The main homestead at Bartholomeus Klip is over a hundred years old but is filled with modern comforts, including air-conditioning for the hot days of summer.  It is surrounded by a wide shady verandah, with groups of comfortable seating overlooking the gardens, and the house itself is furnished with antiques and designer fabrics.

The scale of the house (there are only four bedrooms and an outside suite) means that you have the feeling of being a guest in a particularly charming and hospitable home. With three different sitting rooms, as well as the Deckhouse a short stroll away next to the lake, privacy is never an issue and, since we do not accept children under the age of 16, peace and quiet are assured.

Our smiling staff, some of whom were born at Bartholomeus Klip, delight in looking after guests, who they never fail to charm with their warm country manners.  A recent guest told us she felt that nothing was too much trouble for them, and that everything, from the fresh flowers everywhere to the special touches in the bedrooms, felt as if it was ‘lovingly’ done.

The gardens at Bartholomeus Klip flourish in the heat of the long summers.  Flowerbeds, old oak trees and extensive lawns surround the house, with loungers enticingly set out under umbrellas on the grass, and benches in secluded places perfect for absorbing the relaxed atmosphere. 

A wonderfully capacious circular farm dam has been converted into an unusual salt-water swimming pool, complete with a wide wooden deck for sunbathing or enjoying sundowner drinks overlooking the nature reserve, where you may spot the quaggas grazing in the evening light as the setting sun turns the mountains pink behind them.

Each of the comfortable bedrooms, with their specially made bedlinen, generous reading lamps and views onto the garden, has its own distinctive style, and returning guests often ask for their particular favourite. 

The separate suite, converted from farm outbuildings, is spacious and inviting, with a private verandah looking out over the reserve and up to the mountains.  Here you can sit in the evening and imagine yourself in the African heartland, listening to the clattering calls of the guinea fowl as the daylight fades and the owls begin to hoot their night time warnings.

The en-suite bathrooms are fitted with replicas of Victorian baths and basins, and in one a trompe l’oeil mural is the work of a local artist.  They are supplied with specially-made toiletries unique to Bartholomeus Klip, scented with herbs from the fynbos.