About Us

Welcome to Bonne Esperance, Simon's Town!
The house is between 126 - 119 years old having been built in 1897 or 1904 and has had various iterations from being the Bonne Esperance Guest House to the Seaforth Hotel. We've spent the last year repairing and restoring the house bringing the grand old dame back to life.
Accommodation on offer includes: 3 x self-catering studios; 3 x ensuite rooms which share the main house facilities or the main house can be booked out exclusively (3 x ensuite rooms and exclusive use of the well equipped kitchen, parlour, dining room and deck).
Situated 40km from the Cape Town City Centre, Bonne Esperance is located within the Seaforth area of Simon's Town. Simon's Town is a charming, naval village with many interesting historical buildings, museums, antique shops, quaint coffee houses and restaurants. It is surrounded by mountains and sea, ready for you to explore. Some of Cape Town's best attractions are close by such as Boulder's beach (600m or a 5 minute walk) and Cape Point (a 15 minute drive). Simon’s Town is a walking friendly town. Advisable to hire a car if you’d like to explore the Cape Peninsula. Public transport (buses and minibus taxis) is available as well as private taxis.

A brief history

The ‘Spook Huis’ or ‘Naughty Sailor House’, Bonne Esperance is a well known house in Simon’s Town. The double Cape Dutch Revival gables are a rare architectural type and have made the building an iconic feature in the landscape. A brief timeline of ownership & development:

1886 - 1904: ‘Lot F’ was purchased by HP Hablützel. The plot stretched from Main Road (aka Queen’s Road) to the mountain. The Hablützel’s were involved in farming and whaling. The Hablützel family vault can be visited in the Old Burying Ground (down the road).
1904 - 1923: the Hablützel’s built the original homestead including the four late Victorian cast-iron fireplaces and the Oregon pine floors, architraves, skirtings and rafters. It was part of a smallholding including small-scale livestock.
1923 - 1935: J Raubach takes ownership and makes major additions to the property. Bonne Esperance Guest House is established. The guest house, managed by Caroline Raubach, was frequented by many sailors and soldiers.
1935 - 1951: The property goes through a series of transfers; it is subdivided with minor changes to the buildings.
1951 - 1984: Waveband Investments Limited (Mr James Morris) takes ownership and the property becomes the “Seaforth Guest House”. In 1976, a letter from City Council was written to a Miss O’ Leary, presumably the tenant/owner/caretaker regarding two naughty goats. She had to pay a fine and ‘dispose’ of the goats.
1984 - 2019: Captain CWB Singleton and June Singleton take ownership and discontinue the guest house operation. Bonne Esperance became a family home for the next 35 years.
2022: Nic and Alex take ownership of the Grand Old Dame.

Sustainable systems
Solar powered: The house has a solar system and does not experience load shedding. The wifi signal is uninterrupted.
Rainwater: We harvest rainwater from our roof which is collected in two 10 000 litre tanks. These supply the toilets with water. Toilet water is sometimes brown due to this.
Greywater: We filter and collect laundry and shower water which then waters our front garden.
Waste management: We separate our waste into ORGANICS, RECYCLING, WASTE and dispose of appropriately. Our organics go to our compost, recycling goes to our local drop off and the remainder is collected every Monday. We require strict waste management due to the baboons who share the landscape with us. We request that you follow our instructions.