Jan Harmsgat Country House, Swellendam

Deep calls to deep

Jan Harmsgat Country House near Swellendam offers timeless hospitality with soul. Here you can experience an historic Cape Dutch farm together with warm and friendly hosting and gourmet local produce. As you walk into the original 1723 farmhouse, the smell of thatch, thick stone walls, heavy Yellowwood beams, polished Cape Dutch furniture and an almost three centuries old hearth will transport you back in time.

The bedrooms at Jan Harmsgat are vast enough to do justice to the dramatic beds, wardrobes and baths. There is underfloor heating, air-conditioning and every possible thoughtful item to make your stay as comfortable as it is beautiful. My extra wide King-size bed is dressed in the finest white linen, with King-size pillows and a perfectly soft mattress. An upholstered chair balances the glossy wooden wardrobe and dresser. Traditional striped linen blinds shade the room from the bright sun from two wide and high sash windows. There are modern, yet traditional, light fittings, in keeping with the Cape Dutch style which avoids overdone fussiness.

The bathroom is as spacious as the bedroom, fitted with black and white tiles, a long bath, huge shower and elegant double basin. Behind the door I discover the softest, white dressing gown ever – wearing it is like hugging a lamb.

The rooms all seem to have their own outdoor entrances and face out onto different directions, with creative water features, patios and verandahs with outdoor seating areas. This is a working farm and the fruit orchard comes right up to the homestead with the heady smell of peach blossoms and plums.

I love outbuildings, especially on an historic farm, and there are plenty to explore at Jan Harmsgat. And old wagon rests outside a shed with big painted double wooden doors. The honeymoon suite has been given pride of place above an old long barn. A long pool, almost the full length of the barn, can be found at the end of an arched row of vines.

Accommodation Experience:

Everything is so lovely at Jan Harmsgat that I have a gentle post-midlife-crisis moment. I believe fully in following your dreams, even if they cost you everything, which they often will demand – but you are likely to get it all back again tenfold. But what if, after all you dreamed for and more came true, and you are still left with what David Whyte calls “those tiny but frightening questions” like “what now?” What if at the end of the rainbow you are just left with shiny yellow stuff in a pot?

Now don’t be alarmed – to me these are not depressing questions – we psychologists love dwelling on complicated emotional responses. All that these call for is scary honesty and vulnerability – the kind that make you feel very alive and awake. In the words of Elizabeth Gilbert: “Tell the truth, tell the truth, tell the truth.” And from another person I greatly admire: “And the truth shall set you free.”

And so I sit in my most beautiful bed, listening to the gentle sounds of turtle doves and these equally gentle questions, and what they have to say to me. The relief is instant, followed by blinding hope and a quiet promise: “Oh but my dear – there is so much more.”

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.

Ngama Tented Camp, Hoedspruit

White-linen Glamping

This elegant little stay requires little other than perhaps a pair of white pajamas to complement the serene bed. The unique feature of the Ngama Tents is that one whole side of the tent lifts up completely to open bushveld. This gives a wonderful outdoor feeling, enhanced by the stylish interior.

When a clean minimalism is done well, it is both calming and inspiring. All white furniture and fittings, a wide mosquito net, silky white linen and sage green cushions contrast and connect with the outdoors. Natural, light lampstands bring a warm glow to every corner of the tent.

Character stays should remove us from our everyday life, and I love a freestanding bath in the main suite – it is an unlikely romantic decandence compared to our usual functional lives. A Victorian-style slipper bath overlooks a window onto the bush with organic home-made Marula bath products filling the tent with this local fragrance. There is a basin and white towel ladder in the room, with a separately brick-enclosed toilet at the back of the tent. An outdoor shower opens onto bushveld trees and blue African skies.

At night is it hard to leave this peaceful haven for dinner, but I am excited to discover that we will have an African dinner outside in the boma. The glowing pathway to the boma is lit with oil lamps and the reed circle enclosed boma is surrounded by more hung lanterns giving a warm orange light to match the large open fire in the centre. We are instantly transported into a surreal happy place, and the excitement is tangible. Individual lamp-lit tables have been prepared for each couple around the central cooking fire. No effort has been spared and I am touched by the attention to detail and invisible hard work that has gone into laying out this unique experience for us. Our hosts work seamlessly together and are generous in plying us with drinks and food. The meal is excellent – one of the best outdoor meals I have ever had – tender lamb stew and potjie slow-cooked vegetables, stuffed chicken, braaied bread, stuffed butternut, mielies and salads. A malva pudding with home-made custard completes the evening under starry skies.

Accommodation Experience:

As soon as I wake I lift the sides of my tent completely up, even though it is a cool morning. I drink my coffee and munch the biscuits from my suite. The light moves slowly down the surrounding high trees, over the grass, onto my deck and into my tent. I have come here seeking solitude, silence and simplicity, but I find myself surrounded by many enthusiastic friends. Zebra bark, a Nyala antelope munches her breakfast loudly, an African Wood Hoophoe chortles and bush warblers chat. The textured sounds and layers of bush are the perfect backdrop to the tent’s soft interior, and there is nothing left to do other than sit in mindful appreciation of the complex simplicity of it all.

Royal Malewane Luxury Game Reserve, Limpopo

Soulful Luxury

One of the open lounges at the main lodge

What is your definition of luxury? For me, it is close contact with nature from a bed of fine white linen or a deep bubble bath – where the contrast between the natural and the finessed somehow enhances each experience. It is about a balancing act of creative décor and an earthy respect for the environment, a celebration of all that is quintessentially local. However you choose to experience luxury, you will find it here at Royal Malewane Safari Lodge in Limpopo, South Africa (www.royalmalewane.com).

Literally host to royalty and A-list celebrities, it doesn’t get better than this. Individual thatched open-plan suites, more like private villas, overlook the African bushveld. With infinity edge swimming pools, indoor and outdoor showers and Victorian baths it is easy to stay cool even in the summer heat. Usually a prude, even I walk freely between these aquatic pleasures in my natural state, so discretely designed and well placed are these villas. There are three outdoor seating areas on my deck – sun loungers, an al fresco dining area where private dinners may be served, as well as a thatched shaded lapa.

Private heaven

Colonial Afro-Zen fusion is expertly achieved with antique furniture, Persian carpets and the finest fabrics. My suite has a cream couch and a fern-print armchair facing a bank of glass doors outwards and an indoor fireplace. A grand four-poster bed is draped in a white mosquito net and said silky white linen.

The main lodge overlooks a water hole, with beautiful indigenous reeds back-lit by the setting sun. The safari-style lodge is a vast open-plan structure with four different lounge areas, each decorated with Liz Biden’s dramatic flair. She manages to make creamy white couches, oversized regal arm chairs, ornate vases and rich carpets somehow work seamlessly in this open-air bushveld setting.

Waterhole overlooked by the main lodge

I say it again – the Royal Collection deserves its own 6-star rating from the South African Tourism Board. The enthusiasm to please goes well beyond tick-box duty. Around every corner there are thoughtful touches, and every day reveals a surprise of some unique African bushveld experience in which the staff take genuine delight in their guests’ reaction.

All luxury aside, one also wants to have close encounters with diverse game when on an African safari. Set in a Big 5 game reserve bordering Timbavati and Kruger National Park, your chances of seeing interesting game are greatly increased here by the private game reserve setting and the guides who are as passionate about their Royal Malewane animal family as they are about pleasing their guests. Genuine naturalists, each one is plotting their own personal wildlife expeditions, including gorilla trekking in Rwanda and tiger safaris to India. They have become international consultants on how to coordinate game viewing experiences in a way that fulfills their guests’ hopes while respecting the animals’ safety and comfort.

Morning munch at Royal Malewane

Accommodation Experience:

I find myself a little above my usual station in life at Royal Malewane, and so I decide to drink everything, even this humble juice, from the beautiful crystal champagne glass I find in my suite. I do this as I lie in a deep bubble bath overlooking my private infinity edge plunge pool, onto African bushveld. A family of monkeys is using my day spa bed in the thatched lapa, the babies cuddling up to mom for a nap, while the teenagers fight. Clearly they are used to this level of luxury.

I feel a little silly about my indulgence and have a twinge of guilt at my lazy appreciation of the afternoon, but I am learning to recognize this as a defence against sinking into a realness of presence. Remember how impressed and intimidated we were with that New York style frenzied busyness and assertiveness? Already, that aggressive lifestyle has become “so 90’s” and we have seen through the emperor’s clothing of bluster and bragging to the insecure vulnerability it masked. A new brand of post postmodern soulfulness is emerging, where we recognize real luxury to be about the gift of free time, connectedness with self, family and friends and the privilege of being able to contribute to the protection of our natural heritage. A restlessness of spirit, combined with a deep love for the environment draws us increasingly to stillness and mindful appreciation of the natural world. Kindness to self, others and our environment is replacing the currency of domination and competition.

Good hair day at Royal Malewane

And this is what I find at Royal Malewane – a soulful rootedness in their pristine game reserve setting, dedication to preserving their unique, unspoilt corner of the earth, a warmth and humility in their service, an openness in the architecture and a softness in their décor. While lavishly generous, there is no ostentation here, only a shared enthusiasm for the outdoors, rare game sightings and all that Africa has to offer its privileged guests.

Another tough day in Africa

Grand Dedale, Wellington

Lazy Contentment

It doesn’t get better than this – silver service in a grand Cape Dutch Manor House on a wine estate at the base of a mountain near Wellington in the Western Cape. Beautifully restored, or should I say transformed, Grand Dedale has glossy porcelain tiles, chandelier, and elegant upholstered chairs.

When I arrive there is a fashion shoot in progress, and I am half intimidated by their glamour, and half smug that I get to spend the night in such luxury. It is a photographer’s paradise, with auburn autumn leaves, mountains, gabled and thatched rooftops, wide verandahs, vast and well-lit rooms and a particularly obliging lazy and contented ginger cat.

The hallways are grander than I imagined, resplendent with chandelier and oversized mirrors. A creamy lounge has a fireplace and quadruple glass doors leading out to the garden.

Personalised service leaves one feeling thoroughly spoilt and pampered, with high tea, complimentary sherry and a gourmet four-course dinner.

I stay in the spacious Limietburg suite, a long attic-style thatched room upstairs in the main lodge. The suite is bright and fresh, and I decide we shall have a long and happy relationship. At the far end of the suite there is a freestanding ball and claw bath set up against a window, with sky and oak tree views. Underfloor heating warms the smooth tiled floors. There is a separate dressing room with armchair and dressing table. A mirrored wall creates a clever visual effect of continuity. Beyond this there is a King-size bed with views out through a skylight. Finally the suite ends in a lounge area with two wide armchairs and a double cottage pane door, also mirrored for privacy and light.

Accommodation Experience:

A cold front arrives the same time that I do. The mists roll down over the mountain and look mysterious from the cosy and bright attic suite. A wave of contentment washes over me and I am unusually happy to sit in my comfy lounge and while away the afternoon listening to music. I wonder to myself why it is when I stay in a place of such beauty and care that I feel the best version of myself – connected, peaceful, inspired and mindful. I guess a stay in characterful accommodation is a wonderful opportunity to take a pause out of everyday life - to reconnect with one's senses, detach from negative thoughts, process one's feelings and appreciate the simple pleasures of life. 

And so as I lay my head back in the armchair I smile, let my senses float on the beautiful music out through the skylight and into the night sky.

Kosi Forest Lodge, Kosi Bay

Be there hippos

Sometimes glamping is so removed from the natural environment that you may as well stay in a hotel. Not this one. This is the “real deal” in terms of close contact with nature, of course combined with a good dose of plush comfort. Rustic and beautiful tents on raised wooden platforms in a nature reserve, Kosi ForestLodge gives a feeling of being amongst the trees. One of the Isibindi Africa characterful stays (see www.isibindiafrica.com), this is African safari style at its most authentic and lovely.

Each tent has a thatched roof, with half-wooden, half-canvas sides – the ideal way to feel both connected with the outdoors and safe and cozy from within. There are smooth wooden floors and a private deck with outdoor furniture. The beds are garnished with white linen and an African-style throw, and a wide, white mosquito net. An indoor basin, toilet and dressing area are separated from the bedroom. From the indoor dressing area one walks out to a heavenly bathroom – literally open to the night skies, with a generous bath, raised from the sand, and an open-air shower set under a pretty tree. The bathroom is completely private, with a natural reed wall all the way around. Happy sighs.

There is limited electricity, which adds to the safari feel. At night the path through the sand forest to dinner is lit with oil lamps. One may choose to have meals in the lounge, on the deck or at a boma with roaring campfire in the centre, with meals that are both generous and delicious.

The open bar is the gathering place to discuss the choice of adventure activities for the day, which include snorkeling, a Raffia Palm walk, kayaking or a boat ride through the lakes to a natural swimming beach.

With some intense discussion we choose the self-drive snorkeling option, and arrive to find a duffel bag packed with every possible convenience for our day trip. We feel like children, where a kind Mom has thought through every possible moment and has packed everything one might need for the day. After an hour's drive to the mouth of Kosi Bay, we spend a surreal time floating gently along the reef. Tired and happy we drive up to a viewpoint of the four lakes for our picnic lunch, squealing with delight when we open our packed picnic basket, which is full of interesting treats. We sit on our picnic blanket and nod with approval, saying “These people know how to keep a tourist happy.”

Accommodation Experience:

The next morning we wake at 7am after almost 10 hours of sleep. We lift every one of our tarpaulin awnings and watch the sun rise through the dappled forest. We speculate about the size of the critter we heard munching outside our tent at 3am. My partner insists it may have been a hippo, but I argue that sounds get magnified in the dark night such that it may have been a large grasshopper. We settle on the more likely scenario – that it was probably an antelope (albeit a very large one, mumbles my partner).

At 7.15am a flask of hot water and fresh milk arrives for our morning coffee, with a gracious and gentle “good morning.” I take my coffee out to a warm open-air bath and lie watching the run rise higher in the sky, while an Emerald-Spotted Wood Dove calls. 

Suddenly there is a loud honking, followed by a snort and grunt. “You see!” calls my partner. “There are hippo here.” “Yes,” I concede, “and it did sound rather close.”

Thonga Beach Lodge, Mabibi

Robinson-Crusoe Style:

Robinson-Crusoe-goes-percale in these chic beach huts – think thatched roofs, mosquito nets and King-size white beds. Situated as close as it gets to the beach in Mabibi, Northern KwaZulu-Natal, Thonga Beach Lodge is the ideal escape from everyday worries. Here barefoot luxury literally means walking casually between the beach, bed and gourmet meals. The only stress you will experience is choosing amongst the many exciting activities on offer at Thonga – including snorkeling, deep sea diving, open ocean whale excursions, sunset cruises at Sibaya Lake, bird watching and guided walks, turtle tracking and being pampered at the local spa. 

Island style architecture, using organic materials, is perfectly blended with modern conveniences. Our thatched hut has indigenous forest and sea views through wrap-around windows and double doors and a private deck. The wooden walls are covered in grass mats, giving a plush-but-rustic feel. The bed is sublime, with cool white linen and a wide, square, suspended mosquito net. A palm mat is on the floor and ocean-blue painted wooden furniture complement the maritime theme. Behind the bed is a double basin with large mirrors and next to that a deep, curved bath. A separately enclosed toilet and a spacious shower with windows completes the room.

The sounds of the sea call to one’s soul from every part of the open lodge. The huts are connected with a raised wooden walkway, which leads to the spa hut, a beautiful lounge (shown above) with free wifi, an open bar area and the open-air deck dining space. There is a swimming pool with upholstered cushioned loungers. There are two walkways down to the beach, and one has a deck with views to open the heart.

The warm North Coast means that even in winter one can feel like one is cheating the seasons to enjoy a sunny beach escape. Thonga Beach Lodge is part of the wonderful Isibindi Africa collection, which celebrates the best of what South Africa has to offer. Bookings may be made through www.isibindiafrica.com.   

Accommodation Experience:

My partner is rather … discerning when it comes to accommodation. We live in a beautiful part of the country and we both travel a lot for work, so if it is to be tempting enough to leave home, a holiday location must be spectacular. The stay should preferably be in a natural setting, organic and yet not too rustic – or the alternative is me being dragged kicking and screaming to a campsite. So I am highly motivated to find the perfect spot, which of course I do, at Thonga Beach Lodge.

We enjoy a short and not at all harrowing 4 X 4 drive, which instantly takes our minds off work. We arrive to a healthy and delicious lunch and have fun exploring the lodge and surrounds. With so much to choose from, we declare our pleasure majors (as Elizabeth Gilbert calls them) - snorkeling, reading and beach walking. 

Walking on the beach later that same day, my heart skips a beat as I see the most carefree and relaxed version of my partner walking towards me from a distance, happily bringing back only 3 sea-weathered pieces of litter after several miles of walking, giving the rare approval “You can just walk and walk and it’s still natural. I am so glad that places like this still exist in the world.” 

You know the cliches - it takes all types to make the world go round, and opposites really do often attract. And so it is very inspiring to find a place which pleases both Robinson Crusoe and Little Miss Muppet - where each of us can appreciate our own passionate interests and take delight in one another's pleasure.

That all said, despite my valiant effort, I still finally receive one complaint about the holiday – “You should have booked for longer.” We are already planning our return next winter.

Babylonstoren, between Franschhoek and Stellenbosch

Artistic Contrast

I arrived at Babylonstoren wondering if I might be the luckiest person on earth. I left certain I was.

Style meets substance at this chic, eco-conscious haven of good taste. Here they understand the art of contrast, where old style Cape Dutch thatched buildings are perfectly balanced with crisp glass and white, modern furniture.

I love the thick whitewashed walls, with their deep, shuttered windows. There are wide stable doors with exposed timber lintels. The interiors are serene – all white, with a four-poster bed and silky pale linen, offset by high ceilings with exposed trusses. Modern glass conservatory dining areas create a flow between the indoors with the outdoors.

Truly beautiful bathrooms, each have clever designs and deep, freestanding baths. There are heated towel rails, thick white towels and bathrobes.

Each suite has air-conditioning, a flatscreen TV with DSTV, a bar fridge, and complementary bottles of locally produced Babylonstoren red and white wine and olive oil. Treats arrive in the evening from the acclaimed local restaurant, Babel.

Accommodation Experience:

Aside from the famed restaurant, and cutting edge spa, the feature gardens are one of the main attractions at Babylonstoren. Not being much of a gardener myself, I force myself out of my beautifully decorated suite to take a dutiful tour of the grounds. I am instantly drawn into the natural, organic gardens which are both curvy and styled, the heady growth contrasted with artistic mosaic inlays and sculptures. I make my way towards an interesting looking tunnel in a quiet corner of the gardens. As I enter the tunnel and round a corner, I come upon a multitude of hessian bags, hung on elegant ropes at different heights. They are bursting forth with plants – strawberries and other fresh green growth. It is a ridiculously marvelous sight, which at first stops me dead in my tracks. Then it takes me down a tunnel of insight where I suddenly see a glimpse of the passionate dedication and artistic release with which the gardens were developed. I am overcome with a sense of appreciation, drawn into a mystical portal of awe and wonder. Here there was no pandering or second guessing – just a bold vision of creative expression. You can feel the imperative. This is true art – where someone has given freedom of expression to their creative instincts and unique personality, which moves us into a space from which we can be inspired to be daring and excessive and to excel beyond all imposed traditional boundaries.

Porcupine Hills Farm, Near Grabouw

Country Connections

  

Porcupine Hills Guest Farm and Conservancy epitomises all things country – old painted biscuit tins stacked high on a kitchen shelf, tongue-in-groove ceilings, wooden furniture, gingham and floral fabrics and double cottage pane doors opening out from every room onto wide verandahs and pergola patios. This is big sky country, where outdoor living is a natural part of life. 

There is a choice of accommodation, and we stay in the Farmhouse, a classic two bedroom cottage with a long verandah and an attic bedroom upstairs. The lounge has a sprawling couch and fireplace, and there are additional seating areas outside. The kitchen is pretty, with butler sink, wooden table and white painted cupboards. Soft sage bedrooms have white linen and floral curtains and cushions, and white painted cottage pane doors open out from both rooms onto private patios. The bathrooms are surprisingly glamorous and each has a box skylight through which one can see stars at night.

Outside the cottage there is a braai area with benches and reclining loungers. There is a natural style, curved swimming pool with views to forever. Set in the Diepklowe private nature reserve, we are surrounded by high rock cliffs, where Black Eagles soar.

Accommodation Experience

In true country weekend style, we wake early to the sound of birdsong, but fall back asleep and lie in ‘til late. We emerge from our bedrooms at different times during the day, tousled and well rested. Finally we are brought together by the smell of warm flapjacks from the kitchen.

This is the real country magic – a space to rest and become the most natural version of oneself, from which vantage point one can connect with family and friends. In a recent survey, I asked young people “When is your family most peaceful?” The majority of the replies were about holidays, weekends and times when everyone is together. The replies show how stressed and disconnected we are much of the time, and that the recipe for harmony is so simple and achievable. Our stay at Porcupine Hills was precious respite and a lovely memory of family connectedness which we will draw on for many years to come.