Firstly, thank you to Portfolio Collection for giving us the opportunity to stay at a venue that would not normally be on our radar.
The drive from Johannesburg to Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse in the Kamberg Valley was uneventful, and the final 5km of dirt road was surprisingly good. On arrival we were greeted by Max, given homemade lemonade to wash away the dust. We were shown to our room, which was an executive cottage decorated “cowboy” style. We had a kingsize bed, lounge area with a fireplace, dressing room, separate bathroom and toilet and a private patio with an uninterrupted view of the mountains.
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The attention to detail was obvious – books and magazines, information about the area, tea/coffee station and mini bar and complimentary sherry. Max explained the dinner “routine”, and left us to settle in.
The first thing you notice is the quiet – only the sound of birds breaking the silence, and the frogs at night. I took a walk around the hotel and the gardens, and it’s just like the brochure and the web page, which was a delight as too often the reality does not match what you anticipated. I loved the lounge and Pioneer room, the photos and personal items made it feel more like someone’s home and not a guesthouse or hotel.
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At 7pm we joined the rest of the guests in small lounge / bar area for pre dinner drinks. You could then also visit the wine cellar to choose your wine to accompany your meal. Philippa then took us through the dinner menu. Each course, and there are 5 of them, was explained in detail, sharing with us some of the ingredients and cooking methods, in particular how they get their meat so tender it just melts in your mouth. We then went through to the Pioneer room to experience the meal we had just heard so much about.
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The food was as delicious as it looked on the plate..... the presentation was just like a photo from a cookery book. Everything was ‘home made’ and you could taste the freshness of food that appeared to be from a bygone era. This was no time to be on a diet! I do not drink milk or tolerate heavy creamy sauces, so I requested that mine be served on the side – this was done each and every time. I was even accommodated when one of soups was cream based I was offered tomato instead.
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My only criticism was the time it took between courses – whilst I appreciate that it takes time to prepare a meal of that standard, by the time I got to the main course, I was no longer hungry and I could not do justice to the meat dish. The meal is finished off with a complimentary port.
After a good night’s sleep on a very comfortable bed, you could choose to be up early, go for a run, or walk or have a sleep in, before breakfast which is served between 9 and 10am. Breakfast is also not your standard ‘bacon and eggs’ – there are the usual yogurt, cereals, muffins etc, but you are also offered a fruit starter, and then we had Eggs Benedict, and omelette – Cleopatra style.
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You could quite easily spend your day relaxing, reading and recharging your batteries, we decided to take a drive along the Midland Meander, stopping at places that took our fancy. Meander maps are available from the hotel, and the staff are very helpful and knowledgeable and can recommend places to suit your interests. They will also arrange helicopter rides, or a guided visit up the Sani Pass - for these kind of trips you can request a picnic lunch.
We had a wonderful 2 night stay in a hotel / guesthouse where the staff were amazingly attentive to your needs. The area is beautiful and as my partners said “God’s own country”
I would recommend Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse to anyone who appreciates the finer things in life.