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BUSINESS NEWS - The Retreat at Groenfontein celebrated their 25 year Silver Jubilee on Saturday 29 March with a scrumptious lunch on the Victorian farmhouse's verandah overlooking the sweeping gardens and majestic Swartberg mountains.
A few invited guests attended this special event and were treated with the hospitality which The Retreat is known for.
The Retreat is a Victorian farmhouse set in 560-hectare of the beautiful Groenfontein Valley Conservancy, bordering on the 129,000-hectare Swartberg Nature Reserve and World Heritage Site.
The hosts Marie and Erika enjoy treating guests to true Klein Karoo hospitality. The smell of fresh coffee welcomes you back from a morning walk, to a hearty breakfast on the terrace, where dinner, cooked with Erika’s continental flair, is also served when the weather is warm. Guests and hosts eat together at a long table and the conversation is convivial and lively.
The meals at Groenfontein have a health emphasis, vegetarians are welcome and we cater for problem diets. Our Guests can enjoy Karoo mutton dishes and local Cape specialties. Meals are served under the stars on the verandah in the summer or in the beautiful dining room, with a crackling fire, during the cold winter evenings. The Retreat has a full liquor licence and carries a selection of fine wines of the region.
There are two suites and two garden rooms away from the house with breathtaking views of the mountains from their private terraces, and 4 comfortable en-suite bedrooms in the main house, with French doors opening onto a patio.
Here, there is no cell phone reception so the tranquility is unbroken by loud conversations that command attention. Likewise, there are no TV sets blaring forth from guest rooms to disturb the peace.
We do have TV in the main lounge, mainly to entertain young children with suitable DVDs while their parents are enjoying dinner. We operate on solar power plus generator backup, so no inconvenient power-outs.
It does mean there are no fridges or kettles in the rooms but we supply ice, cold drinks, tea and coffee on request. It also means that we have limited cooling systems, ceiling fans only in the 4 garden rooms, but our ‘micro-climate’ and location in the mountains produces a prevailing cold by late evening which makes sleeping comfortable, and windows can be thrown wide open because we have no mosquitoes. We are pet friendly and love our own well behaved, well socialised dogs.
Our rock-pools, 20 minutes’ walk along a farm road to the north of the property are very popular with guests. The dams are also frequently used, both for birdwatching, and the larger dam for swimming – it is undoubtedly the nicest place on the property to swim! There are benches at the dams, and we have also put some benches on the trails – to check 360° views in comfort!
We have made a lovely short walk through the ‘enchanted forest’, a dense area of trees very close to the house, and leading to an old mill, which was used to make flour by the first inhabitants of the house. From there we continued a path to 3 very old oak trees at the river.
We have cleaned and cleared this area under the oak trees and made a very lovely spot to sit and relax in the shade of the immense trees, in the heat of the day and listen to the gurgle of the river!
This is an amazing secluded spot with shade and a bench for enjoying the solitude, meditating, contemplating, birdwatching, just being alone with nature!
There is excellent wifi available and some Easter specials coming up.
Office hours: 07:00 – 19:00:
Telephone: 044 213 3880
After hours:
Wi-Fi Calling: 073 593 4007
We are not always able to take calls on our landline and we do not have cell phone reception. If you are unable to get hold of us, please can we ask that you WhatsApp us (text messages only) on the following number:
WhatsApp Marie: 073 026 8529
Email: info@groenfontein.com
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