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History of Spier in Stellenbosch
The history of the Spier estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa, is very rich. The settlement of this land dates back to the early Stone Age and today implements from that era are still present across the Spier estate. Towards the end of the 17th century, when the first European settlers reached this particular area of the Cape winelands, the land was already populated by Khoi cattle farmers who migrated seasonally between South Africa’s West Coast and what is today known as Stellenbosch. In the year 1692, the Cape Governor Simon van der Stel granted the farm to a German settler called Arnout Janz. Hans Heinrich Hattingh bought the farm in 1712 who named this estate after his home town Speyer.

In 1993, the South African businessman, Dick Enthoven, bought the Spier estate. Meticulous renovations at Spier have restored the gracious Cape Dutch buildings to their former glory and today the scenic surroundings make the Spier estate an ideal weekend getaway from the bustling city of Cape Town.

Facilities at Spier at Stellenbosch
Facilities which can be found at The Village at Spier include: shopping facilities, jogging trails, tennis courts, De Zalze Golf Course, Cheetah Park, Eagle Encounter Park, horse back riding, Spier Train, wine tastings and wine sales, picnics, a lake, and several restaurants. Boardrooms, a leisure and travel desk, shuttle services, laundry, 24-hour room service, a diverse array of dining options as well as a health and beauty spa are also provided to guests staying at the Spier estate.

Indulge yourself in a variety of massage and holistic treatments including aromatherapy and reflexology at the Health and Beauty Spa at the Spier estate. Take advantage of the facials, manicures, pedicures and other specialized skin care therapy and treatments at the spa located at The Village at Spier Hotel.

The Cheetah Outreach Programme at Spier Village
The Cheetah Park has become a dominant attraction at the Spier Estate. Spier has become home to a group or hand-raised cheetahs which are in the care of the Cheetah Outreach Programme. Visitors have the opportunity to get up close and personal with these beautiful creatures and even enter the enclosure. The Cheetah Outreach Programme at the Spier estate assists the Cheetah Conservation Fund in their efforts to ensure the survival of the free-ranging cheetah. This is done through education programmes, which increase the awareness of the declining numbers of free-ranging cheetahs in the wild. Annie Beckhelling founded cheetah Outreach in January 1997 on a hectare of land, which was donated by Spier. The education programme began with two cheetahs Inca (6-year old male) whose role was to greet visitors at Spier and Shadow (1-year old male) who travelled to community events.

Eagle Encounters at Spier Village
Eagle Encounters at the Spier estate, founded in 2001, is a bird of pre rehabilitation, education and conservation centre. The long-term vision of Eagle Encounters at the Spier estate in Stellenbosch lies in the preservation of the eco-environment by protecting bird of prey through the release of prime rehabilitable birds and by creating community awareness. Personal encounters with birds of prey can be experienced at Spier. Eagles, hawks, owls, kites, buzzards and falcons can be observed in flight demonstrations.

De Zalze Golf Course at Spier in Stellenbosch
The Frost Golf Institute at De Zalze Golf Course at the Spier estate in Stellenbosch offers golf lessons to Spier hotel guests. Sam and Zoë, founders of the Frost Golf Institute, form a unique golfing couple each with their own field of specialty at De Zalze Golf Course. Zoë is a professional tour player who has competed on the US LPGA Futures, European, Asian and South African Tours. Zoë played collegiate golf in the US where she won two individual national titles, was Rolex Collegiate Player of the year and made the All American Scholar Athlete Team. Sam on the other hand grew up in a golfing family with older brother David winning sixteen tournaments on the US PGA Tour. Sam coached professional golfers on the US PGA, European, Asian and South African Tours; where amongst the players were Retief Goosen, Steve Ballesteros, Arjun Atwal, Andrew McLardy and many others.

The Health and Beauty Spa at the Spier Wine Estate
Guests can choose from different health and spa treatments while staying at Spier which include the Swedish Massage, Back Neck and Shoulder Massage, Deep Tissue Massage, Reflexology, Aromaflex as well as Skin care therapy such as hydrating treatments, anti aging treatments and deep cleanse treatments.