Old Joe's Kaia — Hotel in Mbombela

My younger brother Dashen is an adventurous type of person who is always looking for an elevating experience in his explorations of the natural beauties of our South African country side.Being a Vegan he was absolutely thrilled to be introduced to “Old Joe’s Kaia”nestled in the Schoemanskloof area near Nelspruit.He wanted to give me a special treat for my 60th Birthday and booked a 4 day getaway for the 6 of us,Himself,my eldest brother Raam,my two sons Kemeshan and Dhiveshan and my best friend Dhiraj.We arrived late in the evening and were warmly welcomed by our hosts Marian and Paul.Despite the ravings of my brothers Dashen and Raam who had been guests at Old Joe’s Kaia previously,my initial impression of the place far exceeded my expectations.The place has a rare rustic charm with a cheerful fire in the common area of the open plan lounge dining area.Ones immediate impression is one of being embraced in a bubble of love which is evidenced by the loving and welcoming nature of both the hosts and the 4 cats and an aging dog.We were treated to a delicious,sumptuos and exquisitely prepared 5 course dinner.For the entire duration of our stay not one of the breakfast or dinner menu items were repeated and it was an unforgettable Vegan gastranomic delight.Our bedroom was charming and welcoming and brought back fond memories of my stays at Grandma’s house.It was so lovely to wake up to the sounds of birds chirping and the thrilling of insects.There is a beautiful walking trail which includes a Labyrinth which is a must have experience.It is a truly magical environment which invokes an impression of falling into an alternate reality which is a mixture of all the wonders of Peter Pans Neverland,Alices adventures in wonderland and a sojourn at Hogwarts.On the walking trail there is a breathless expectation of stumbling across a Dryad draped across the greenery or a water nymph gamboling in the pool or some michievious pixies peeking at you from the boughs of the overarching trees.Being an avid bookworm I had great difficulty tearing myself away from the cosy reading nook which has an eclectic collection of interesting,entertaining and inspiring books.This getaway is only for the discerning traveler who can appreciate an experience out of the ordinary.It is a place to get in touch with ones inner self ,to recuperate from the wounds of wordly life and to rekindle ones inner chi.A fantastic place of spiritual healing perfect for family bonding and even for an intimate getaway with that special person in your life.Marian has a comforting nurturing motherly presence and is an embodiment of Love whilst Paul is a dependable unassuming character who keeps everything running smoothly with the minimum of fuss.A Big thank you to Marion and Paul for making my 60th Birthday such a special and memorable event (Marions specially prepared Vegan Strawberry cake was the icing on the top).I can’t wait for my next visit to Old Joe’s Kaia!||Amaran Naicker –...

I was treated to a weekend away by brothers Raam and Sudarshan who are smitten by this place, and decided to take up the offer to see what the hype was all about.

Old Joe's Kaia is a lovely intimate guesthouse run by owners Paul and Marian. It is about 3 hrs from Johannesburg and makes for a relaxing getaway from the city. The location is excellent, nicely set in a valley secretively tucked away in the forest.

The guesthouse is quaint and comfortable, a readers paradise I might add. The library is a treasure trove of delightful reads. I particularly liked the old coal stove at one of the entrances and the display of antique cutlery.

The bedroom that I stayed in was neat and comfortable with a rustic feel. Note that there is no wifi in the room, only in the main reception and dining area. However, there were only 2 hangers in the room, it would have been nice to have a place to put/hang our clothes. Other than that, the room was lovely.

This place is a haven for vegans. All the food served is vegan which is simply delicious and well presented. We were treated to a sumptuous breakfast: vegan yoghurt & fruit, savoury muffins, soya sausage chutney, grilled tempeh, bread, tea and coffee. Dinner time was an absolute feast with a 4 course meal. The first night, we had gazpacho and savoury crumpets, a small salad, green beans & cabbage stir-fry. A black bean patty (can't recall everything on my plate). Dessert was a brown rice pudding. One of my favourite meals for that weekend was the deep fried dumplings and szechuan sauce🌶️... Delish!.

With regards to activities, Marian conducted a small Tai Chi class and a barefoot walk in a living labyrinth. The area is home to a vast variety of birds and over 650 species of indigenous trees making it an absolute paradise for bird watchers and nature walks. I enjoyed my personal morning yoga and meditation session in the garden soaking up the love and captivating energy.

There's a lovely botanical garden in Nelspruit if you up to the drive as well as butterfly garden closer to the guest lodge.

My overall stay was pleasant and comfortable, the vegan food was excellent and prepared with great care - would I go again? YES!

I highly recommend giving Old Joe's...

I booked a room for a night with dinner and breakfast included as a first stop on route to the Kruger Park after hearing from friends how amazing this place was back in the early 2000's. |Being a former Vegan for 5 years I was honestly interested in the caliber of food on offer and arrived with an open mind. |To be honest the place is in a terribly "run down state" where their much advertised Labyrinth is unmaintained. |Gardens are in an overgrown unmaintained state.|Rooms are clean but our bedroom veranda door could not lock due to the wooden door frame being swollen from years of neglect.|Some verandas and balustrades have totally collapsed outside some rooms.|Fire fighting equipment has not been serviced since 2021 which is a concern. |Not going to lie but spent most of the night awake worrying about security as a result of our veranda door not locking and considering there is no security onsite with little to no perimeter fence, being positioned next to a national highway in South Africa this was a definite concern. |OK fine 2020 was tough on us all and obviously business was not that great but the food would be awesome right?|Wrong and what we were served for dinner was average at best and I can honestly say I have tasted better from my Wife's kitchen on a slow Tuesday when we were still Vegan. |Thanks to the fireplace, a small library and a bottle of fairly priced red wine not all was lost.|The owners truly need to "get outside" a little more and take a look around. |To me it looks like they are totally focused on the catering side of the business and have given up on what they were meant to build on when they took over.|Thanks for the hospitality and decent conversation but we will not...