A Room with a View, Melville, Johannesburg

 

Artistic release

With a hint of what my friend Derek calls “Boere Baroque”, A Room with a View in Melville shows a flair for the dramatic. Turrets, angelic gargoyles, columns, balconies, conservatories, grand fireplaces, velvet curtains, satin ribbons and brocade abound. Each archway and narrow winding staircase reveals a creative corner or cosy snug. This place is a feast for the senses and an inspiration for the spirit.

Hardly knowing where to look, I follow my host up a steep tower to a room at the top floor, overlooking the Melville koppies. The room has a private balcony high above the grand pool below. However its main feature is an impressive glass conservatory, capitalising on the beautiful Highveld golden light and van Gogh-blue skies.

Accommodation experience:

I lay in bed admiring the full views of the starry night through my glass-roofed conservatory. I imagine how anyone with such vision to create a place like this must have had great courage to follow their artistic dreams. Amidst friends and family expressing their disapproval and no doubt well-intentioned concern, to stay the course would have cost more than a little. And like so many artists before, success is never the guarantee, and sometimes not even the goal. Instead in the words of Babette’s Feast “One long cry from the heart of an artist: Give me the chance to do my very best!” A Room with a View embraces this spirit and calls to the artist and dreamer within you.

 What I love about A Room with a View:

• Spectacular architecture, with every wing and each room a unique creation
• An excess of glass, making the most of the natural views of the Melville koppies
• Interesting lounges and meeting rooms
• Courtyards and balconies
• Artistic, bohemian, sensual decor
• Big, soft, high beds
• Deep baths with views
• Original, strong, impressionistic artworks in every room
• Enormous pool, walled with arched windows to the views beyond

 

Kimberly Club Hotel

 Gentlemen's retreat

It can be tricky to find character stays in urban areas, but this one had long been on The List. The Kimberly Club Hotel, a grand old Victorian double storey, rests in the centre of the Kimberly city. Founded by Cecil John Rhodes in 1881, the hotel started as a gentleman’s club for the wealthy and upcoming men of Kimberly. A visitor is said to have commented that the place was “stuffed with money – more millionaires to the square foot than any other place in the word”. Famous visitors to the club included Queen Victoria and King George the VI, and the two princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.

The authentic character of a bygone era has been beautifully preserved at the Club, whilst all the modern travel conveniences have been tastefully integrated. Oozing plush comfort and old money, the hotel is hushed and solid in the midst of its busy setting. The dining and lounge areas, as well as the corridors, are full of interesting memorabilia, including a signed photograph of Prince George.

 However it is the bedrooms that appeal to me the most. The original high wooden windows and doors, with polished wood and heavy curtains lead onto private balconies. The spacious wooden floors of the bedrooms shine with polished grandeur, and the beds are high and inviting.

Accommodation experience:

The well appointed Suite 5, nicknamed “The Queen’s Room” is where I chose to stay. This choice helped to offset the feeling of invading a very male dominated space. Once I saw the lovely room, with its free standing Victorian bath, enormous double beds and high glass double doors leading onto the balcony, I quickly decided not to be offended by the chauvinistic past and throw myself into the experience of living like a queen.

I claimed my territory with a wonderful bubble bath, separated from the bedroom by a carved wooden screen. The Victorian styled amenities naturally led to reflections about what it must have been like to be a female at that time in history and I felt a surge of gratitude for all the hard work and tears of so many brave people who opened up today’s possibilities for women like me to have choices about not only what to do, but who to be in this world today.

As Cecil John Rhodes’ private secretary said “One always fared well at the Kimberly Club ... Everyone was kind and everything was well done.” And it seems that they have artfully managed to slide into a new era by celebrating the past and embracing the future.

The Old Village, Citrusdal

Gentle grounding

It is always surprising how quickly things become rural even when leaving the bigger South African cities like Cape Town. I was excited to be heading North from the Mother City, on the N7 towards the West Coast and Cederberg Mountains. Under 3 hours from the airport, following the simple directions “turn right at Piekenierskloofpass”, an old world awaits.

On the 1795 Modderfontein Farm, The Old Village at Citrusdal offers a collection of beautifully preserved self-catering cottages. With whitewashed stone walls, the deep windows enhance the crisp light of the Cederberg open skies. The decor shows off the original wood features by being simple and calm, making effective use of subtle country classics like matching florals and stripes. Touches like antique relics and green painted window shutters complete the nostalgic effect.

Of course I chose to stay in The Smithy, the oldest house in the valley. The softness of the cottage surprised me, with pretty beds, peaceful views and spotless bathrooms. The marvellous long barn-style lounge has a raised fireplace at one end, complete with wonky wooden beams. Comfortable wingback chairs and sofa make for long evenings by the fire with a bottle of Sherry and good company.

What I love about The Old Village, Citrusdal

• The commitment to the preservation of authentic and historical features and original buildings
• Thick, whitewashed stone walls, thatched roofs, green window shutters and wooden ceiling beams
• Understated and stylish country decor
• The experience of staying on a working farm, complete with donkeys and tractor
• The convenient location, just off the N7, but without sounds of traffic and a feeling of being at a remote country retreat

Accommodation experience:

It can be difficult to transition straight from a hectic work life into a holiday space. And for me characterful accommodation provides a sensory transition into relaxation. This is what I found at The Old Village in Citrusdal. I had just received some disturbing feedback about a report that I had submitted, and I felt uncomfortable in my own skin as I squirmed hard to escape the present. Yet the authentic buildings drew me out of my chaotic head space into their physical and grounding presence. As I wandered around the village cottages I could feel their wise ancient calm seep away my humiliation, leaving only a hint of sadness. The word humiliation has its roots in “humus”, to be grounded, and I found myself in a kind and comforting place to soften this fall.

Coral Tree Colony, Ramsgate

Sense and Sensibility

The accommodation at the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast could be described as a little “confined and unvarying”, mostly taking the form of scandalously under-decorated, bland apartments. In contrast, and since I have been watching too many Jane Austen movies of late, I find myself quite captivated by the Georgian, Cape Cod style beach manor house Coral Tree Colony in Southbroom. I quickly determine that we shall become the best of friends.

What lends this establishment distinction is its happy situation at the top of the 12^th hole of the local golf course. With park-like rolling lawns down to views of the sea, it’s a fair prospect, I’ll grant you that.

What I love about Coral Tree Colony:

• Cape Cod architecture, in the form of a double storey white manor house, with wrap-around verandas at both levels
• Separate entrances to each room, with glass double doors opening onto the veranda
• Silky white linen and matching white wooden furniture, with gentle sage-green walls
• Ball-and-claw bath next to a window
• Views of the golf course and ocean beyond

Accommodation Experience

I comfort myself that I have yet to encounter a mediocre linen experience at one of the elegant Portfolio Collection establishments, and I know that there is a linen god secreted amongst those stylish ladies. Thus I am determined that nothing but the very softest of linen will induce me to slumber tonight. I am not disappointed and the linen is as soft as it is silky. I actually lift the duvet in an attempt to ascertain its origin.

In a period where tacky modernism pervades (she said with somewhat unwarranted pride and prejudice), Coral Tree Colony gains distinction amongst its peers for both sense and sensibility. I have already booked my return trip to this elegant haven.