Quick Facts
E 19°46'31''
Budget Getaways Review
For a moment throw your mind back to those long roadtrip days in the family Cortina, thighs glued to the vinyl under a blazing Karoo sky, the smell of hardboiled eggs in Melamine, the endless cycles of I Spy, the mind-numbing stretches of barbed wire and the NG Kerk spires that remained forever as mere mirages on the horizon.
But then, finally, relief! The euphoria of rolling into the wide main street and pulling up at the local Royal for lunch…
The good news is your classic dorp hotel experience is seeing a revival, and the Calvinia Hotel is a perfect case in point.
Formally the Royal Hotel, which back in the 1920‘s housed lavish banquets and dances for the likes of the Earl of Athlone and Princess Alice, The Calvinia Hotel has been lovingly restored, while maintaining much of its historical character.
Sitting right in the heart of town on Kerk Straat, at the foot of the spectacular Hantam Mountains, the Calvinia has a total of eight tastefully decorated double rooms, five singles and four family units (each sleeping four). All come kitted with quality linen, telly with local channels and tea- and coffee-making facilities. There’s secure parking for the Cortina as well.
There is an option of either fans or air con - critical in this part of the world. If you're out to impress, you can opt for the honeymoon suite, with King bed and a fireplace.
Central to the hotel’s lekker vibe and open hospitality is the Kontrei Kombuis restaurant and charming bar, housed downstairs and serving as a watering hole for nearby farmers, guests and other locals. The Kontrei serves the full whack of hearty country dinners, lunches and breakfasts.
Then there’s a lounge area where you can chill out, as well as beer garden and... wait for it... a roof-top swimming pool, where you can catch a birds eye view of town while taking a wallow. Alternatively, drag yourself over to the front porch and observe the comings and goings of Calvinia proper.
Offering value-for-money, classic country charm and plenty of options to keep you and your team fed, rested and watered, it’s hardly surprising the guest feedback looks the way it does: “I will be back, really enjoyed my stay.” “Beautiful dining room and rustic bar setting, we had a wonderful stay.”
Be it a trip up north to see the spring flowers or a wild weekend at Calvinia’s Vleis Fees, we reckon The Calvinia Hotel is well worth packing the wagon for - a Groot Karoo dorp stay that’s bound to be a lot of fun.
Where You'll Also Find Us
Arniston (Waenhuiskrans) • Barrydale • Beaufort West • Betty's Bay • Bonnievale • Bot River • Bredasdorp • Caledon • Calitzdorp • Cape Agulhas and Struisbaai • Cape Town area • Ceres • Citrusdal • Clanwilliam & Cederberg • Darling • De Rust • Franschhoek • Gansbaai • George • Grabouw & Elgin Valley • Greyton • Heidelberg • Hermanus • Knysna • Ladismith • Laingsburg • Lamberts Bay • Langebaan • Malgas • Matjiesfontein • McGregor • Montagu • Mossel Bay • Napier • Oudtshoorn • Paarl • Paternoster • Plettenberg Bay • Porterville • Prince Albert • Pringle Bay • Pringle Bay, Betty's Bay and Kleinmond • Riebeek West and Riebeek-Kasteel • Riversdale • Riviersonderend • Robertson • St Helena Bay • Stanford • Stilbaai • Strand, Gordon's Bay and Somerset West • Swellendam • Tulbagh • Uniondale • Velddrif • Vermaaklikheid • Wellington • Wilderness • Witsand • Worcester & Hex Valley • Yzerfontein • Baviaanskloof • Cape St Francis • Cape St Francis & St Francis Bay • East London • Graaff-Reinet • Hogsback • Jeffreys Bay • Makhanda (Grahamstown) • Middelburg • Nieu-Bethesda • Rhodes • Sutherland