This festive season, my partner and I opted to spend Christmas with our respective families and then a quiet night in for New Year’s eve. As much as we thought we had a break as we went into January, the covid fatigue had a permanent space in our lives.
Two weeks into January, I received a text message from my partner asking if I was up for a cosy weekend, of course, I said yes, then I was asked to pack our bags for a weekend getaway. Feeling absolute ecstatic, I packed our bags, and we set off on our surprise location. Approximately 45 minutes later, we arrived at Thabo Eco Hotel, situated in the Klipriviersberg nature reserve.
On arrival, the security guard did the necessary security and covid checks, and we drove up to the parking area. At the reception, we were met by a peaceful, tranquil space with friendly and accommodating staff. Check-in was quick, and the friendly staff explained in detail, what was on offer and the new regulations as per covid government regulations. Our stay was when South Africa was under the new curfew, so the restaurant would serve dinner early as closing time had changed. We arrived late afternoon, and we had not eaten lunch, so the arrangement suited us fine as we were planning on having an early dinner.
Our room:
The decor is magnificent, spacious and set amid the bush. We had a small balcony, that was large enough for a patio table and two chairs, with a lovely view of the property and surrounding landscape. The king-size bed faced another open window which to had a great glimpse of the surrounding landscape.
We were delightfully surprised to find that the drinks (non-alcoholic) and snacks, plus the coffees and teas, were all complimentary and were stocked daily.
Our bathroom equipped with a large shower, bath and twin basins, towelling gowns and the necessary toiletries. The toilet is separate.
Our daily adventures:
After a good nights sleep, we woke up early and went on a great hike. The hiking trail started on the top end of the property, with rocky mountain terrain and vegetation. We were lucky to capture some wildlife as well as pass several cyclists. The trails are accessible from outside the reserve, so day trips are available.
We explored the spa that at the top of the farm, next to the hiking trail. ‘Sinzinani Spa’ has a breathtaking view and has a menu of various beauty and relaxing treatments.
Next to the rooms, there is an open gym area where we could stretch after the hike. We had a power shower with perfect power pressure and then dashed to breakfast.
What we ate:
Breakfast served in the same restaurant as dinner. The waitrons were incredibly efficient despite the fact they were understaffed. They tried their best to attend to their tables, but there is so much a human can do. The restaurant was the only negative part of our stay. Perhaps the establishment should hire more waitrons to assist during breakfast, what added to the tension was the constant shouting and swearing which came from the kitchen. We discovered the loud abuse came from the chef. I have never understood why chefs find it necessary to shout and belittle staff in a restaurant. Unfortunately, his verbal abuse heard throughout the restaurant.
Our waiter was apologetic about the situation. We ensured that they received personal tips for their sterling work.
I ate the delicious homemade Granola with fresh fruit, and my partner had the eggs, bacon and avocado. Unfortuabntaly that was cold. The following day we had the french toast and Granola.
Our adventures continued.
The rest of the day included walking through the beautiful myriads, pathways and secret gardens. The garden landscaping and rock features had small features attached and some with written scriptures or stories.
On arrival we had pre-ordered a picnic basket, so around 14h30 the porter collected us and drove us to a private little garden, where we could enjoy our picnic feast. Our picnic basket included plates of wraps, salads, chicken, meat and fish dishes as well as decadent desserts. It was so worth our money and we had enough food leftover which we had for dinner on our patio that night. We also had an ice bucket of soft drink and no-alcoholic beverages.
We spent the better part of the day enjoying the outside before it began to drizzle. We then finished up on our balcony, followed by a lovely afternoon siesta.
For sundowners, we went to the sundeck and enjoyed delicious mocktails. We had the Pina Colada, and a non alcoholic beer. We were able to enjoy the sunset and reflect on our wonderful stay.
The following morning, we checked out, went for breakfast. Unfortunately, the waitrons were still understaffed, but we managed to get a warm breakfast.
After that, we went on a game drive (approximately two and a half hours) which was the perfect end to a spectacular weekend.
Our guide is well-read on the farm’s vegetation, fauna and flora. We stopped for a light beverage and enjoyed the space with the farm’s wildlife.
The escape from the city, fresh air and pampering are what our souls needed.
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