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Many of South Africa’s country houses offer modern conveniences such as under-floor heating, air conditioning, satellite television, heated towel rails, luxurious toiletries and Internet connectivity.
Others steer clear of the ‘modern age’, offering guests the chance to put aside their city ways and enjoy the great outdoors or play scrabble in front of a log fire.
From a couple of hundred rand per person (most offer full-board) to a couple of thousand rand per person, South Africa offers country house options for every pocket and taste.
Many of our fine country houses offer world-class cuisine and country pursuits - from horse riding to hiking to golf to birding.
You can also find country houses in South Africa’s cities and towns. Despite their urban setting, they still have the feel of a genteel country setting.
A few favourites:
Hospitality doyenne, Liz Westby-Nunn, who attends hospitality trade fairs worldwide, says: ‘South Africa has a remarkable collection of country houses – some of the finest in the world and the standard is exceptional on a global basis’.
Founder of the Portfolio Collection - one of the best references in South Africa for quality accommodation - Liz says: ‘One of the pioneers in the country house genre in South Africa was Rawdons in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands - a country retreat and fly fishing estate that has retained its popularity since it first opened its doors about 30 years back’.
She points out that it’s really only been in the past decade that the country house trend in South Africa has really come into its own.
Another of South Africa’s country house icons is Hartford House, also in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands. This immaculate historic home is situated in the heart of ‘Thoroughbred Country’. Hartford House doubles as one of South Africa’s most famous stud farms and is home to the magnificent stallions of the Sheikhs of Dubai.
One of the 2005 winners of the AA Travel Guide’s accommodation awards in the ‘Country Style Retreat’ category is the very popular Granny Mouse Country House. With golf courses, the famous battlefields, fly-fishing and birding on its doorstep, this gourmet-geared country retreat nestles in the foothills of the Drakensberg mountain range.
One of the Cape’s Country Houses that bears special mention is Liz Westby-Nunn’s Klippe Rivier Country House in Swellendam in the Western Cape. A magnificent Cape Dutch establishment from the 1820s, and an unforgettably scenic two-hour drive from Cape Town, it was the original family home of early Cape Presidents Steyn and Reitz.
One of the gold achievers in the AA Travel Guide’s 2005 accommodation awards is Birkenhead House in Hermanus (Southern Cape). Here you can spot the Southern Right Whales from the patio of this 11-suite luxury country retreat.
From the coast we move inland to the dry Karoo where the hamlet of Nieu Bethesda, famous for its Owl House, offers you rest and recovery at Albergo Alfresco Country House and Healing Retreat. Owner/manager Lorraine Reolon is an aromatherapist, reflexologist and osteopath by training, and has been treating people for many years – she is renowned for her healing gifts.
Given that country houses and fly-fishing are such compatible companions, Walkersons in Dullstroom, Mpumalanga, is a favourite. The establishment doubles up as both a country house and country lodge. With its stone and thatch buildings and 1500-acre estate, Walkersons offers fly-fishing in several kilometres of private river and/or in several lakes. A full selection of fly-fishing tackle and accessories is available to guests at a nominal charge. It’s a popular stopover en route to the Kruger National Park.
When it comes to country houses in South Africa, from the southernmost tip to the northernmost border, you’ll be lost for choice.
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