Get away from it all at Hawksmoor House

Published Mar 14, 2015

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Cape Town - Like you, I check TripAdvisor. And it was there that I read glowing reports of magnificent sunsets at Hawksmoor House.

They are things of nature, which we’ve established as being rather unpredictable, so they cannot be guaranteed when making your booking, but we made sure we got there well in time just in case. And in the days and hours leading up to our arrival, I must have checked Accuweather about a dozen times, refusing to believe the cloudless blue skies intended changing to rain.

When you want Accuweather to be wrong it never is, so we checked into the Milk Room at Hawksmoor House under an overcast sky. I shrugged off the disappointment and ignored my plus one, who immediately pointed out there was no television, and climbed into bed for a nap.

There is not only no television, but no wi-fi, and no phone in the room. Hawksmoor House is somewhere you go to really relax and get away from it all. I was delighted.

It’s on the outskirts of Stellenbosch - to your left as you turn off the N1. There is a Big House where you do get all the mod cons that aren’t in the room, and where breakfast is served on the stoep or at the long communal dining table.

It’s centuries old Cape Dutch, and there is accommodation there too. Ours was down the road a bit, which meant nice little walks when we needed something, and even when we didn’t.

Our room was very, very white; I’m not sure if that’s why it’s called the Milk Room, but more likely because this is or was a dairy farm. There are still cows around, I heard them.

We dined on a “light” supper in our room - a massive wooden platter of meats, cheeses, and dips borne to us by the muscular David (yes, really).

And what do you know? At the appointed hour, the clouds parted and we were treated to a blazing sunset of orange and pink.

* Hawskmoor House, Matjieskuil Farm, East-Rural, Stellenbosch, is part of the Lion Roar’s portfolio of country retreats. Telephone 021 884 4815 or see www.hawksmoor.co.za for more information.

Weekend Argus

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