Southern Sun de Wagen, a boutique hotel in Stellenbosch, officially reopened last week, six weeks after a flash flood wreaked havoc on its premises.

“The flood caused significant destruction to the hotel’s ground level, including the Kuyperhuis courtyard pool, woodwork, furniture, joineries, and floors. Once the water subsided, we realised the extent of the damage and it was evident that the entire ground level required a comprehensive refurbishment and repair effort,” said hotel Manager, Abel Pienaar.

Despite the challenges, the refurbishment team worked hard to restore the hotel.

In addition, they conducted thorough electrical and mechanical systems tests, including water, pool, aircon and heat pumps, and water tanks, to ensure the safety of guests.

“The restoration period has been phenomenally swift, thanks to our project manager and his incredibly determined and dedicated team who have worked around the clock to make sure that the hotel was closed for as short a time as possible and to ensure that it could reopen promptly,” Pienaar added.

The flood refurbishment extended beyond the structural elements and care was taken to repaint the exterior with a specially designed paint.

The interiors of rooms affected by the flood were also repainted.

The hotel, with its three country houses (Wagenhuis, Kuyperhuis, and Roeshuis), offers 22 bedrooms.