An African farm meets Garden Route coastal idyll
Tucked into the foothills on the edge of Plettenberg Bay on the Garden Route, Bobbejaanskloof is a magnificent farmhouse overlooking the Tsitsikamma Mountains.
Set in the heart of a dramatic private wilderness featuring indigenous fynbos, old forests and sweeping plains, Bobbejaanskloof’s distinctly African feel is felt the moment you settle on the wide farmhouse verandah overlooking the grasslands with flat-topped acacias. Yet, just a twenty-minute drive away, Plettenberg Bay offers everything you’d expect from one of South Africa’s most sophisticated, and popular holiday spots along the Garden Route.
Everything about Bobbejaanskloof makes sense in the South African context. As the focus of the property, the four-bedroom, three-bathroom farmhouse is everything you’d expect of a homestead designed in the local vernacular style and built to give the impression that it’s always been there. Across the courtyard the recently added family suite sensitively blends in with the older structure and feels just as time-worn. The farmhouse has those deep stoeps that face onto unimaginably distant views. The walls are washed a bone colour, the shuttered sash windows are a contrasting mahogany, and the roofs are tin. Come the rain, that pattering is one of Africa’s most characteristic sounds, which, for many old Africa hands, conjures up memories of a childhood spent out in the wilds. But come the sunshine, those deep stoeps provide welcome respite from the heat of the day. They’re furnished so that life led outside is as comfortable as it is indoors. There are sofas out here, deep armchairs, storm lanterns and woven rugs.
Everywhere you look, both in and out, there’s an elemental style to the materials chosen, from the rough roof beams to the latte ceilings, the polished elephant-grey cement floors to the Nguni hides dotted about on them. Baskets, wicker and riempie define the look of Bobbejaanskloof, as does the muted colour scheme. Everywhere there’s an obsession with nature, its textures and patterns. And there are scrubbed wooden bowls, brass lamps, raffia shades, heavy, handmade glass, armchairs dressed in rough linen slipcovers – it’s that ‘I had a farm in Africa’ look, only this time it’s South Africa in the spotlight.
The decor mixes by interior designer Gregory Mellor are brave, the look iconic – it reflects a lifestyle synonymous with South Africa’s. It’s relaxed and laid back, and is freed from that old-world-and-its-obsession-with-social–hierarchies feel. The range and diversity of what it is that makes this house so peculiarly local are enormous and a stay here is as much about absorbing its style as it is enjoying its pristine surroundings.
Best of old and new
Bobbejaanskloof’s owner understands provenance: the old cupboards, the campaign chests and the four-posters might well have arrived on a wagon. She gets the context: this is a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, tailored for contemporary living. So life led here is informal. In the kitchen at the heart of the house a huge table invites long lunches or dinners while you cook. Sink into a leather-covered armchair in front of the fire and down a whisky. Or run a bath in one of the deep tubs in bathrooms kitted out for contemporary living. If your family is as large as those of generations past, the three bedroom Nguni Cottage is just 900m from the farmhouse.
In a land filled with space and gorgeous sunlight, the owners of Bobbejaanskloof are able to break the rules and invent new ones, blur boundaries and conjure surprise after surprise. They’ve taken the best of the old and refashioned it with what’s current and relevant.
What we love!
- The views (all the way to Formosa peak!) and zero pollutants – no pesticides, no light, no noise, clean air and rain water.
- Glancing zebra, giraffe, eland, springbok, wildebeest and sometimes elephant wandering along the fence line since Plettenberg Bay Game Reserve, where you can book a game drive, is next door.
- The botanical gardens with an abundance of succulents.
- Marked trails that run through Afromontane forest and along the Hartbees River gorge.
- The huge contemplation deck that hangs over the Kloof from which to view old Outeniqua Yellowwood giants, meditate or do early morning yoga. Masseurs and yoga sessions may be booked.
- That outdoor braai and boma is set among huge Eucalyptus trees next to the dam for long lazy lunches or a night under the stars.
- The huge kitchen with everything a good cook needs and the handmade chairs that span a huge table for 12 with fire and outdoor views.
What you need to know…
- The pool is unfenced so only babes-in-arms and kids over 8 allowed.
- The house is on a working farm with pedigreed Nguni cattle on the R340, an 18km drive from Plettenberg Bay.
- Baboons are sometimes in the area. Bats do sleep in the eaves during the day but are very shy.
- The farm security is excellent with an electric fence, a deep gorge surrounding the house, staff that live close by and an alarm system linked to armed response.
- There are two farm dogs, Anatolian Shepherds named Sirius and Luna who stay on stoep of the family suite and are also allowed in the kitchen but well trained not to go anywhere else in the house. They are great with kids but can stay with staff if guests prefer.
- There is excellent WiFi and a landline. 3G signal from the entrance stoep only.
- There are fabulous restaurants and shopping facilities in Plett which is a 20 min drive. You can pick fresh veg and herbs from the kitchen garden or Thyme and Again stock all the basics (10kms away). A great vegan restaurant is close by.
- The house is fully serviced Mon-Fri and can be serviced at weekends by prior arrangement.
- Nguni cottage is fully equipped and has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The third bedroom has its own entrance and a small kitchenette – ideal for a nanny or your own chef. The cottage is completely separate to the main house and is a 10-minute walk away.
- Jeep tracks leading to viewpoints within 10kms of dirt road – and another 10kms of grass track – ideal for mountain biking.
- There is an honesty bar should you run out of your own drinks. Shopping can be done on request.
- The cottage sleeps 16 guests in 8 bedrooms. There are 3 extra beds which can be set up by prior arrangement and at an extra cost.
- If Bobbejaanskloof is not available on your dates, browse our other luxuriously comfortable hideaways in Plettenberg Bay or along the Garden Route. A stay at Bobbejaanskloof is also wonderful to combine with an Eastern Cape safari.
Reviewed by Paul Duncan
Edited by Michelle Snaddon
Images by Greg Cox