It takes an extraordinary kind of place to stir up nostalgia so wittingly, without being too blatant about it. Rather furtively waking up that inner child who’s been wistfully waiting to run wild. A place that reminds us about our core values and why we hold them so close to our hearts. A place that stimulates the senses as fluidly as it pacifies. It asks pertinent questions. How we see the world around us and the people we choose to decorate our lives with. The way we love them and in-turn, ourselves. When we discover such a rare place and find all of the answers to those questions, we’ll leave an entirely new person. Just as that extraordinary place intended you to part from it.
Drakenskloof is that place. As close as it is to Cape Town – just a 90-minute drive or a 20-minute helicopter ride – you’ll find yourself in another world entirely. Where everything you’d need, want or desire appears magically yet unobtrusively at your fingertips. Consciously created as an all-inclusive experience, Drakenskloof is a privately-owned exclusive-use sanctuary, to ensure this experience is shared only with your chosen ones.
Settled around the ankles of the Bainskloof Pass mountains, on over 800-hectares of private reserve, in proximity to the Witte and Bastiaanskloof rivers, Drakenskloof emerges from the soil it so reverently occupies and seamlessly synthesises with the abounding nature that surrounds. At the helm rests India House. Its consciously considered spaces pivot from the central Moroccan-inspired courtyard adjacent the main open-plan living and dining areas. Four ensuite bedrooms and additional guest bathroom disperse themselves down corridors where natural light floods through the tall windows. In keeping with the family’s ethos – that’s palpable in every aspect of the property – inspired by Ottolenghi’s cookbooks, the interiors and the tempo from which everything flows, is Simple, Plenty and Wholesome. Simple statements made from the Swahili-inspired theme of a laidback Lamu Island lifestyle. The gabian stone walls, the sugar-gum timber and the polyurethane flooring. Plenty of colour, texture and style in the bespoke wallpapers designed by Katie Lund, the floral photography by Filipa Domingues, a Gregor Jenkin dining table, antique collectables sourced from India, Ethiopia and Zanzibar. Elevated with the contemporary touches in the lighting, the luxury fourposter beds, the fine linen and furnishings. All wrapped up in an ambience of a wholesome existence with nature. The colours and shapes of the landscape seep through the windows and doors, and settle on the walls. Just as the clever landscapers of Oasis Design intended. Where the fynbos, the proteas and grassy verges form a narrative that links what’s going on outside, in.
Out to the heated swimming pool, the pavilion where the long table sits beside the fireplace, beneath the pergola looking up towards the mountain peaks. Meander your way past the donkeys and the chickens, through the gardens towards the front wooden door of Mapacha, where nature’s narrative ensues. A two-bedroomed ensuite cottage, with generous open-plan spaces that lead out through large glass sliding doors to a wild bedded oasis of medicinal herbs and succulents, more fynbos and overgrown grasses. Mapacha, which means ‘twin’ in Swahili, is the perfect appendage to India House. Where pathways lead you to a wood-fired hot tub, bubbling beneath the open skies, and up into the mountains.
Being at Drakenskloof is like being in a boundless, utopian paradise, where the hours are as long as you want them to last. When you’re not reclining on one of the daybeds, allowing the stillness of the surroundings to captivate your thoughts, you’ll be traversing the mountain trails learning about the flora, the fauna and the active conservation projects that are paramount on the reserve. You’ll certainly invest many a long hours feasting around the tables, indulging in a simple, plenty, wholesome menu that’s consciously designed to bring out the best banter from the clan. At times you’ll gather in the dining room or in the pavilion. Other times in the courtyard or some little secret garden. All the indulging warrants another walk into the wilderness. Or a swim in the river that runs just beyond the garden, no more than 150m from the front door. Dipping into the river will become a daily ritual with the people you love. As you salute the day and the sun’s descent behind the mountain, the evening’s stars and rising moon lights up nature’s dance floor, holding you centre stage. You’ll dance into the night, with all of the answers to those pertinent questions, and an awareness that Drakenskloof is quite possibly the only place that could’ve answered them for you.
What we love!
- The team of wonderful people that welcome you in to Drakenskloof, discreetly and intuitively catering to your every need. From the managers, to the chefs, the guides and the ground staff. Together they stitch all of the experiences together, tailoring daily itineraries with careful consideration to the needs of you and your clan.
- Enjoying long outdoor showers in the garden, cushioned into the thick fynbos vegetation, listening to the rapids of the river flow just below.
- There are an abundance of walking and mountain biking trails around the 800-hectares of prevailing wilderness. Where the Cape Leopard, caracal, duiker and other small antelope roam. The birdlife is also magnificent in the area, so birdwatchers will be in paradise.
What you need to know…
- The owners of Drakenskloof – the Paddock Family – as well as their team of extraordinary staff are all avid conservationists, committed to the removal of all alien vegetation on the reserve. The property forms part of the Boland Mountain Complex in the Cape Floral Region, one of nine areas in South Africa designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites.
- The property is a 90-minute drive from Cape Town or a 20-minute helicopter ride.
- There is a minimum stay of four nights with exclusive use of the farm, including both properties, all meals, beverages and onsite experiences included, complete with a chef, a nanny, field guides and daily housekeeping.
- There is a daily R150 Park fee per person, that goes towards the Alien removal fund and Cape Leopard Trust initiative.
- All excursions independent from the farm, including tours of the area, gin and wine tasting and other activities can be arranged by the General Manager, with prior confirmation.
Reviewed by Colleen Ogilvie