)

Environmental ConsultantsCape Environmental AssessmentPractitioners

Main ContractorsJC Joubert

Marketing & ManagementMantis Collection Group

PhotographyMantis Collection Group

Views Boutique Hotel and Spa - a contem-porary styled hotel set on the Wildernessdunes overlooking the Indian Ocean alongthe famed Garden Route.

MANTIS COLLECTION COMMENTThis five star hotel and spa offers individuallydesigned and styled suites, with floor-to-ceiling windows taking full advantage of seaand mountain views. The penthouse apart-ment on the top floor comprises a bedroom,bathroom, separate lounge and dining area,surrounded by panoramic views.

Owner, Theo du Toit, said that buildinga hotel from scratch was no easy feat andtook many years of planning and effort.The Views will be worth the time, patienceand effort invested by all – this hotel isdestined to become one of the leadinghotels on the Garden Route and in theWestern Cape, and will establish theWilderness region as a hot destination forlocal and international travellers alike.  

Theo worked closely with local architect,Harry Burger, to design The Views tomaximise its magnificent setting; at everyturn, the eye is met with a magnificent viewof the Indian Ocean.  

antis added another property to itsgroup of five star boutique estab-lishments and game reserves: TheM Interior designer, Lulu Ridgway, created

a contemporary ‘natural’ upmarket style,capturing the exterior elements of natureand the ocean throughout The Views. You’llfind many unusual and unexpected touches– the décor elements are fresh, modernand, more importantly, inspiring.  Spaciousrooms have been designed with comfortand luxury in mind.

Some of the special features exclusivelydesigned for The Views include: a three-storey rotating ‘aquarium’ showcasingmore than a 1,000 individually handcraftedglass fish sculptures, complemented byLED lighting, movement and sound, emu-lating the heartbeat of the Indian Ocean,just meters away from the hotel, life-sizerecycled crystal glass seagull sculpturesand ceilings in public spaces that reflect themovement of water.  Stylish exterior spacesallow for total relaxation, making the mostof panoramic ocean views.

The Views has customised moodcontrol lighting systems in every room, apillow library, a private pool deck, a seaviewlounge, a conference facility, a games roomand wireless internet connectivitythroughout the hotel. Guest facilities andaccommodation are of the highest quality,ensuring that guests are pamperedmorning till night.

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This five star hotel and spa offersindividually designed and styled suites

showers supply the extra touches of luxuryto the bathrooms, which also have hair-dryers, bathrobes and slippers supplied.

Guest FacilitiesRestaurants and dining facilities include TheFoam Restaurant, which caters forbreakfasts and dinners; the Sails Bistro,which caters for lunches and dinners;dining on the Sea View Cocktail Deck,which is perfect for al fresco meals. TheSea View lounge opens onto a sea facingdeck where guests can enjoy compli-mentary drinks. There is also a librarylounge with a “Bio Fire’ fireplace. A privaterooftop pool deck is equipped with a solarheated rim-flow pool.

ARCHITECT’S REPORTThe Views Boutique Hotel is a unique site;a picturesque location on the dunes aboveWilderness beach which has a convenientproximity to the N2 freeway. Not only will ahotel guest experience the beachfront, butthe upper levels of the hotel look out at thefoothills of Wilderness heights and theOuteniqua Mountains to the north.

As the name implies, there are views inall directions and the primary brief was tocapture the natural splendour of Wildernessfor all the hotel suites and restaurants. This

AccommodationThe hotel has a selection of rooms andsuites consisting of the following:• A penthouse with panoramic sea views.• Five honeymoon suites - all are corner

suites with direct sea views.• Seven Premier Suites with full sea views• Two Deluxe Suites with mountain views• Two Luxury Suites with side sea and

mountain views• One two-bedroom suite with mountain

views• Two Classic rooms with sea views• One Classic Room with mountain view

The rooms are furnished in lightcontemporary styles, with floor to ceilingwindows, which maximise the views. Allhave spacious seating areas except for theClassic rooms, which are compact in size.The rooms are fitted with central air-conditioning, LCD Television screens withsatellite channels and Ipod connections. Allare furnished with safes, fully stocked minibars, extra length beds and generouscupboards or walk-in dressing rooms. Theen-suite bathrooms vary according to theaccommodation, some with free-standingbaths and double showers, plantation styleshutters, under floor heating and heatedtowel rails. The Hansgrohe mixers and

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directive has not only shaped the buildingbut also dictated the choice of materials,whereby glass facades, balustrades andscreens open the building in all directions.Slender stainless steel railings and pergolaposts maximise this effect.

Every suit has been designed with anunobstructed view through floor-to-ceilingframeless glass.

The “Sails” restaurant floor and decksteps down towards the beach so that allpatrons look down onto the Indian Oceanthrough frameless glass walls and railings.

The atrium over the hotel entry foyerfeatures a glass curtain wall that extendsinto a large skylight. These, combined with

glass balustraded staircases and a doublevolume link to the south, form a focus pointfor arriving guests as an impressiveinvitation to both the hotel’s interior and acommanding view of the sea.

The developer called for a luxurious, yetpersonal, internal atmosphere; to avoid atall costs the traditional hotel config-uration of rooms in rows, with long unima-ginative corridors.

Most of the interior design extends thefocus on light, using glass and mirrors tocreate space and a nautical atmosphere.Features such as hanging sea birds, a fourstorey fish mobile, all sculpted with glass,complete the theme.

The atrium over the hotel entry foyerfeatures a glass curtain wall thatextends into a large skylight

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Being part of a residential complex (TheWaves), the hotel had to maintain adomestic scale and be soft on the oceanskyline. A brutal block would not haveworked (or have been accepted by theWilderness locals).

As such, the architectural vocabularyof pitched roofs, triangular gablewindows and earth toned plaster wallswas extended from the adjacentresidences, matching in style and detail.This detailing has been carried into the“covered bridge” and a walkway that willeventually link to a small commercialvillage shopping centre planned tothe north.

LandscapingRemnants of a mature Milkwood forestreach into the northern boundary of thesite. These were accurately surveyed andincorporated in the design with con-siderable effort to leave them undisturbed.The hotel building now screens theseindigenous trees from the “salt pruning”ocean wind and, after the constructionwork, new leaves are sprouting everywhere.The current severe water restrictions in theGeorge/Wilderness area have preventedthe final greening layer of indigenous plantsbeing added to the landscape. These willeventually wrap around the deck areas,allowing the indigenous dune vegetation to

The interior design extends the focuson light, using glass and mirrors tocreate space and a nautical atmosphere

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once again meet with the Milkwoods on thenorthwest of the building.

ChallengesThe first challenge faced by theprofessional team was to excavate nextto the existing residence (and the Milk-woods) and establish a suitable founda-tion in the sand dune. A steel reinforcedconcrete “raft” was designed (by DMSStructures) which would distribute theload of the building over the whole

footprint area, to counter the dis-advantages of building on sand. Servicesin these conditions were also problematicand the extreme salt and moisture comingup from the breakers below make theselection of materials, to withstandcorrosion, a real issue. As a foremanquipped “even wood will rust here”.

To expedite the construction time (byabout 2 months) and to allow maximumglass openings (with no perimeter beams),a post-tensioned slab structure was used.

Interior designer, Lulu Ridgway,created a contemporary naturalupmarket style

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This is unusual for a relatively small andcomplex building like the Views Hotel;normally the system is only used for largestructures like parking garages and officeblocks. This technology also made the longand unsupported span of the bridgewalkway feasible.

EnvironmentHalfway through the plan approval process,the project became subject to the recentlypromulgated “NIMA” Coastal Development

Regulations, which required an EIA(Environment Impact Assessment) be doneas part of the approval process. Thisincluded looking at everything from thedune stability (including possible shoreerosion from the effects of global warming)to the hotel’s visual impact on the shoreline.

Even before these regulations, a keyaspect of the project’s scope was torehabilitate previous damage to the duneand sustainably link the development tothe beach. To this end, the existing

The Views Boutique Hotel and Spais a contemporary styled hotel seton the Wilderness dunes

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stairs and boardwalk are being upgradedand the effects of past building operationsand erosion are to be rehabilitated. Torestore the dune’s natural ecology, therewill also be an indigenous vegetationre-planting initiative.

Environmental ConsiderationsThe entire building process was monitoredby the appointed Environment control offi-cers, in terms of a management plan (CapeEnvironment Assessment Practitioners)• Sensitive coastal site with indigenous

dune face and clumps of matureMilkwood trees.

• No stormwater run-off could be allowedon dune faces.

• Indigenous vegetation was not to bedisturbed during construction. Materialand water spillage from the buildingprocess was prohibited.

• Timber pole retaining walls andhoardings were used to protectMilkwoods and dune vegetationduring construction.

• Solar panels used for heating pool to limittraditional power dependency.

• Heat pumps are used as backup heatingfor rooftop pool and basement spa pools.

Accommodation• 18 Suites (average room size of 56m2),

4 double-room suites which caterfor families.

• Board/conference room with attachedkitchen and balcony.

• Rooftop Pool Deck• Games room (with pool table)• Cocktail deck and bar overlooking

the ocean.• Library lounge, with glass panels forming

the floor of the pool above.

The rooms are furnished in lightcontemporary styles, with floor toceiling windows

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• Reception/information lounge and deck.• Secure undercover parking (in building)

Restaurant - “Foam”• Fine Dining Restaurant, seating fifty

patrons.• Serves hotel breakfast.• Dancing area and bar

Restaurant - “Sails”• Family Restaurant, seating one hundred

and fifty patrons.• Kids play area• Large outdoor deck (208m2)

Health Spa and GymFull treatment spa with:• Sauna/tylarium• Rasul• Floatation pool• Treatment rooms

• Post treatment• Gym• Change rooms• Showers

Spatial Details• Hotel Area: 2,066m2

• Hotel Balcony Area: 556m2

• Average Room Size: 56m2

• Number of Suites: 18• Number of Restaurants: 2• Family Restaurant Area: 354m2 -

150 seats• Family Restaurant Deck: 200m2

• Fine Dining Restaurant Area: 188m2 -50 seats

• Fine Dining Restaurant Deck: 208m2

• Kitchen Area: 223m2

• Spa & Gym Area: 460m2

• Total Building Area: 4,850m2

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Advertisers on this Project

De Villiers & MooreConsulting Electrical and MechanicalEngineers

DMS StructuresConsulting Structural Engineers

EnvirodeckSuppliers of a wide range ofenvironmentally-friendly engineereddecking, railing and cladding products

Hansgrohe Personalised BathroomsSpecialists in bathroom fittings andsanitaryware

Harry Burger ArchitectsArchitects

JC Joubert BuildersMain Contractor

Pro-QS Quantity SurveyorsQuantity Surveyors