Bartholomeus Klip Farmhouse

Rooms

The 5 comfortable bedrooms have been individually styled using designer fabrics and crisp white linens. Polished wooden floors, original family antiques and paintings give the farmhouse a warm, homely feel and the overall style is fresh, elegant country living with delightful Victorian touches. Beautiful shiny doorknobs, a generous wraparound veranda and a brolly and wellie stand at the entrance add a wonderfully colonial flair. Four of the rooms are inside the main house, with views over the gardens; the Orchid Suite is separate, with its own private terrace looking over the veld to the mountains.

The spacious bathrooms all have Victorian-style free-standing baths with plenty of hot water (ours had a mural of a country scene and wildflowers painted above the taps). You'll also find fluffy bathrobes, a generous selection of soft towels, and toiletries made using herbs from the surrounding fynbos.

Unseen hands place little treats in the bedrooms - a crystal decanter of sherry at dusk, a cutting of local fynbos on your pillow with a description, chocolates and weather reports for the following day at bedtime. Hot water bottles warm your bed on cold winter nights.

No children under 16 are accepted in the main house, but they're welcomed at Wild Olive House, a self-catering option in the grounds that's ideal for families and independent folk. The airy and open-plan house has cool flagstone tiles, high ceilings and French doors opening out to a shady terrace with barbecue facilities, a private garden and its own swimming pool. Inside are 2 double bedrooms, a single room which can be made up with bunk beds (ideal for small children) and 2 bathrooms. The spacious kitchen, sitting room, dining room and well-equipped kitchen provide plenty of space to spread out and relax. Meals can be an entirely private family affair, or adults can eat in the dining room at the main house whilst the children are looked after by trained babysitters.

Within the gardens of Wild Olive House is another little cottage with a double bedroom, a bathroom and a sitting room. It’s a popular sanctum for older siblings or grandparents when an entire family descends on Bartholomeus Klip.