Exploring the Cape

Recently we were invited to visit the gorgeous Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, which is situated on the Whale Coast, in the spectacular Western Cape! I was so delighted to be invited and jumped at the opportunity because as a family we love to travel and welcome new experiences and places to explore.

As I mentioned Grootbos is situated on the Whale Coast, approximately 13km outside of Gansbaai in the Cape. The drive can take any where from 2 to 2½ hours from Cape Town, depending on the traffic. You can either travel over Sir Lowerys Pass and through Hermanus or take the more scenic coastal road. We decided on the more direct route over Sir Lowery’s as we did not want to lose day light and were super keen to begin our “family adventure”!

This is my account of our wonderful Grootbos Adventure, which I will split into a few articles so as not to overwhelm you, but rather give you an in-depth look at Grootbos, through the eyes of a family!

In 1991 Grootbos won the heart of owner Michael Lutzeyer, who could not resist the incredible view of Walker Bay to the distant Cape of Good Hope. He saw great potential for the property and the stunning natural surroundings with blossoms shining in their most brilliant colours, green fynbos bushes and old Milkwood trees, inspired him to creat the piece of paradise, which is now known as Grootbos Private Nature Reserve.

We were fortunate to actually meet Michael on our first night there! What a truly inspiring man who cares not only for his establishment but also for the community which surrounds it; we could all take a page from his book!

As a family we are indeed avid travellers but as I may have mentioned before, although we love being in touch with nature, luxury is also an important factor when we select accommodation. Camping is definitely not my thing, I am more of a 5 Star kinda gal! Well lucky us, not only is Grootbos one of the most beautiful locations, where you are surrounded by the true essence of nature, but it also offers 5 star luxury! In saying that, the luxury is not cold and austere but rather warm and inviting.

The other important part of travelling, which can make or break your experience, is service and the staff of the establishment. If these factors are not up to par the luxury or surroundings are of little consequence, but I am happy to report that the service and the staff at Grootbos were excellent! From our first greeting, to checking out, nothing was too much trouble and we were always greeted with a friendly smile

Upon arrival at Grootbos, we were greeted by the front of house staff and offered a refreshing welcome drink. We were then introduced to Rob, with whom I had been corresponding via email to arrange our trip – it was great to finally put a face to the name. We were offered a spot of lunch, which luckily is served until 3pm, so we just made it! Not being too hungry, we snacked on delicious calamari and salad, which was perfect considering the balmy weather.

The striking main building, which houses the Garden Lodge’s Reception, Sitting Area, Bar and Restaurant, is the original Grootbos Lodge and has a distinctive African feel about it. The dark-wood furniture is cleverly contrasted by punches of colour, introduced by striking paint colour on the walls, as well as by the ethnic art pieces dotted around, to create a feeling of understated luxury and warmth.

After our light lunch we met with one of the Grootbos guides, Christoff, who explained the various activities which we could experience over the next two days. We decided not to do any activities on our first day but rather relax and take in the magnificent surroundings. The girls, who love horse riding, booked themselves a ride for the following day and we also booked the Social Responsiblity Tour and exploring the natural caves at De Kelders. We wanted to cram as much into the time we had, to truly experience all that Grootbos has to offer!

Next we were whisked off by Bernadette, to settle in to our accommodation for the two night stay. We wound our way along the pretty garden paths to find our suite.

The charming Garden Lodge, which we called home for our two night stay, consists of 11 freestanding suites, which spring up from the surrounding flora and boast spectacular views of Walker Bay. Our family suite was the perfect combination of  luxury and comfort, with nuances of  African flavour, which is apparent throughout the Garden Lodge.

Our family suite had two bedrooms, one downstairs for the girls, and ours upstairs just off the living area, giving us the necessary privacy we like but without being too far from the girls. Both bedrooms had en suite bathrooms, ours with a bath and shower, while the girls was more of a wet-room. Off of our bedroom was a lovely private deck with loungers as well as a table which seated four at the end of the deck, with magical views overlooking the Fynbos, Walker Bay and De Kelders.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, there is so much to share with you about our stay at Grootbos and I do not want to overwhelm you with too much information, so I will be breaking the posts up into various parts. This post is an overview of Grootbos and the accommodation and in the up coming posts I will share a more detailed account of some of the activities, which you can expect to enjoy when you visit Grootbos.

For more information or to make a booking at Grootbos you can visit their website by clicking here.

Disclaimer: I was sponsored the accommodation at Grootbos for review purposes but I have not been paid for this post and all the opinions are my own. To see more read my full PR & Disclosure Policy here.

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