+1 347-708-1755
Holiday to South Africa
Simon & Verity Peatfield, 20th October 2024We had a really great trip but the highlight by far for all of us was Kamara House and Thornybush Reserve.
Accommodation Visited
One & Only Cape Town
“Great location, good spa, nice pool area (clean, well landscaped), good cocktails, spacious and clean suite.
Some elements of breakfast were underwhelming (poached eggs were basically hard boiled eggs, stale muffins, quality of the smoked salmon was poor), the main bar area is looking a little bit tired in places and they forgot Darcy's birthday on the day (although there was a happy birthday cupcake & message in the room when we checked in - I guess I thought they might do something for her at breakfast on the day). These are pretty minor issues though - they got all the important stuff right.
Overall though , a great base for the CT leg.”
Babylonstoren Farm Hotel
“This was our least favorite segment of the holiday and, in retrospect, I think we all wish we'd done Babylonstoren as a day trip from Cape Town with a stop in Franschhoek on the way back for dinner. The issue was that there's not a lot for teenagers to do as they're not allowed to do the wine cellar tours or wine tasting (obviously) but they were too old to be occupied by a run around the gardens and for the activities like bread baking (the other kids were about 2-6 years old!). They did enjoy the pool area and bombing around in the golf cart though!
We also found the food to be a bit hit-and-miss. The pastries, snacks, coffees and juices in the bakery in the daytime were amazing and the charcuterie and cheese platters that they serve with the informal wine tasting experience were awesome, but Babel's dinner menu was very limited (3 choices for starter - 2 of which were cold asparagus or cold carrots - and 3 choices for main). The Greenhouse menu was better and the food was decent but when we asked for tomato ketchup to go with a burger, we were told that they don't serve ketchup but they have their own 'burger relish'. We said we'd try that and they brought a little bowl of warm pasta sauce (definitely not burger relish). It was literally a bowl of passata. They brought the same warm 'tomato sauce' at breakfast the next day with the eggs. I just felt that was ridiculous and they seem to be taking themselves too seriously.”
Thornybush Game Lodge
“An absolutely phenomenal stay at Kamara House - as a venue it was faultless (very spacious, beautifully furnished, well equipped, well maintained and very private) and the staff were also flawless. Both the cooking and quality of the food that was prepared multiple times a day by Chef Shane was AMAZING and the team (Vero, the butler plus the 2 housekeeping ladies) that looked after us were awesome. We actually had the best steak that we had all holiday here which I did not expect as everyone raves about the food in CT and Franschhoek.
Best of all, however, were our guide, Caden, and his tracker, John The Best. They were both exceptional by every metric. Caden's extensive knowledge of and enthusiasm for what he does is apparent and infectious but he is also able to engage and connect on a personal basis with anyone he talks to, including my two teenage daughters and this is no mean feat! Caden is both interesting and interested. John The Best is a similarly impressive human who achieved legendary status amongst our family within 48 hours of meeting us. It was a total privilege to share their vehicle and hear their stories / facts, and a delight to observe the respect and close relationship between the two of them. They went out of their way in their attempts to show us a huge variety of animals, even chasing down wild dogs for us. I suspect my girls will recall memories of Caden and John The Best at the family dinner table for years to come.
Not only would I thoroughly recommend them as a guide / tracker duo, I would go so far as to follow them to another reserve if they were to move on before we can return to Thornybush. They truly made the experience something to remember forever. Please make sure that they are aware of the impact they had on our experience.”
Staff Review
“Absolutely excellent. Caroline's recommendation of Kamara House was exactly what I had asked for (privacy, space, a pool and great game viewing) - I only wish we'd stayed there for 5 nights as she originally recommended! She was very patient with me in the planning stages, chatting with me at length several times. In addition, she took the time to call and ensure we were fully briefed a few days before we left for our trip.”
