LEEU Collection: King of the Jungle

LEEU Collection: King of the Jungle
09/09/2015 Demelza Craven

When Indian born Analjit Singh visited south Africa for the first time he was blown away by its beauty, so much so in fact, that he swore to create an estate worthy of such a remarkable landscape. Several years on, and he has done exactly that! The LEEU Collection comprises of two five star hotels that Lifestyle magazine just can’t stop raving about!

The lion. The king of the jungle. When we imagine this majestic animal the associations are on a grand scale. On a coat of arms the lion fights none other than the unicorn, in the art of George Stubbs it pounces with eyes aflame and claws bared, so to name a new venture after such a beast, one of the few animals to possess a status so mythical, is a brave move indeed. But then again, for Analjit Singh, lion is his last name. This Indian investor fell in love with South Africa, with its culture, its art and its landscape, so much so that he has brought up two of its most mesmerising properties, the newly named: LEEU House and LEEU Estate. Two boutique luxury properties nestled in the Western Cape Winelands, just an hour from Cape Town and tipped to be the holiday retreats of a lifetime. Why LEEU? It is the Afrikaans word for Lion just as Singh (Analjit’s surname) means Lion in Sanskrit. You could say that it was mean to be.

LEEU House is described by Analjit Singh as an ‘oasis’. With five stars and twelve rooms, the boutique hotel is created to give the ambience of one being an invitee to a country guest house. You can easily imagine yourself there, lounging in the muted colours of traditional Cape Dutch style or plunging into the 15 meters of heated outdoor pool. There is a conservatory, a terrace, a lounge… all designed as a home from home. This is escapism transformed into an art form! With complimentary bicycles and shuttle services there needn’t be an inch left unexplored, all viewed from the comfort of transportation if you so wish.

LEEU Estates is again a five star property, boasting 20 rooms set in 68 hectares of vineyards, landscaped gardens and fynbos vegetation in the valley of Franschhoek. Nestled right between a mountain and a river it is a sanctuary like none other. Only this is less country cottage and more country estate. While LEEU House is all about comfort LEEU Estate is executed on a far grander scale. The 19th century manor house offers guest rooms with terraces and fireplaces, the perfect way to survey the panoramic scenery whist quaffing the handcrafted LEEU Estate wines. A combination of the heated infinity pool, gym, Asian spa treatments, libraries and a vast quantity of leisure rooms to be taken advantage of promises that LEEU Estate will see visitors return again and again.

If you visit one hotel this year Lifestyle recommends that you make it one of the LEEU collection. Be seduced by the sumptuous ambience, smell the full bodied aroma of grapes ripening on the vine and above all drink in the spectacular scenery of one of the world’s most breath-taking countries. Wine critic, Jamie Goode, recently described the Franschhoek Valley as ‘Paradise’ and here at Lifestyle we’re inclined to agree.