Feature: Pool

Tamodi, The Crags, Garden Route

Tamodi Lodge is for the nature lover with views from each room of the indigenous forest and the Outeniqua Mountains

Tamodi  is an exquisitely designed typically African lodge  overlooking the  thickly wooded valleys of The Crags. The lodge is 15 minutes’ drive from the center of Plettenberg Bay. The lodge has just four rooms and suites, Each room and suite has wonderful views and access to the extensive balcony with infinity pool. Each room has a distinctly African feel with comfortable beds and over-sized bathrooms – some with private outside showers. Underfloor heating is provided for those chilly winter nights. Tamodi has two large lounges with three massive log fireplaces to make your stay cozy even during the winter months. Sumptuous breakfasts are provided. Tamodi is for nature lovers! You will enjoy the quiet solitude of the African bush with the occasional sightings of baboons and vervet monkeys. This is a great location for bird watching.

About Tamodi’s Location

Tamodi Lodge is located 7 minutes drive from the main N2 highway in the midst of the forest. Keurboomstrand with its spectacular beach scenery and renowned beach restaurant Enrico’s is just a short 10 minute drive. Guests wishing to enjoy horse riding will not be disappointed as Tamodi is also an equestrian center.  The fascinating animal parks in The Crags are within a 10 minute drive. These parks enable you to get close to small cats, birds, elephants, monkeys and, yes, even snakes! The highest bungy jump in the world is a 30 minute drive and the Tsitsikamma National Park is 45 minutes away. You will enjoy a walk on the beach at Nature’s Valley  which is one of the most unspoiled locations along The Garden Route. The Plettenberg Bay wine route is close by  and a hike on the spectacular Robberg Peninsula Nature Reserve is just a 20 minute drive.

Aquavit, Plettenberg Bay, Garden Route

Aquavit is a beautiful property with one of the best views in Plettenberg Bay from your room!

Aquavit is all about luxury, comfort and spectacular views. The property has one of the top ratings on Trip Advisor of any establishment in South Africa and clearly deserves its 5 star rating. Aquavit has five exquisitely appointed rooms. Each room has its own semi private balcony or poolside patio. The owners have decorated each room in light earthy tones which, with the crisp white bed linens and huge windows gives a very airy and spacious feel. The large sliding windows open onto the balcony or poolside patio. Here you can relax in a lounger over looking one of the best views of Plettenberg Bay we have encountered. Aquavit is a small property and very popular so in the main season you should book well in advance to ensure availability. We at South Africa Sun are sure you won’t be disappointed.

About Aquavit’s Location

Plettenberg Bay is the gem of the Garden Route. The three main beaches are among the finest in South Africa. All the beaches are within a 5 minute drive of Aquavit. The town of Plettenberg Bay has some excellent restaurants so you will not be short of fine places to eat. If you enjoy a relatively easy hike choose the Robberg Peninsula Nature Reserve. The location offers a variety of hikes from the relatively easy to the fairly challenging. With each hike, however, you will be rewarded with some of the best photo opportunities. Robberg Peninsula was the site of the first semi permanent settlement in South Africa when  a Portuguese ship foundered in 1630. The survivors stayed for nine months before departing on the two ships they built.

You can drive from Aquavit to the numerous activities close by. Plettenberg Bay has its own wine route featuring 17 wineries and just 15 minutes’ drive away you can enjoy the fascinating animal parks at The Crags. Drive 30 minutes to the world’s highest bungy jump. A further 20 minutes will take you to the spectacular Tsitsikamma National Park and Storms River where you can enjoy a Tree Top Canopy Tour.

18 Hillwood, Bishop’s Court, Cape Town

18 Hillwood is an amazing self catering luxury house set beneath Table Mountain just 15 minutes from central Cape Town. The location and accommodation is simply stunning!

18 Hillwood is a 5 bedroom house that has everything you need for a luxurious stay in Cape Town. You can self cater and the house boasts a fully equipped kitchen. You can also ask the Staff, who are supplied, to cater for you and provide all your meals. The bedrooms are very private and much larger than usual  with enormous en suite bathrooms, some with a sitting room. The property is set in beautifully landscaped gardens. There are two pools, a veranda with outdoor furniture and tennis courts. The entire property has spectacular views overlooking the imposing back of Table Mountain. Breakfast can be provided. Normally the whole house will be let so it is ideal for a large family or even 5 couples traveling together. 18 Hillwood is  a 5 star property which, in our view, is fully justified and really exceeds its rating.

About 18 Hillwood’s Location

Bishop’s Court is one of the finest suburbs of Cape Town adjacent to Constantia. Drive just 5 minutes to the world renowned Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens where in Spring and Autumn you will find the Protea gardens ablaze with color. You can drive to the center of Cape Town, the Waterfront and the Table Mountain Cableway in just 15 minutes. 18 Hillwood is also well positioned for the Cape Peninsula. The Penguins at Boulders Beach are a 30 minute drive and spectacular Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope will take you around 45  minutes to drive. The Constantia Winelands are close by and the Cape Winelands around Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl are a 40 minute drive. For beach lovers, popular Camps Bay is a 25 minute drive. The property has a concierge service who will be able to arrange guided tours of the wine estates, helicopter tours and other trips if you would rather leave you car at home!

Tsitsikamma Village Inn, Storms River

Great accommodation in a rustic, village style setting in an historic location

This is a unique property with 22 exquisitely decorated rooms in individual historically styled cottages set around a ‘village green’. The dramatic backcloth is the Tsitsikamma Mountains. There are also some more rooms set in rustic log buildings. The property dates back to the 1840s with the original Hunters Pub supplying weary travelers negotiating the tortuous Storms River Pass, which is still in operation as a walking and mountain biking trail, that starts close to the hotel.

About the Location

Storms River Village is the home of Storms River Adventures which offers an amazing zip line experience 90 ft above the floor of the forest. Here you will see majestic specimens of the indigenous trees in this temperate rain forest as you speed from tree to tree high in the canopy. They also offer mountain biking, tubing on the Storms River, kayaking and abseiling. The nearby Tsitsikamma National Coastal Park has dramatic coastal scenery, some of the earliest evidence of human habitation in Africa and an extensive boardwalk to a pedestrian suspension bridge across the Storms River Mouth. There are numerous hiking trails including the start of The Otter Trail which is a 5 day hike to Nature’s Valley close to Plettenberg Bay.


Granny Mouse Country House, Balgowan

Luxurious Old World Charm set in the scenic Natal Midlands

Set in beautiful gardens, this attractive thatched country house has a variety of luxuriously appointed rooms and suites. Accommodation is provided on a B&B basis but the property has two well rated restaurants. One is a bistro and the other boasts fine dining.

About the Location

This is a very convenient location for those arriving at Durban Airport. This is an easy 1 1/2 hour drive and breaks any journey to the Drakensberg or the Battlefields. This is probably one of the most English of all locations in South Africa. The area is full of craft locations, great restaurants, trout fishing and one of South Africa’s premier schools, Michaelhouse, is close by in the village of Balgowan


River Place Manor, Upington

River Place Manor, Upington

Convenient and comfortably appointed lodge on the banks of the Orange River

Upington may be dry, dusty and hot for most of the year but you will enjoy River Place which is a wine estate with grounds leading down to the welcome cool of the Orange River. There are 10 suite-style rooms and one family suite. Accommodation is provided on a B&B basis and dinner can be provided on Mondays to Fridays. Barbecue (Braai) facilities are available and you can even Braai on the river on the Lodge’s floating Jetty. There is a beautiful swimming pool for those wishing to cool off after the heat of the day.

About the Location

The lodge has a canoe for those wishing to  venture onto the river or you might just wish to fish. There is river rafting, a river cruise, amazing bird watching and, of course, wine tasting. Choosing River place as a base also allows you to visit Augrabies Falls which is an hour and a half’s drive along the Orange River. This is also a good stopover en route to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. It is a 2 1/2 hour drive to the entrance to the Park at Twee Rivieren.


!Xaus Lodge, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

!Xaus Lodge provides rustic-style accommodation with a touch of luxury in one of the most remote locations on earth

!Xaus is really different! The 12 well appointed and air conditioned chalets are set in a remote corner of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The park spans both South Africa and Botswana. The lounge and dining area has a cosy fireplace for the cold winter nights (June – August) when the heat of the day can plunge to close to freezing. Accommodation includes all meals and two game drives each day of your stay. There is an observation deck which is wonderful for star gazing in this pristine, unpolluted wilderness. The lodge also has a great pool for cooling off after the heat of the day.

About the Location

The Kgalagadi Park is larger than the Kruger Park extending to 3.5 million hectares. 50,000 hectares was given back to the  ‡Khomani San and Mier communities (Bushmen) in 2002 and the land was then leased back to South African National Parks. SAN Parks are responsible for the environmental management of the land and !Xaus Lodge is owned by the two communities. !Xaus means ‘heart’ in the Nama language and was proposed as a name for the lodge by a group of visiting Bushmen. This was confirmed by the representative bodies of both the ‡Khomani San and Mier communities. The   name, ‘!Xaus’, symbolises the healing of relationships, the restoration of dignity and the aspirations of these communities, who after many years of deprivation are now owners of the lodge and the land on which it is situated.The lodge overlooks a large salt pan with a distinctive heart shape in its northwest corner. This location inspired the name. The rustic -style lodge is located at the ‘heart’ of the land restored to each of the Mier and Bushman communities. The vision of the settlement agreement was stated as ‘in the national interest, to finally settle the land claims of the community parties and to establish a positive, co-operative relationship between the community parties and SANParks.’ The symbol ‘!’ denotes a palatal click in the Nama language.  !Xaus is pronounced ‘kaus’.’ !Xaus is a unique property  and among the experiences you will enjoy, guided walks and visits to a Bushman Village are also included.Game drives

  • Sunset pan drive and dune walk to ‘listen’ to the sun set over the Kalahari.
  • After-dinner night drive. You will hear sounds of barking geckos, insect shrills, and larger animal calls to break the silence.
  • A complimentary six to seven hour game drive through the dunes and along the Auob River.  A packed breakfast and picnic lunch, is available for guests staying four nights or longer. At an additional charge, this game drive is also available to those staying for two or three nights.

Montusi Mountain Lodge, Drakensberg

Montusi is an exceptional family owned and run property in a magical location

It is rare that we repeat verbatim the words from the website of a property but in our minds having spent time here, these words are perfect: “Montusi Mountain Lodge offers genuine hospitality in the tranquility of one of the most beautiful settings in Southern Africa. Space, comfort and peace are what you will find. Treat yourself to the natural splendour and peaceful, romantic ambiance of this Drakensberg haven.”  There are 10 spacious, self contained Garden Suites, 4 Family Suites and 2 much larger Mountain Suites. These are set in an estate of 1,000 hectares with the glorious backdrop of the imposing wall of The Amphitheatre. This is one of the most spectacular areas of the Drakensberg.  Accommodation is on a Dinner, Bed & Breakfast basis with food served in the main thatched lodge

About Montusi’s Location

The property has a swimming pool and tennis courts and horse riding and guided hiking can be arranged. Guided hiking can be arranged to the top of Montusi Mountain. Excursions to a cave with Bushmen paintings as well as into the nearby Royal Natal National Park are also offered. For the adventurous a guided hike to the top of the Amphitheatre can be arranged. You can hire Mountain Bikes and ride on the 100 km Drakensberg Mountain Biking Trail which goes right through the property. Fly fishing is available on the lodge’s two dams and for those seeking extreme thrills, All Out Adventures is a 10 minute drive away. Add a stay at Monusi to a battlefields location and a KwaZulu Natal Game Reserve.


Drosty Hotel, Graaff Reinet

Drostdy Hotel, Graaff-Reinet, Eastern Cape

The Drostdy Hotel is a  great choice for those looking for somewhere off the beaten track with touches of luxury

The Drostdy is a stunning hotel set in the charming Karoo town of Graaf-Reinet. The Executive rooms are set in village style throughout the grounds in individual cottages. The rooms and bathrooms are larger than normal and are well appointed complete with air conditioning, flat screen tv and a claw foot bath as well as a large shower. The hotel has three swimming pools, a spa and gym, wine tasting venue and a great restaurant set in a relaxing garden. The hotel has an extensive wine cellar and you should indulge in wine tasting during your stay. The restaurant serves sumptuous breakfasts as well as lunches and an excellent dinner menu.

About the Drostdy Hotel’s Location

Graaff-Reinet is the fourth oldest town in South Africa and although very Afrikaans, there are a lot of English touches. The main church is a stunning scaled down version of Salisbury Cathedral in England! The historic centre is full of thatched and metal roofed whitewashed cottages and this is the only town that is situated within its own National Park. The Camdeboo National Park includes the atmospheric and spectacular Valley of Desolation where you could imagine you are back in prehistory. It feels logical that this area has yielded some of the finest dinosaur fossils in southern Africa. While you are here you can visit the unusual and artistic community of Nieu Bethesda complete with its rather creepy Owl House which is now a national monument, a charming micro brewery which provides excellent lunches and there is also the ability to hunt for fossils in the river bed. You can also visit a number of private game reserves and the Mountain Zebra National Park which is an hour’s drive away.


Ghost Mountain Inn, Mkuze, Northern Zululand

Ghost Mountain Inn is a great inexpensive alternative to staying at a private game reserve

Ghost Mountain Inn is an old established, family run inn is situated in a particularly attractive part of Zululand. The hotel is in the little town of Mkuze with views of the almost mystical Ghost Mountain (inspiring many legends among the local Zulus). The atmosphere here is very relaxed and continues to get excellent reviews. The hotel has 51 bedrooms that are well decorated in simple furnishings and each room has air conditioning, a ceiling fan and each night insect repellent systems keeps the mosquitoes at bay. This is particularly important during the wet summer months. Some family rooms are available. Each room has its own patio and from these there are views of the garden or mountain. Guests eat in the comfortable restaurant and there is a choice of buffet or a la carte eating. The guest lounge is open to the terrace in front of the generously sized pool, which is very welcome after the heat of the day. The hotel does cater for conferences so at times the atmosphere is busy. The gym and wellness centre caters for those needing exercise and massage treatments, There is also a small but interestingly stocked gift shop.  On certain nights, guests may watch Zulu dancing around the bonfire in the boma.

About Ghost Mountain Inn’s Location

The hotel can arrange game drives into the adjacent Mkuze Game Reserve.  For us, however, a trip to the Hluhluwe National Park (a half hour drive) with one of the hotel’s excellent rangers is an unforgettable experience. Fishing on the Jozini Lake can be arranged as well as horse riding. Therefore, whatever your requirement there is something for most tastes here. You are ensured a warm and friendly welcome just two and a half hours drive from Durban and close to the border with Swaziland. Although the accommodation cannot be compared with the exceptionally luxurious private game reserves, your game experience from Ghost Mountain will compare with the best.