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Pinoak Cottage

Simple yet comfortable accommodation in a secluded location

This is a delightful and secluded property tucked away in a quiet and pleasant residential area of the leafy Cape Town suburb of Constantia. The property offers two fully self catering, twin bedded units with a studio layout including a kitchenette and ensuite bathroom. Each has a sleeper couch. There is also a third ensuite twin bedded bedroom. Each are self contained with individual doors opening onto the secluded pool terrace. This is an ideal layout for those clients travelling as a family or two or three couples travelling together.

About the Location

Pinoak is ideally situated for the Cape Peninsula and is only 10 minutes’ drive from the popular False Bay resort of Muizenberg with its blue flag beach and just a 30 minute drive to view the African Pengiuns at Boulders Beach. As the property is close (1 km) to the main highway into Cape Town, the city centre is just an easy 25 minute drive away. It is also easy to drive to the Constantia Winelands with some excellent wineries just 10 minutes away or the more extensive Cape Winelands as it is only a 35 minute drive to Stellenbosch.

Rooipan Guest Farm, Nr Upington, Northern Cape

Rooipan is a convenient location with warm, Afrikaans hospitality

Rooipan is set halfway between Upington and the Kgalagardi Transfrontier Park. This is truly an oasis in a very dry landscape. Here you will receive typical Afrikaans hospitality in accommodation that is crisply decorated, immaculately clean and cool in the searing midday sun. There are two suites that can also be used as self catering as they have a small kitchenette. The main bedroom is separate and has an en suite bathroom. The lounge area has a couch that can be used for young children. There is a small pool with an adjacent gazebo where dinner can be served. This is a large sheep farm and so the home cooked lamb is a must.

About Rooipan’s Location

The owners arrange a sundowner experience on the farm where you may see some of the rather special and occasionally weird nocturnal animals that inhabit this region. This is truly a unique experience.

Goudini Spa, Rawsonville, Worcester

Goudini spa is a family resort set around hot springs in the mountains to the north of Cape Town

This is a hot spring spa set in the Hex River Mountains not far from Worcester and close to the main N2 Highway. This is a busy resort with comfortable and fairly simple accommodation provided in rondavels or apartments and cottages. Accommodation can be catered or self catering – the choice is yours.

About Goudini’s Location

The main pool is a hot spring and very therapeutic. There is a separate waterslide and nearby the countryside is good for hiking. The little town of Worcester is known for its agricultural produce and vineyards are never far away. There is an interesting folk museum nearby. The old Du ToitsKloof pass through the mountains to Paarl and Cape Town is spectacular and you will often see baboons near the road.

Diemersfontein Manor, Wellington

Diemersfontein is a beautiful winery with comfortable rooms and some luxurious cottages set in luxuriant gardens

This is one of our favourite places to stay in the Cape Winelands. Diemersfontein, which is one of the most successful new wineries with some excellent wines, is set in its own extensive landscaped gardens full of the colours and scents of South Africa. The swimming pool is small but beautifully positioned within the gardens. The 10 bedrooms are either alongside the garden or in a separate cottage among the extensive vineyards. The rooms are air conditioned and decorated in a clean cut cottage style. The cottages are relatively basic and regarded as typically 3 star. The estate, however, has three houses set in the grounds which are 4 star and very comfortable. This are 5 bedroom houses and guest will rent the entire house. This is ideal for couples traveling together. The restaurant is receiving critical acclaim and the estate’s wines have won numerous awards. We recommend a wine tasting during your stay.

About Diemersfontein’s Location

The entrance to the estate is across the road from an unusually tidy township. Although some guests may find this a little off putting, once inside the estate the beautiful scenery will captivate you. Horse riding is available from the stables at the hotel and we would recommend an evening ride into the mountains followed by a sunset braai (barbecue) on the trail. This is a good base to explore the Winelands and with Cape Town only 45 minutes away along a first class motorway, there is excellent access to shopping malls, the centre of Cape Town and Table Mountain. Tulbagh in the Northern Winelands is a 40 minute drive. You can also explore two of the most spectacular road passes that navigate a way over the mountains that hem the Cape Town area to the north.

Le Vieux Cep, Cilaos

Family style hotel in the centre of this unusual island

A charming hotel with excellent facilities including a wellness centre. The hotel is quite large with 45 rooms including a few suites. The accommodation is tastefully decorated in a combination of local Creole and rural France style. Natural wood finishes are used extensively and although the standard rooms are quite small they are, nonetheless comfortable. The pool is an exceptional feature and the activities include mountain bikes. The restaurant is well regarded locally and is charmingly situated by the pool. The mountain views are among the best of any of the hotels in this area and each room is designed to maximise the view. Some English is spoken. The hotel caters for families.

About the location

Cilaos is one of the most spectacular locations on this extraordinary island. The views from the hotel are stunning and you are within walking distance of all this little, very French, town has to offer.

Tsilaosa Hotel, Cilaos

Old world charm in this extraordinary destination

One of our favourite hotels for friendliness and atmosphere in Reunion. The hotel has no pretensions but as soon as you step through the doors from the busy village street you appear to step back in time. You are welcomed with a warm smile and you will be helped up to your delightful room beautifully decorated in local Creole style. The rooms are a little larger than normal for Reunion with stripped wood floors and excellent bathrooms complete with whirlpool baths. The hotel does not have a pool as it occupies a fairly restricted village centre site close to local restaurants. There are magnificent views from most of the rooms that also have balconies to relax on and enjoy the ambiance or, if you are artistically inclined, from which to paint local scenes in the bustling village surrounded by spectacular mountains. Indeed, the hotel specifically caters for artists.

About the Location

Cilaos is a truly amazing location set in a collapsed caldera which was originally the home of the volcano in the south west of the island. Yes, it has moved over the aeons. The road up to the village from the coast is incredibly scenic but also extraordinarily tortuous – not for the fainthearted.

Cathedral Peak Hotel, Northern Drakensberg

Cathedral Peak Hotel has the majestic Drakensberg Mountain as a natural backcloth for this traditional family owned hotel

Cathedral Peak is a well-established, family run hotel set in the dramatic scenery of the northern Drakensbergs. The accommodation is comfortable. There are a variety of rooms. Over 100 Standard, Deluxe and Executive rooms, 4 Honeymoon Suites and one Presidential Suite. We suggest the Executive Rooms and the suites as the Standard and Deluxe rooms we find rather basic and can the decor can be a little dated. Cuisine is a traditional South African buffet style, which is among the best we have encountered in South Africa.

About Cathedral Peak Hotel’s Location

The hotel offers an abundance of amenities including tennis, a heated swimming pool with spectacular views, a 9-hole golf course, squash, badminton and bowls. This is an excellent base for hiking in the mountain scenery with a mixture of walks and hikes from a 30-minute stroll to a waterfall to a 10-hour hike to the top of Cathedral Peak (3,000 metres). There are guided hikes provided each day. Horse riding and helicopter tours can also be arranged. The area also has good fishing. There can be snow in the winter when the hotel takes on an altogether different but romantic air with blazing log fires but daytime temperatures can easily reach 20C (70F). Cathedral Peak is a 4 1/2 hour drive along good roads from Johannesburg and 2 1/2 hours from Durban. The Boer and Zulu Battlefields are within easy reach and the Northern Zululand Game Reserves are within a 4-hour drive.

Drinkwater Guest Farm, Southern Mpumalanga

Drinkwater is a great stopover with wonderfully friendly hosts between The Kruger region and KwaZulu-Natal

Drinkwater is the ideal stopover on a journey from the Kruger Park to KwaZulu Natal. This is approximately four-hours’ drive from the southern Kruger, Johannesburg and Cathedral Peak in the Drakensbergs and the Isandlwana Battlefield. You are assured a very friendly welcome on this working sheep farm. You will enjoy real home cooking with an excellent and inexpensive dinner – if you like good lamb this is clearly the place for you! Accommodation is in 10 comfortably appointed rooms some in the main house and others in separate buildings nearby. Although there is no pool, the grounds are wonderfully relaxing with a shady pool, exquisite plants, ducks and two black swans that are great characters.

About Drinkwater’s Location

The town of Ermelo, to the north and the area to the south is based on coal mining and power production but Drinkwater is a veritable, and welcome, oasis. Ideed, the name dates back to the Boer War when it was named for the clean springs that are found on the farm.

Swartberg Hotel, Prince Albert

Traditional style in the Victorian gem of Prince Albert

The Swartberg Hotel has been operating for 150 years, is a national monument and has been fully refurbished and updated. This is a great country hotel offering accommodation in reasonably sized en suite rooms with air conditioning and many with beautiful antique furniture complimenting the beautiful wood floors. The restaurant is well regarded locally and in the warm summer evenings a cool beer on the stoep dripping with colourful bougainvillea is a must.

About the Location

Prince Albert is the town where time has stopped. Established in the Victorian era, the area specialises in rearing Karoo Lamb (also a local delicacy), citrus fruit and olives. The town boasts an excellent, small, leather shop and an outlet, which specialises in hand made rugs and other woollen items all made in Prince Albert. You are close to the spectacular Swartberg Pass and Meiringspoort Pass.

Belvidere Manor, Knysna, Garden Route

Belvidere Manor has sweeping views over the renowned Knysna Lagoon and is an historic property with a charming tavern

Experience the convenience of your own cottage in the grounds of Belvidere Manor with incomparable views of the Knysna lagoon. Each of the 30 cottages has a lounge with open fireplace, fully equipped kitchen, a double bedroom with en suite bathroom and spectacular views thrown in as an added bonus! Breakfast is provided on the stoep (veranda) of the historic manor house. Reviews are generally very favorable but there have been some (very few) concerning service quality and the need in places for some refurbishment.

About Belvider Manor’s Location

Belvidere is the quieter side of Knysna – especially in the high season (December and January) but the town is easily accessible with its restaurants and interesting boutiques and art galleries in addition to the beautiful lagoon side beaches on Leisure Island only 15 minutes drive away. You can stay here as a base for your stay in the Garden Route with Plettenberg Bay just a 30 minute drive, the Tsitsikamma National Park an hour away and the spectacular coast at Wilderness a 20 minutes’ drive.