Newsletter - Need to accommodate a small Third World country?!

Need to accommodate a small Third World country?!

“I am writing to you dear friend as the second cousin of his royal gracious highness, the Prince of Okichwa. I wish to inform you that my royal cousin has inherited of the sum of 1000 000 dollar and wishes to invest it further. Sadly, due to circumstantials beyond my royal cousin’s capacity, he is unable to remember the number of his Swiss bank account and must urgently deposit the amount elsewhere. This is the reason I write you dear friend. I wish to meet with you to discuss this matter further. My cousin, the royal Prince of Okichwa, has instructed your assistance will be rewarded with 50 000 dollar, paid in Zimbabwean currency. My esteemed Nigerian advisors and I will come to your beautiful country soon. If you are able to accomadate our special envoy while we discuss this matter, I would be in deepest gratitude.”
Yours in sincerity, The Prince of Okichwa’s humble Servant.

“Dear Sir. We are deeply touched with your most generous offer and look forward to meeting you personally to discuss your cousin’s investment options. We would also be delighted to host you during your stay in our country. As the definitive guide to self-catering escapes in the Western Cape, budget-getaways.co.za can suggest numerous establishments where you and your esteemed group of advisors can be comfortably accommodated. All the handpicked establishments below can accommodate upwards of 8 guests under one roof and are situated in beautiful country settings. What’s more, they are private and represent brilliant value. I have no doubt all will meet your discerning standards.

Yours in anticipation

Dr Budget

Breede Escape A Zulu camp on the Breede River is one way to describe this excellent group getaway, comprising two separate River Camps with mini reed-and-thatch rondawels and a lapa. The River Camps can accommodate a tribe of 24 and 16, ... Read more ...

Die Houthuis As far as rustic weekend getaways go, Die Houthuis is the last of a dying breed – a place where not even Triple-X Gel can keep the hair up. It’s the oldest getaway in Bonnievale, dating back to 1968 when the Milnerton Jewish Guild sold... Read more ...

The Dirtopia Trail Lodge If mountain biking or leisurely hiking is your thing, this getaway is for you. At the centre of things is the Klapmuts Renosterveld Conservancy, consisting of five wine estates that have banded together to protect and nurture the fragile ecosytem ... Read more ...

Droërug Guesthouse A mere 45 minutes from Cape Town you’ll find a spacious four-bedroom, two-lounge house overlooking a picturesque farm of masticating cattle (sies!), vineyards and green hills. While not of the characterful thatch and gable variety, Droë... Read more ...

Eselfontein Getaway Eselfontein is the oldest farm in the Ceres district and the source of the Breede River. With all the ingredients for great dog-eat-dog viewing it should also be a candidate for an upcoming series of Survivor. Gushing streams, waterfalls, awesome ... Read more ...

Gamkaberg Nature Reserve Isolated, rugged and brooding, Gamkaberg (not to be confused with Gamkaskloof) is a feather in CapeNature’s bush hat – thanks to a brilliant camp that balances an appreciation of nature with attention to detail and comfort. From the small reserve off... Read more ...

Groenvlei & Mvubu Bushcamp Camouflaged by a tangle of indigenous dune forest, the secluded Groenvlei and Mvubu Bushcamps are rustic Garden Route gems tailored for single groups of eight and four, respectively. The advertised blurb calls them "secret hideaways... Read more ...

Hessequas Guest Farm Looking for a spot where you can let it all hang out? Hessequas is it! The concept is novel - a ring of tiny huts moulded from mud and straw, and a new 'family hut' called Cuckoo's Nest (which we haven't yet seen), both set in a... Read more ...

Keurbooms Canoe Trail Picture the scenario. While other Plett holidaymakers are waging war with traffic, supermarket queues and whining offspring, you're loading your provisions into a canoe, adjusting the bandana, and with an "Ahoy me hearties!" setting forth on you... Read more ...

Kunje Kunje Farm sits under a wall of mountain in a remote corner of the Koue Bokkeveld. A cool oasis in this harsh and beautiful wilderness, the accommodation takes the form of a bright, renovated farmhouse with a cottage attached, three newl... Read more ...

Leopard Trail Guestfarm Perched high on the Langeberg slopes, Leopard Trail Guestfarm offers an action-packed nature weekend. Walks, hikes, kloofing, mountain biking and three 4x4 trails, six farm dams for swimming and fishing, educational tours of the farm and mountain,... Read more ...

Matroosberg Private Nature Reserve Matroosberg Private Nature Reserve (doubling as a fruit and flower farm) lays claim to a sizeable and dramatic wedge of Matroosberg itself – at 2247m the Western Cape’s highest peak. This fact alone makes a weekend here a worthwhile ex... Read more ...

Oewerzicht Luxury Tented River Lodge & Farm Cottages A friendly fruit and cattle farm in the picturesque Greyton valley, Oewerzicht has grown in leaps and bounds since we first visited a few years ago. At last count the following were available: a luxury 'Out of Africa' style tented camp overlooking... Read more ...

Oppikoppie Self-catering Guesthouse Oppikoppie sounds like a built-to-order group getaway. Appointed on a hill, on a fruit and wine farm, it comprises an airy house with a catacomb of bedrooms that at a push can accommodate a large group of 15 laid... Read more ...

Outdoor Arena If it’s a sociable and active weekend you’re after, Outdoor Arena is for you! An enterprising farm on Bonnievale’s outskirts, it's carving an interesting niche in the weekend leisure market. On offer is a novel combined package o... Read more ...

Pat Busch Private Nature Reserve The setting of this farm-cum-reserve is stunning: a folded green valley below the towering Langeberg, segmented into multiple mini-valleys, each concealing further nooks and crannies crammed with trees, Cape fynbos and birdlife. There is lit... Read more ...

Port Jackson Farm Port Jackson Farm spells good old-fashioned V-A-L-U-E. For a few rand, you will be handed the keys to a fully equipped rambling farmhouse in an appealing valley called Boesmansrivier, lined with orchards, vineyards, sheep and crumbly buildings. Th... Read more ...

River Magic Cottages The name isn’t an exaggeration – both the setting and the three cottages, Backtrack, Glory Be and Base Huis, are magical. Set 300m from the river, Backtrack is an architecturally-styled stone, thatch and... Read more ...

House of Eels Yet another magical cottage built by organic architect, Jack Andrew, House of Eels is an architecturally-inspired affair, and although we haven't stayed there yet, what we have seen from our canoe certainly l... Read more ...

Rondeheuwel Guesthouse Contained within the thick cool walls of this renovated farmhouse (lying 9km inland from Arniston) are six bedrooms, two kitchens, two dining areas, two bathrooms and several fireplaces. The impressive thing about Rondeheuwel is the standard of fi... Read more ...

Suikerbossie Guest Farm Suikerbossie has evolved in leaps and bounds since the Budget Brak first visited a few years ago. What started out as a rough and ready experience is now the ‘safari getaway’ of the Koue Bokkeveld. A 1700ha farm pressed deep into this ... Read more ...

Tree Tops & Kardouw Farmhouse Tree Tops is a brilliant Amazon-meets-African-safari idea of five tiny timber cabins suspended on stilts in a poplar copse, pressed between an orange grove and the Olifants River. The cabins are linked by wooden walkways that converge on a c... Read more ...

Waterfalls Waterfalls is a rambling thatched house, 10km downstream from Stanford and a similar distance upstream from Hermanus. It is also the stuff of happy holidays, past and present. Lying across the way from host Elspeth and Richard’s home and sur... Read more ...

Good Hope Farm Guest Cottages From Robertson, a dirt road leads down a fairly unknown funnel of dry country called Agterkliphoogte. Then, over a small crest and Good Hope appears as a pristine pastoral scene backdropped by dramatic mountain. Over a second verge and one arrives... Read more ...