Leeuwenhof Country Hotel and Spa, Modimolle

Glamping Romance

A stay in a Riverside Luxury Tent at Leeuwenhof Country Hotel and Spa (www.portfoliocollection.co.za) is like sleeping in your very own beautifully appointed wedding tent. Country romance is the theme of this elegant stay, and the spacious tent has soft fabric ceilings, cream furniture and curtains, blue-grey and cream striped bedding with white linen.

The tent has a wooden floor with lounge, bedroom area and full bathroom, cleverly separated by two high wardrobes. Outside there is a private deck with outdoor shower and your very own Jacuzzi spa bath overlooking the riverine bushveld. Set well away from the main hotel, overlooking natural hillside, the feeling is of being elite guests in a private nature reserve.

Luxe glamping at its best, there is air-conditioning, heating, electric blankets and the choice of surrounding window blinds open to the cool breeze and sounds of nature.

Decadent pillow treats, a candle-lit foam bath and a caring turn-down service are the final romantic touches leading to sighs of happiness at the end of the day.

Accommodation Experience

This is such a romantic suite and of course I am here alone on a work trip. I have an intense bout of loneliness and self-pity. I wallow in my misery for a while, then tell myself to buck up and make the most of this amazing opportunity. I head out to the Jacuzzi and am instantly cheered up by the experience of lying in bubbles with a pretty view of the sun setting over the river and hillside. The mindful relaxation soon takes me through a portal into a deeper space where there is no loneliness or despair, only a feeling of connectedness and wellbeing. A character stay like this, which pampers and nurtures, as well as drawing one out into nature, is a beautiful space for a romance with life in all its aching loveliness.

Kurisa Moya Forest Lodge Cabins, Magoebaskloof

Where Ents Moot

Picture this view X 360 degrees and you will have some idea of life amongst the trees at Kurisa Moya Forest Lodge Cabins. This is an ancient forest where Ents Moot. At night, if you listen very well, you will hear them move about and speak in their whispery way – though not during the day when they stand tall and dignified.

In a not-so-rustic treehouse raised on stilts, within 422 hectares of indigenous forest, Kurisa Moya is a birders' paradise. Accredited Birdlife SA guide David Letsoalo will reveal the many wonders of this pristine location to you, including a Bat Hawk nesting site. Set between Tzaneen and Polokwane in the spectacular Magoebaskloof in Limpopo, there is plenty to do other than birding, such as hiking, elephant-back safaris, swimming in dams and waterfalls.

At night you can return to your private treehouse, with a fireplace, deck with Weber braai, and kitchen with a gas stove. Double glass doors and surround-windows allow one to feel connected to the forest at all times. The treehouse has a double bed, ensuite bathroom with shower, and mezzanine with twin beds under a glass apex. Everything is wooden, even the cutlery rack, made from a branch with helpful hooks. There is no electricity and the respect for the natural environment is clear in every aspect of the lodge.

Accommodation Experience

I go out at dusk to fetch something from the car. Suddenly the forest feels very much alive – there is movement in the trees and under the bushes right next to my feet. I have a sense that the forest has been waiting for humans to retreat and that my presence is revealing a different life at night. I have to stop myself from running across the little bridge across the stream back to the safety of my treehouse.

I am happy my house is on stilts and I light a fire to create a warm glow. As soon as I am settled in at the fire in the safety of this cosy space I am able to reflect quite happily on the privilege of being in such a pristine world. I feel alive and very much connected to the ancient forest and all the creatures who call this beautiful patch of the earth home.

Waterbessiebos Cottage, Tzaneen

Following the light through the trees

I could happily spend a week in this treehouse style cottage, doing little other than watching the light move through the trees. This is a surprisingly comfortable spot from which to do so, with a spacious open-plan structure and unique architecture. The house on stilts is made up of interesting shapes, with a bow-like deck jutting out into the forest garden. Sitting at the pretty round table and chairs on the deck one may enjoy warm tea and buttery toast as you sink into a simpler way of being.

Inside Waterbessiebos Cottage, there is no treehouse grunge here – the fittings are modern, with a well designed kitchen. Zig-zag cupboard handles in brushed silver contrast with the rich grain of the wood. The floors have a laminate wood finish and the walls all end in glass skylights. An artistic eye has combined grey and red in the corner lounge which makes the most of the forest views with full height windows.

In the en-suite bathroom there is a wide, deep stone bath, with matching basin and tiles. A pair of luscious, thick, soft grey gowns hang behind the door.

Accommodation Experience

It is night and an owl hoots softly outside. It is hard not to feel blessed when and owl chooses your home for the evening, and it is especially hard not to feel blessed when you are retreating in such a calm and beautiful space as this. After the busy excitement and travel of the past few days, this place is like a coming home to myself in silence and solitude. 

There is a satisfying circularity to the idea of leaving home to come home to oneself, and this is the mystery offered by a particularly characterful stay like this treehouse.

I feel a gentle unwinding and I look forward to a long night’s sleep in the soft bed as much as I look forward to watching the morning light move through the trees.