Blue Crane Farm Lodge — Hotel in Theewaterskloof Local Municipality

Do you need to unwind? Get away from it all? Breathe in fresh air? Hear nothing at night but a few animals calling out?

Blue Crane Lodge is for those who want luxury with a farm style feel. It is so much more than a simple getaway. Just outside of an incredibly small town, Botrivier, it is nestled into of a hill overlooking a pond and the evergreen hills of the overburg mountains.

Getting to our lodge was an adventure in itself. The dirt road is around 6km but the views made the journey fun. I say dirt road, but in reality it is the smoothest, well maintained dirt road I've ever travelled on.

There are 4 units in total and spaced far enough from each other to still offer that peace and tranquility we were after.

Upon arrival we walked down a short path and opened up to find a pizza oven, an indoor fireplace / braai, an outdoor wood fired hot tub and an outdoor braai. A man's paradise if ever I've seen one. The lodge provide 400 pieces of wood to get all these going, a challenge gladly accepted....and achieved!

The pizza oven, wood fired, was an absolute treat, the lodge providing authentic Italian bases. The hot tub was a little tricky to get the temp right, but highly enjoyed by The Warden and ankle bighter.

Location wise, this where your body, soul and mind come to recharge. There is zero noise pollution, zero light pollution. Night time is special with the stars shining bright and tranquility is achieved with the sound of rustling leaves and the occasional sounds of wildlife.

All the modcons are here, full sized fridge, microwave, gas stove etc. Loadshedding here is a breeze to deal with, no power? Easy, sit back light the fire and chilax!

We...

Four lovely self-catering cottages spread out and overlooking a dam and the surrounding farms and hills. Very spacious and as comfortable as a house, each cottage has high ceilings, beautiful polished wooden floors, a big open-plan kitchen, dining and lounge area with a huge fireplace, as well as a pizza oven. Two large bedrooms share a bathroom with shower, and the main bedroom has a glorious oval bath-for-two overlooking the deck and views. Very good, large and comfortable beds, pillows and linen. Good for all weather conditions, the deck is under cover with a braai, dining area, an excellent wood fired hot tub and two chairs for reading and relaxing. Outside good patch of lawn for children or sunbathing. Kitchen is well equipped with fridge, microwave and two-plate stove and generous hospitality with filter coffee and homemade rusks, as well as 2 pizza bases, and fresh farm produce that included 6 eggs and a slab of butter in the fridge plus the 'piece de resistance': fresh farm milk and loaf of bread delivered through a secret service hatch before breakfast. Lots of dry fire wood provided. Big enough for a long stay to...

Driving up the long dirt road towards the Blue Crane Farm Lodge, you know you're up for something very special.

The beautiful, serene nature makes you forget all about work, social media, shopping malls and streaming services.

Instead, you immediately relax and switch to a much simpler lifestyle. Greet every morning with a fresh bread & milk. Fire up a braai with a killer view. Unleash your inner chef making a pizza in the pizza oven. And when the evening cools down, you jump into your very own wood-fired hot tub. At the end of the stay, you probably won't want to go back to civilisation.

The cottage is beautifully made, with lots of wood, stone and natural materials that fit so well into this environment. It was of course cleaned to perfection.

(And we also had some exceptionally cute furry neighbours!)

I would come back in...