Karoo View Cottages

Budget Getaways Review

Appointed just outside Prince Albert is Karoo View Cottages - four stylish farmstyle units with an outlook that delivers on the name.

With the tin roofs and church spires of Prince Albert in the foreground, and the jagged peaks of the Swartberg cutting the distant skyline, this is quintessential Klein Karoo.??

Kanon, Ferox, Krans and Striata are semi-detached units, each with private entrance and outside living area, while the Stoep Unit offers a compact self-catering option. 

Step inside and you’ll discover a tastefully decorated interior, with plenty of attention to detail in evidence. The units are individually decorated in a mix of old-world country and modern, with screed floors, exposed beams, riet ceilings, open hearths, flatscreen TV, free WiFi and percale linen, are the order of the day.

The layout in each is open-plan, with accommodation for three (excluding cot, should you need it), a generous fully-equipped kitchen, and a bathroom clad in slate tiles and His and Hers vanities nogal. Depending on the unit there's either a large walk-in shower or bath. The cottages are serviced daily, and two of the units are fully wheelchair-friendly. 

An inter-leading door between each unit allows the option of taking a full cottage should you need the extra space.

The Stoep Unit is self contained and offers a well-appointed open plan bedroom with ensuite bathroom. Fitted out with a small kitchenette, lounge and dining area, the unit offers a cool escape with its double volume read ceilings. Sleeping up to three, the Stoep Unit includes a private braai area and use of the boma and plunge pool.

Now drag yourself away from your cool sanctuary and take a stroll through the succulent garden, down to the stone lapa and its communal fireplace and plunge pool. Trust us, there are worse places to spend a balmy evening under the stars, tanning a Karoo chop or two.

If you're feeling a tad antisocial after a tough day negotiating trucks on the N1 there are an additional three private braai areas dotted around the garden, each fully kitted with grid, kindling, firelighters and braai wood. Man, is life tough…??

Included in the rate is a self-help breakfast hamper filled with tasty bits and bobs, including fresh milk and fruit juice. Karoo View breakfast of champions behind you, what to do with the rest of the day? Everything or nothing, the choice is yours…

Chill out on your stoep with Shades of Grey. Suitably stimulated, take a stroll into the village and admire those church spires (ahem...), Karoo archtitecture, galleries, coffee shops and buzzing Saturday morning market. Go big and head up the Swartberg Pass by car (or mountain bike for some). When you get to the top swing a right and continue down to Gamkaskloof (Die Hel) - which you'll reach (if you are lucky) about two hours later by car.

But as one recent guest puts it, “Be warned, one night here is simply not enough.”

We would agree.