Terra Casa, Rustenburg

Wholehearted warmth

There’s a tangible difference when someone has created a space creatively and with a genuine care about hospitality, rather than ticking the boxes of convenience or star ratings. Terra Casa in Rustenburg was clearly prepared by someone passionate and thoughtful about accommodation. This approach is reflected in the titles of the suites, named after famous artists – Van Gogh, Michelangelo, Gauguin. I chose to stay in the Da Vinci suite, a choice which, I am ashamed to say, had less to do with the work of the original artist, and more to do with the glorious bath shown on the website photographs.

The suite is spacious and sensory, with glossy terra cotta tiles and a rich red rug. The grain of timber in the antique writing desk adds further warmth, while the stonework of the wall behind the bath adds texture in keeping with the natural style of the decor. Said wide stone bath in the bedroom beckons its promise of the main entertainment of the stay. An indoor fireplace and double doors with a Juliet balcony complete the effect.

What I love about Terra Casa:

• Beautiful stonework, terra cotta tiles and natural timber furnishings
• Opulent decor with individually themed suites
• Luxurious baths, wide showers and plush towels
• Warm carpets, fireplaces, air-conditioning and exterior double doors
• Situated in a convenient suburb, with easy access to the N4 and Rustenburg shopping mall and restaurants
• Free wifi, plentiful plug points and adaptors and all the mod cons for the business traveller

Accommodation experience

It’s a happy stay for a business stop-over and I find myself sinking mindfully into the experience rather than stressing about the day ahead. Brother David Steindl-Rast says “The antidote to exhaustion is not necessarily rest – the antidote to exhaustion is wholeheartedness.” David Whyte adds “The reason why you are so exhausted is that much of what you are doing you have no affection for. You are doing it because you have an abstract idea that you should be doing it.” He says the end result is that there is a part of you “beginning to impersonate yourself.” When places like this are created by people who are wholehearted in providing a unique accommodation experience, the warmth of the hospitality is felt in every aspect of one’s stay. And somehow this is transferred to the weary traveller or grumpy business person, to encourage us to also work and live more wholeheartedly, or to bravely begin the journey of discovery of what makes us truly wholehearted.

Toadbury Hall, Elandsdrift, Gauteng

 

The peaceful interior guesthouse

Avoiding the intensity of inner-city Johannesburg for a change, I find myself drawn to the green outskirts of the Magaliesberg area. I stay at Toadbury Hall, an establishment which is everything its name suggests – white-washed walls, high thatched ceilings and wonky wooden beams, rose bushes, green lawns down to pretty lakes. There are rich sounds of ducks and peacocks and Highveld birds.

What I love about Toadbury Hall:

• Gracious old trees which seep up any stress or angst
• White-washed long-barn style thatched building
• Lakes, willow trees and water birds
• Pretty lake-side deck for breakfast, elegant dining spaces and green lawns for picnics
• Roses, gentle fountains and peacocks
• Fine embroidered linen and towels
• Spacious suites, individually decorated with unique character

Accommodation experience

Righteous Anger and Existential Despair are more than what the great Persian Poet Rumi describes as “visitors of my interior guesthouse”. Rather, they have taken up permanent residence, like illegal squatters protected by some new unfair laws of justice. I try to keep things as quiet as possible, so as not to disturb these unruly residents but every now and then they come out of their rooms, ranting and wreaking havoc within and without. So I was more than a little nervous of a disturbance, after a week of intense work and travel which culminated in the traffic of Gauteng, the feeding grounds of impatience and stress. However when I drove out of the traffic into the tree-lined avenues at Toadbury Hall, a weight lifted and I felt that spacious calm which tall trees and a historic building in a natural setting can bring.

I chose number 6, the Bridal Suite, all to myself and my ever-present interior friends. It is situated at a far end of the manor house, with a private courtyard and tinkling fountain which of course pleases me greatly. But I confess I chose this suite for the grand four-poster bed. As I rest in bed I come to the carefully considered conclusion that this is indeed the most beautiful bed I have ever lain in. It has dark red turned wood, which looks like cherry. While grand, it is not imposing and has an embracing friendliness. It sits well in the spacious suite with its terra cotta tiled floors and double glass doors. The embroidered silky white linen lends the final touch to a soothing and containing space.

Rumi’s poem says:

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all

even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture.

Still treat each guest honourably,

he may be clearing you out

for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,

meet them at the door laughing,

and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,

because each has been sent

as a guide from beyond.

There are times when we need to embrace our unruly interior guests with grace and self-compassion, but I was equally grateful to find a peaceful space where it was easy to let them rest until another day.

Osborne House, Pretoria

Happy find

Finding a tranquil and stylish little haven in a convenient location within a big city is an exciting discovery. And I have to contain myself not to use too many indulgent adjectives, as this one is close to my heart. Situated in the leafy suburb of Brooklyn, right on the edges of busy Pretoria, Osborne House is everything a city character stay should be.

A historical building with rooms cleverly placed in different corners of the property, either facing the lush gardens or spacious pool. Each room is individually decorated with minimalist warmth, with trendy calm colours, the silkiest of linen, clean-lined antique furniture, and objects of interest. The host’s keen interest in decor is evident in every corner, with restrained use of beautiful upholstery, cushions and pictures. The resulting look is very South African, balancing the historical and modern with an easy style.

What I love about Osborne House:

• Pretty period building in a leafy suburb close to restaurants, embassies, government offices and businesses of Pretoria
• Owner-managed, with genuine hospitality and warmth
• Spacious rooms with every traveller convenience
• Classical wooden furniture, beautiful linen upholstery and elegant decor touches in every room

Accommodation experience

In my family we were always cautioned against too much enthusiasm about anything, with the well-intentioned concept that intense happiness often ends in disappointment and tears. So it was with secretive delight that I found myself hopping around my beautifully appointed pool-side suite. The understated, yet bold expression of the quintessentially South African look resonated with a happy hum. It is a clever creative space which can release such pleasure in the midst of a city work trip and Osborne House is recommended for even the most jaded traveller, with unbridled joy.

Abalone Place, Durban

My funny Valentine

I was looking for The One. If truth be told, I was always on the lookout. I had been searching for many years for the quintessential Durban character stay. And Abalone Place, in the trendy area of Glenwood, is just such a place. A classical 1927 Art Deco residence, with shiny stairways and floors, deep semi-enclosed balcony with full harbour views, and white painted double doors and windows towards every angle, Abalone House ticks all the boxes. Rich, yet restrained fabrics of South African birds and flowers have been used to create stylish seating areas in every possible corner.

 What I love about Abalone Place:

• Expansive Durban harbour and city views
• Beautifully restored, typical Durban 1920’s residence
• Original Art Deco fittings and traditional wooden furniture
• Deep private balconies with comfortable seating areas
• Lush, layered, modern South African fabrics which update the look while enhancing its integrity and quintessential Durban character
• Durban tropical and soothing colours – palm greens, soft blues and creams

Accommodation experience

There’s a reason why they call it falling in love, as opposed to stepping neatly into love. I was swept off my feet, flat on my face bowled over by Abalone Place. More of a Regency girl myself, I had always had a secret distaste of Art Deco style. As my trendy Cape Town friends waxed on about their favourite design, all I could muster was a lyrical “MmmMMmmMmm”. And here I was, no longer faking it, but head over heels with the naive simplicity of it all. True love happens upon us quite unexpectedly, disarmingly, and often not in response to anticipated beauty.

Being newly in love, sleep loses its desperate urgency, and I have woken earlier than needed, eager to enjoy my last few hours of this place. It is 4.30am, and Durban sleeps, though the views from the harbour to the South, and 2010 World Cup Soccer Stadium to the North are very alive with twinkling lights. I have opened the high bedroom windows to be closer to the view and to let in the sounds of the waking city. I spend time making the perfect cup of coffee and I take it out to the balcony where I sit, nestled amongst the cushions, journal on my lap.

I imagine how, living here in this vibrant city, one would gradually lose appreciation of these sounds and sights.  It is strange, how, with such a limited amount of time on earth, we so quickly allow life to become mundane and routine. We lose touch with the everyday, ordinary miracles of the views, the noises of country or city life, the taste of good coffee. We fall out of love with life. A stay in a new and exciting place offers the opportunity to re-awaken our senses, and an appreciation of not only the new and exciting, but the ordinary, everyday loveliness of our lives. Lasting love is perhaps not only the exciting new romance, but a reminder and a deepening appreciation of the fullness of what we already have.