Villa on Joubet, Ladybrand

Small-Town Style

A classical 1925 Eastern Free State sandstone building, Villa on Joubert in Ladybrand is as charming as it is stylish. The Villa is conveniently situated between Johannesburg and Bloemfontein, close to the Lesotho border. The area boasts the beautiful sandstone Maluti Mountains, with open valleys layered with subtle greens and browns.  

I have stayed in both the Taupe Room and the Silver Room and highly recommend either for a bit of Free State French country-style glamour. The rooms are individually decorated, with tasteful tassels, carved furniture, modern cushions and soft throws. Each room has a textured sandstone wall and its own entrance.

What I love about Villa on Joubert:

• The bed and breakfast is in a quintessential Eastern Free State sandstone building with a long verandah out front
• The rooms are well situated in different corners of the house, some with their own entrances onto pretty verandahs
• Individually decorated rooms show off tasteful country verve
• There are warm beds, electric blankets and the rooms are carpeted throughout
• An excellent fresh breakfast is beautifully presented in the sunny breakfast room
• This stay epitomises warm country hospitality and professional hosting

Accommodation Experience:

Some people are born to be hostesses, and Carin at Villa on Joubert is one of these ladies. With an eye for artistic decor, a deft hand in the kitchen and a welcoming ear, she instantly creates a welcoming space which feels like home from home.

I stay for a week at the Villa while working in the area in mid-Winter. Each morning the grass in the valley is so thick with frost it looks like snow. At the end of each day it is with a sense of immense gratitude that I come back to my warm and inviting room. There is something about being in a cosy space in the midst of an intense cold spell and with sub-zero temperatures outside, and I snuggle happily into my room, content to leaf through an enjoyable book until my eyes become too heavy to stay open any longer.