Melkboomsdrift Guest Lodge
We received a warm welcome on arrival at Melkboomsdrift Guest Lodge and were pleasantly surprised when booking into this charming guesthouse located on the banks of the Olifant’s River, surrounded by vineyards with beautiful views of the countryside.
The homestead and outbuildings, which date back to 1820, have been painstakingly restored to provide very comfortable and charming accommodation. Reception is located in the original homestead while most of the accommodation is provided in the restored outbuildings with the names of each suite indicating their use in times gone by – they were once stables, milling rooms, a cowshed, milking room, wine cellar, harness room and as the local school. We stayed in “Die Skooltjie” (little schoolhouse).
Die Skooltjie was a spacious suite with a private wisteria-covered entrance. We had a kitchen/dining area, large bathroom and large bedroom.
The kitchen/dining area was very well equipped with refrigerator, microwave, small stove with two hotplates, plenty of drawers and cupboards containing cutlery, crockery, glasses, mugs, pots and pans. There was a dining table with 4 chairs.
The large bathroom included a shower, basin with large mirror, and full-length bath.
The bedroom had a king-sized bed, plus another single bed, television and a few pieces of country-style furniture. It was charmingly decorated, warm and comfortable.
We had received a phone call earlier in the day from the staff at Melkboomsdrift to check if we would be having dinner at the guesthouse. We were very happy that an evening meal was provided as the guesthouse is about 20 minute’s drive from Vredendal and 10 minutes from Lutzville, on the Vredendal-Lutzville road (R363).
Meals are served in a purpose-built area across the lawn. It is open on one side to views of vineyards and has a large open fireplace for cooler days. We enjoyed a delicious buffet dinner the evening we arrived – salad, smoked fish and bread for starter; bobotie, chicken and mustard-cream sauce, rice, potato, butternut, and stir fried vegetables for main; and delicious lemon meringue for dessert. It was quite a cold evening so we appreciated the open fire together with a bottle of Melkboomsdrift farm’s red wine.
The next morning, a hearty buffet breakfast was served in the same area and included cereals, fruit, bacon, egg, sausage, etc. It was raining but we were cosy in front of the fire.
We can highly recommend a stay at Melkboomsdrift Guest Lodge.