DEZEMBER is around the corner, which means dreams of summer holidays are starting to rise in the mind. There’s nothing better than memories of hot summer days, swimming in ice cold pools while your skin gets a little more burnt, hot boerie rolls coming off the braai and the feeling of deep sleep after a beautiful day. If you’re dreaming of a South African summer holiday with your friends and family, here is our list of 8 venues for 8 adults (or more).Prices are calculated over 2 nights.
- Mountain View Lodge in Tulbagh (single house)
- Eastcliffe Villa (single house)
- Welbedacht in Tulbagh (multiple cottages with central house)
- Nibbana in Wolseley (single house and cottages)
- Greystones Beach House in Langebaan (single house)
- Riverstone House in Wolseley (single house)
- White Sands Beach House in Yzerfontein (single house)
- Bergsicht in Tulbagh (multiple cottages with central house)
Mountain View Lodge – The Vintage Stay (R19k)
Perched up on the mountains of Tulbagh is the Mountain View Lodge, a bnb that hosts guests in an old farm house. Think copper pipes, big lawns, antique furniture and old school hospitality. We stayed in the Double Room with a Garden View, which looked out across the beautiful Tulbagh valley. The house has various rooms, including a small apartment that includes a full-sized billiard table. Perfect for a relaxed summer holiday with lots of swimming in the pool, fruit snacks and sitting around the fire, this would make a wonderful family break away.
Configuration for 10 Guests for
- Double Room with Garden View (2 adults in a small double bed, 1 single bed).
- Deluxe Queen Room (2 adults)
- Family Room (2 adults in small double bed)
- Queen Room with Balcony (2 adults in a large double bed)
- Family Bungalow (4 adults, 1 bed for child)
We only spent one night here but I always remembered it as it’s a place I could see my own family enjoying in the summertime.
Eastcliffe Villa – City Beach Stay (R17k)
Positioned right on St James’ main road, this lovely family home exudes comfort, tenderness and beauty. Little details like crystals in the bathroom projecting rainbows, an outside braai area and lawn for your dog, really makes the Eastcliff Villa feel like a lovely stay with precious friends. There are steps leading up to the house (not too many!), and the house is a duplex, however, there are bedrooms downstairs. It also includes inside parking for one car. Being located in St James, it makes for easy access to all the cafes and bars in Kalk Bay. Sadly, I didn’t take any further images of inside the house (was having too much of a good time), apologies!
CONFIGURATION
- Bedroom 1: 1 extra-large double bed
- Bedroom 2: 2 single beds
- Bedroom 3: 1 large double bed
- Bedroom 4: 2 single beds
It was an absolute dream to sit on the porch and watch the colours come and go. It’s the only place in Cape Town that got me up early enough to watch the sunrise. You can also look out for Cape otters!
Welbedacht – The Nature Reserve Choice (R21k)
We were pleased to visit Welbedacht for a special wedding last spring. Having driven past the nature reserve on many occasions, we were curious to see the animals and accommodation offerings. Home to ostriches, zebras and springboks, Welbedacht offers numerous cottages centered around a main farm house. The farm house includes a large kitchen for group cooking, a lounge and large dining room table. There is also an outside braai (BBQ) area and swimming pool. Each chalet is en suite with a shower and loo. Ideally, one group would book all the accommodation for exclusive use, as we did.
Configuration for 10 Guests for
- 5 Chalets, with a request for children to stay alongside the folks.
This is a low key reserve resort that’s perfect for travellers on a shoestring. The amenities are great for those who love cooking in groups, lounging on the lawn and showing the kiddies the free roaming animals.
Nibbana Farm – The Mountain Stay (From R12k)
Nibbana is a house with semi detached chalets on the slopes of the Wolseley mountains. A fun, girlie weekend away for a bachelorette retreat took us to the venue, where we needed quite a few rooms for the various girls. Afternoons spent lounging in the pool, activities on the large, outside dining room table and cooking for larger numbers, were all the breeze at this accommodation. Because it is on the mountainside, it is a bit susceptible to creepy crawlies (we had an ant invasion and a scorpion in our outside chalet), so my recommendation would be to populate the main house first and then the chalets.
Configuration
- 4 bedrooms of four, however, there is a large bridal suite which could provide space for children. Please enquire.
I’ll always remember dancing under the moonlight before collapsing into bed after a day of wholesome fun with the girlies.
Greystones Beach House – The Lagoon Stay (R13k)
Greystones Beach House is so uniquely located along the Langebaan lagoon. It’s close enough for youngsters to walk to town, but frankly, sitting on the lawn and watching the colours fade is hard to tear yourself away from. We chose to go to a local butchery and have a delicious South African braai while watching the boats sail by and the sunset.
CONFIGURATION
- 4 bedrooms of 2 beds each.
I’ll always remember the sound of naval workings in nearby Saldana, coupled with mongeese running through the garden. Fresh lawn next to water, beautiful.
Riverstone House – A River Villa (R10k)
The Riverstone House lies along the Romansrivier and offers double rooms for up to 8 adults in their villa. We visited with 3 couples and 1 single where we braaii’d (BBQ’d) on the porch, ventured down to the river to see the smooth stones while admiring the beautiful mountains. An easy going, laid back venue on a blueberry farm, if memory serves correctly.
I always remembered the sound of the water and the ease of staying on a secure and peaceful farm. It felt easy being here.
White Sands Beach House – The Luxury Choice (R30k)
White Sands Beach House is a ocean front beach house right on the sandy banks of Yzerfontein. Watch the weather roll over the ocean as the fire crackles indoors. Or jump into the pool for a shockingly cold plunge on sunnier days. This house offers place for 10 guests in various suites. Enjoy the undercover braai area with picnic table or cook inside the particularly well appointed kitchen thanks to the owners who run a cooking academy.
Configuration for 10 Guests
- Upstairs bedroom with lounge – 1 couple and a baby (no cot available, please enquire) (3).
- Upstairs bedroom with separate entrance – 1 couple (2).
- Downstairs bedroom with king sized bed – 1 couple (2).
- 4th Bedroom with king sized bed (or 2 single beds) – 2 adults.
- 5th bedroom with king sized bed – shares bathroom with bedroom.
One of those locations that you constantly think of while sitting at your desk at work. #TakeMeBack
Upstairs Bedroom
OUTSIDE SUITE
Downstairs Bedroom
Bergsicht – The Orchard Stay (From R12k)
Having visited Bergsicht many times as a couple, we decided to enjoy a family weekend away for 7 of us – 5 adults and 2 children under 10. While there isn’t a single, large house, two of the accommodations are semi detached. This allowed us to share a kitchen, lounge area, braai and hot tub. It’s a convenient way to keep little early voices away from granny and grandpa sleeping in, while allowing shared time during the day. The front lawn is also really big, which allows for ample run around space for the little ones. Guests are also welcome to walk around the farm and it’s close enough to town to enjoy the restaurants.
Configuration for 10 Guests
- Ruby Star for a couple and baby in the cot (3), 2 kids in the lounge (single beds). (Total 5)
- African Delight for a couple (2) upstairs. Space for 1 downstairs. (Total 8)
- Leatitia for a couple (2) only. (Total 10)
- Rate: Approximately R12k.
Such an old staple, I really don’t feel you can go wrong with Bergsicht. The outdoor fires, mooing of cows in the paddocks and hot tub soaking has kept us coming back for years.
RUBY STAR
Ruby Star has 1 bedroom with a queen-sized bed and 2 single beds in the lounge. There is also a cot in the main bedroom. This has a hot tub on the front lawn (sheltered by fencing). This has a bath and a shower. This is semi attached to African Delight. (2 adults, 1 baby, 2 either adults or kids.)
African Delight
African Delight has a double bed upstairs and 1 single bed downstairs. (2 adults upstairs or 2 teenages upstairs, 1 teenager or 1 adult downstairs). There a bath upstairs and a shower downstairs. It has its own kitchenette (small for coffees and sandwich making) and lounge with table. It has a separate hot tub in the garden, sheltered by fencing.
LETITIA
Leatitia has a 1 bedroom cottage for a single couple only. This has a more equipped kitchen, braai place, a lounge area, double bed and separate hot tub.
We hope you have an amazing time away and make incredible new memories with your loved ones. Before you shut the front door – got the passports? Happy travels!