A living museum with style
This is a step back into the past. The whole of Pilgrims Rest is a living museum dating back to one of the earliest gold rushes in South Africa. The Royal Hotel has 50 bedrooms beautifully decorated in the Victorian style that harks back to its origins as a miners’ hotel. The accommodation is comfortable rather than the height of luxury and where possible some original touches have been maintained – particularly in the miners’ cottages which form part of the hotel. A feature that has changed very little over the years is the hotel bar that is a national institution reputedly with the greatest variety of scotch anywhere in South Africa.
About the Location
The entire street is a national monument and there are a number of interesting buildings in the area dating back to the 1870’s. Pilgrims Rest is close to the Panorama Route and Blyde River Canyon and there is fishing in the innumerable mountain streams nearby. The hotel has a pool and can arrange horse riding and golf. The Kruger Park is an hour’s drive away so this can be incorporated as an interesting stop over from Johannesburg.
