Best Getaways 
The Retreat at Groenfontein
The Retreat is a Victorian farmhouse set in 560-hectare of the beautiful Groenfontein Valley Conservancy, bordering on the 129,000-hectare Swartberg Nature Reserve. The house, filled with yellow-wood and mellow Oregon pine, has a lounge and dining room, each with its own ceramic fireplace to keep them cosy on chilly winter evenings, leading onto a wide verandah, overlooking the sweeping gardens and majestic Swartberg mountains. Your hosts Marie and Erika enjoy treating guests to true Klein Karoo hospitality. The smell of fresh coffee welcomes you back from a morning walk, to a hearty breakfast on the terrace, where dinner, cooked with Marie’s continental flair, is also served when the weather is warm. Guests and hosts eat together at a long table and the conversation is convivial and lively. By request we can do a separate table. The meals at Groenfontein have a health emphasis, vegetarians are welcome and we cater for problem diets. Our Guests can enjoy Karoo lamb dishes and local Cape specialties. Meals are served under the stars on the verandah in the summer or in the beautiful dining room, with a crackling fire, during the cold winter evenings. The Retreat has a full liquor licence and carries a selection of fine wines of the region. Please note that a corkage fee is applicable when enjoying your own beverage/s at the dinner table. There are two suites and two garden rooms away from the house with breathtaking views of the mountains from their private terraces, and 4 comfortable en-suite bedrooms in the main house, with French doors opening onto a patio. Here, there is no cellphone reception so the tranquility is unbroken by loud conversations that command attention. Likewise, there are no TV sets blaring forth from guest rooms to disturb the peace. We do have TV in the main lounge, mainly to entertain young children with suitable DVDs while their parents are enjoying dinner. We operate on solar power plus generator backup, so no inconvenient power-outs. It does mean there are no fridges or kettles in the rooms but we supply ice, cold drinks, tea and coffee on request. It also means that we have limited cooling systems, ceiling fans only in the 4 garden rooms, but our ‘micro-climate’ and location in the mountains produces a prevailing coolth by late evening which makes sleeping comfortable, and windows can be thrown wide open because we have no mosquitoes. We are pet friendly and love our own well–behaved, disciplined dogs. Kindly note: Telephone no. below is WhatsApp ONLY
Area Info
Enjoy energetic hill walks or mountain biking in the clear air, or lazy summer afternoons cooling off in the shady, secluded rock pools that sparkle like jewels along the length of the tree-fringed river, or simply stroll along the peaceful, winding lanes of the Groenfontein Valley.
Units and Rooms
Garden Family Suite (Milking-shed)
Guests: 4
The large family suites are converted milking sheds, with a verandah and mountain views. There are 2 b/rooms, one with a king-size bed, (twins), combined with the lounge area and a cosy fireplace.The 2nd has 2 single beds. 1 bathroom and 1 toilet.
Garden Room (Weaving Shed 7) Larger
Guests: 3
This large garden room is in a converted weaving shed. It has a king-size bed, which can be made up as twins, a lounge area with a cosy fireplace, a romantic victorian bath, and a magnificient mountain view. There is an alcove with a single bed.
Garden Room (Weaving shed 6) Smaller
Guests: 2
This garden room is in a converted weaving shed with a private verandah and wonderful mountain views. It has a king-size bed, which can be made up as twins, a sitting area with a fireplace, and an en-suite bathroom with a shower.
Standard Room (Creamery 5)
Guests: 2
This room is in a converted creamery adjacent to the main house. It has a king-size bed, which can be made up as twins, and a lounge area with a sofa and a fireplace. The room opens onto a patio with garden furniture.
Standard Queen Room
Guests: 2
This room is in the main house and has a queen bed, and an en-suite bathroom with a shower. It opens onto a patio with garden furniture.
