Calitzdorp Accommodation / The Retreat At Groenfontein Full Service Guest House / 4 Star Garden Rooms / 3 Star Standard Rooms

Welcome to The Retreat At Groenfontein on SA-Venues.com, offering 4 star graded accommodation in Calitzdorp, Karoo.
 

The Retreat is an old Victorian farmhouse in the lovely Groenfontein Valley conservancy, situated 20kms northeast of Calitzdorp on a scenic, winding gravel road, 59kms northwest of Oudtshoorn, and 48kms southwest of the Cango caves, both half gravel, just off the magical Route 62.

The Retreat offers all the comforts of home - with a touch of luxury - in the vast and unspoilt natural landscape. Here indulgence and simplicity go hand-in-hand, and among the hills and kloofs and gurgling streams is found the kind of peace and solitude that the soul craves. The secluded Groenfontein Valley with its historically intact, charming architecture is one of the Western Cape's best kept secrets. The 560 hectare property is in the Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve (GCBR). It borders on Cape Nature Conservation land, and the Swartberg Nature Reserve, which is a World Heritage site. It is traversed by the crystal clear Nel's River, which rises in the Swartberg mountains and feeds the Calitzdorp dam, before flowing into the Gouritz River.

The house, filled with yellow-wood and mellow Oregon pine, has a lounge and dining room - each with its own ceramic fireplace to keep them cosy on chilly winter evenings - leading onto a wide verandah, overlooking the sweeping gardens and majestic Swartberg mountains.

Accommodation

This lovely home has four garden rooms (4 star graded), two in a converted weaving-shed and two in a converted milking-shed, all with sitting-areas by a fireplace, king-size beds, which can be made up as twins, three with a Victorian bath and shower and the smaller with only shower, and four comfortable en-suite bedrooms (3 star graded) in the main house with French doors leading onto a patio.

German, French, Swedish and Italian spoken. Children and pets are welcome.

Dining

Your hosts, Grant and Marie, 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 Marie's continental flair - is also served when the weather is warm.

The meals at Groenfontein have a health emphasis, vegetarians are welcome and we cater for problem diets. Our Guests can enjoy Karoo lamb dishes and local Cape specialties. Meals are served under the stars on the veranda 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.

Activities

Enjoy peaceful walks along the charming lanes of the Groenfontein valley, climb into the foothills of the Swartberg, enjoy a dip in the rock pools or simply relax by the pool and let the peace and silence soak into your soul.

Awards

Winner of the AA Accommodation Awards 2003, 2004 and 2005, Hall of Fame 2006 - 2010 (Category: Guest House Full Service).

Find out more about Calitzdorp or view things to do in Karoo. Please let us know how you enjoyed your stay by leaving a review.

ACCREDITATIONS (as claimed by the establishment)