The dynamic duo and owners of Pictures Guest House in Oudtshoorn, Fabian Forte (left) and Stephen Bourdet. Pictures Guest House is the only guest house in South Africa on TripAdvisor’s 2019 Traveller’s Choice list of the world’s top 25 B & B’s and Inns. Pictures
was placed 21st in the world and second in Africa. Fabian and Stephen, here with Mithi, the giraffe at Pictures’ swimming pool, moved to Oudtshoorn from Switzerland two years ago to run the guesthouse in the Klein Karoo. Photo supplied
By Angelique Erasmus
Pictures Guest House in Oudtshoorn is the only guest house in South Africa on TripAdvisor’s 2019 Traveller’s Choice list of the world’s top 25 B; B’s and Inns.
Pictures was placed second in Africa and 21st in the world.
The owners of Pictures Guest House, the dynamic duo Fabian Forte and Stephen Bourdet, bought the guest house two years ago after they fell in love with South Africa. At that stage Fabian was the financial director of the biggest hospital in Switzerland, while Stephen was the marketing director of the biggest wine producer in Switzerland.
Fabian and Stephen’s relationship started with a chance encounter in a Starbucks in Geneva five years ago.
Six months later – on their honeymoon – they visited South Africa for the first time.
“We absolutely fell in love with the country, and ended up visiting for five trips, ironically enough never to Oudtshoorn,” says Stephen.
They made a decision to retire in South Africa one day.
Fabian continues: “However, we decided not to wait until we were retired and started looking for a property to buy.
“It was on one such occasion when Stephen had to fly to South Africa for four days, that our South African property agent told us to have a look at Pictures in Oudtshoorn.”
Fabian stayed behind and Stephen made the trip alone.
“It was love at first sight, and I had to convince Fabian to sign the papers without seeing the property,” says Stephen.
The couple bought the guest house from the previous owners and decided to keep the name, build on the good reputation it already had and expand the services offered.
The guest house was named Pictures, as the previous owners loved vintage movies. Fabian and Stephen both have a passion for photography, especially black and white photographs, while Stephen is also an artist with some of his paintings adorning the walls of the property.
Fabian also has a passion for cooking, and they started to offer their guests breakfast and dinner, with their menu changing daily.
Fabian bakes fresh breads, baguettes, pastries such as croissants and many more each morning for breakfast and dinner.
If pasta is on the menu, it is also prepared on site. Everything that can be home-made, is home-made at Pictures. A selection of jams, atchars, sauces and many more are also on offer to guests.
Pictures Guest House in Oudtshoorn. The bronze sculpture of Mithi the giraffe was first seen by Bourdet at an art gallery in the Waterfront on his first visit to South Africa. Photo Supplied
“We love doing elegant braais, especially using ostrich as it is part of Oudtshoorn, and when I feel at ease with our guests, I even sing some a-cappella. My favourite song is Asimbonanga by Johnny Clegg, which he sang to Nelson Mandela,” says Stephen.
“We don’t serve food, we celebrate food!”
They specialise in using local produce and infusing exotic flavours with their cooking, even making traditional South African favourites like malva pudding and bobotie with a twist.
They employ residents from Oudtshoorn and believe in giving back to the community; giving young people a chance to better themselves and grow, and even exchanging recipes.
With Fabian being from Italian/Swiss and Stephen from Swiss/Mauritian decent they speak five languages – English, French, Italian, German and Spanish. According to Stephen they are also learning Afrikaans.
According to them guests at Pictures arrive as strangers and leave as friends, with most of them even booking their next holiday before check-out.
These two are literally living their dream, which is probably their recipe for success.
“If you love what you do, you do it the right way. If you become bored, you need to stop,” Fabian says.