Cathedral Peak Hotel

Nestled in a tranquil and secluded valley in the heart of the Drakensberg lies Cathedral Peak Hotel, providing premier accommodation and entertainment surrounded by the magnificent peaks of some of the World Heritage Site’s most impressive and iconic mountains.

When Albert van der Riet first laid eyes on this valley in the early 1900s, he had a vision of a secluded hotel that would be closer to the mountains than any other hotel at the time. For the past 80 years, the van der Riet family have been offering the ultimate Drakensberg experience and it’s a privilege to look back on this unbroken history.

Guests are accommodated in 104 spacious and well-appointed rooms, ranging from standard, family and superior rooms to Executive/ Honeymoon Suites and the private Presidential Suite, providing the ultimate in luxury for up to 254 guests.

With a staggering array of facilities, activities and adventures on your doorstep, you’ll never want for entertainment at Cathedral Peak Hotel. Unrivalled access to the Drakensberg mountains sees 18 stunning walks and hikes leaving from the hotel, ranging from gentle riverside strolls to scaling the summit of the Cathedral Peak itself. Those looking for more speed will revel in mountain bike trails, jogging routes, horse rides, quad biking and a helicopter for nearby sightseeing flights.

The whole family can enjoy sport in the sun on the hotel grounds, with on-site facilities including tennis, beach volleyball and badminton courts, bowling green, children’s playground, mini golf course, a climbing tower and both heated and cool swimming pools.

The crowning jewel is the hotel’s very own 9-hole golf course, with alternate tees for an 18-hole game, ranging a glorious 5542m through the valley and ending at a beautiful clubhouse with panoramic mountain views.

For those looking for indoor entertainment one will not be disappointed. Wet weather days are taken care of with a games room, table tennis, squash, a fully-equipped gym, and if you’re seeking inner peace, look no further than a pamper session from professional therapists at the hotel’s Wellness Centre.

A team of top-class chefs ensure a delicious array of culinary delights, with extensive buffets at breakfast, lunch and dinner. And once the day is done, guests can relax and reminisce at Albert’s Cocktail Bar, or keep the party going long into the night in Harry’s Bar with pool table, dart board and big screen TV’s.

For idyllic mountain weddings, our charming 120-seater stone-and-thatch chapel is set in beautiful natural gardens, and has an expansive window behind the pulpit boasting breath-taking views of some of the Drakensberg’s most magnificent mountains. Revel in stunning views as you say your vows and begin your new life together with an unforgettable wedding.

Year-end functions, team-building adventures and professional conferences are all catered to with comprehensive equipment, unforgettable experiences and a stunning environment that will leave your attendees feeling energised and excited.

Whether you’re looking for a family get-away, a romantic wedding or honeymoon, or a motivating conference, our dedicated team look forward to welcoming you to the ultimate Drakensberg experience.

Fordoun Hotel and Spa

Fordoun Hotel and Spa is an award winning five-star luxury boutique hotel and spa located near Nottingham Road in the scenic KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. It is a family owned and managed destination with a history dating back to the 1800’s. Fordoun has a strong ethos on personalised hospitality and authenticity. The hotel comprises 22 luxurious, comfortable individually styled rooms and the relatively new addition self-catering farm village offering 9 fully equipped cottages, a chapel and a wedding/conference venue.

With panoramic views of the Drakensberg, in a tranquil country setting, the feeling of romance is almost tangible. Fordoun was created with the vision that every guest should leave feeling rejuvenated, find value in their Fordoun experience and change guests’ lives!

Fordoun is located in the rolling grasslands of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, where the air is crystal-clear and smog and traffic are echoes of another lifestyle. Guests can enjoy gentle walks around the grounds, visit the herb garden of Dr Ndlovu, or ride on mountain bikes along designated routes through the Fordoun estate. Fly-fishing is available on three still water dams at Fordoun or in season; in the pristine waters of the nearby Bushman’s or Mooi River. Golf is available at the magnificent Bosch Hoek or Gowrie Farm courses which are both just a few minutes away.

We offer three categories of rooms namely: Luxury, Deluxe Dam Facing and the Superior Mountain View rooms offering panoramic views of the Drakensberg.

Fordoun Hotel encapsulates the grandeur of a bygone era while embracing all modern life’s creature comforts. With only 22 individually-styled bedrooms, attention to detail and personalised service reigns supreme.

Fordoun Spa is in the heart of Nottingham Road, Midlands Meander and boasts a team of experts that include skilled masseuses, Reiki and Bio-energy specialists, a traditional African Healer and highly trained aestheticians.

The spa features internationally acclaimed treatments such as the rasul, (a Turkish steam and clay treatment room), a saline Floatation pool, a indoor and outdoor swimming pool, a gymnasium, sauna, steam room, hydrotherapy, and two couples treatment suites. One of the couple suites offers a hydrotherapy bath.

Treatments include:

Aromatherapy body and bath treatments, using exotic blends of essential oils to suit each customer’s needs
Totally unique African treatments which include the Indulgent African Earth Experience and the Inkomfe (African Potato) healing wraps
Hydrotherapy baths and showers
Various massages, including Deep Tissue massage, Ndukuduku massage, Swedish and Aromatherapy

Feet and hand treatments (Reflexology, Manicure & Pedicure)
Waxing
Lash and brow tinting
Body scrubs and spray tanning
A range of facials tailor made for every skin type
An array of high intensity slimming treatments that target all parts of the body
Pampering massages and treatments for our “Mums to be”

Hartford House

Peering through one teakwood door at Hartford House, you face the splendour of the 1800s. Opening another, the distant sounds of an ancient people at work lilt across the silent landscape, a country of great space, spectacular mountains and big skies. This place commands a headland between the world of traditional cultures and the gracious style of a bygone era.

Hartford is the resolution of all South African safaris, the journey’s exclamation point. A retreat from the hubbub where you make sense of a fast life and its senseless details, and where we learn to redress ourselves on a first name basis. There are too many luxury hotels in the world offering the same: a chocolate on the pillow, canned romance, and cuisine called “haut” because it’s spelled in French.

Hartford stands apart for its authenticity. Its architecture, views, dining, sounds and scents, its racehorses and its people are all exhilarating surprises, unique to this Zululand, this culture, to Africa.

Yes, you come here to be pampered, but at Hartford luxury is the journey, not the destination.

The truth is, Hartford just happened. A home, and a grand one at that, which grew into a hotel. A community looks to it as its watering hole, its nexus of entertainment, its fountain of gossip.

In so many ways, it’s gained and regained inspiration from the cultures it celebrates. It is life’s exception, a place at the same time comfortable beyond dreams, yet innocent of pretence.

Antbear Eco Lodge

The Antbear Lodge is situated in the Drakensberg Mountains and is a perfect base to explore the very best of what this region offers. The Drakensberg Mountains are renowned for their dramatic natural beauty spectacular mountain scapes, waterfalls and sunsets. And don’t forget about the bushman rock art paintings made by the San people over a period of 4000 years. Come and be inspired by their history and spirituality.

Essentially we are an accommodation provider offering 15 individually styled units as either en-suite doubles, family units or luxury suites. Our most unique accommodation is our luxury cave which blends into its environment to create an atmosphere of privacy and seclusion. Glass doors open onto a wooden deck with hammock chairs with an uninterrupted panoramic view of the Drakensberg Mountains. You could even consider a romantic private dining experience on the deck of your cave under the stars.

The natural setting is stunning and we have managed to make the accommodation fit in with ease. Each of the units are different and are separate from each other creating a feeling of generosity. The rooms are smartly appointed and individually designed for comfort. And have the features like fireplaces and jacuzzi spa baths. We have put a huge amount of effort into making our own wooden furniture which includes tables, chairs, headboards, windows, doors and light fittings. In fact you will discover unique and eccentric wooden furniture everywhere in the lodge. Artistic design is captured through wooden hinges, engraved glass and mosaics. If you feel like seeing how we make our furniture feel free to put your nose into our workshop.

We are one of those places where everyone dines together. It makes for great conversation is and is a perfect opportunity to plan your next day. We use our own organic vegetable garden. We have our own chickens for eggs, cows for milk, make own cheese, butter and yogurt and bake our own bread. Sustainability is a huge part of the ethos of our lodge.

We have used alternative materials like straw bales to build the place and use solar for heating water and a reed bed filter cleaning waste water.

There is plenty to do here besides relaxing. I have a pilots license and a microlight at the lodge. If the weather is good I love to take guests with me. To glide together with the vultures or fly along the Drakensberg escarpment is often considered as the highlight of a tour. We practice the softer horse whispering techniques to train our horses and offer out rides that are particularly suited to beginners and first timers. There are hiking trails to fit every level of fitness, even guided. The vulture hides at Giants Castle are perhaps the best options available anywhere to see and photograph these birds. Or add a bit of adrenalin with a canopy tour. Visit the Nelson Mandela Capture site while you explore our local arts and craft route with cheese tastings, chocolate dipping and meeting some of the artists themselves.

So if your looking for a place where art, beauty and time away are important then Antbear Lodge is worth a second look. We invite you to came and share some of our dream, some of our alternative, sustainable and relaxed way of life. We look forward to welcoming you.

Antbear Lodge

What makes this Drakensberg accommodation option so special is that we are offering cozy & comfortable accommodation in a luxury cave. Glass doors open onto a wooden deck with hammock chairs and an uninterrupted view of the Drakensberg Mountains. We also offer accommodation in mountain view suites and garden view suites. This is an upmarket Eco experience.

We are very honored to be able to serve you. We love our work at Antbear Lodge and are proud of what we have achieved together. Some of us have been here from the very first day. We support each other and because we know that together we are stronger. Whats more we would love to meet you and host you at Antbear Lodge soon.

We cook all our meals from scratch and use our own organic vegetable garden. We have our own chickens for eggs, own cows for milk, we bake our own bread and even make our own cheese.

The best way to say this is in the middle of nowhere. We are perfectly located to explore the very best of the Drakensberg offers and are situated towards Giants Castle. Easy access to Kamberg, Champagne Valley and the Kwazulu Natal Midlands

The lodge is artistic in style and offers 2 lounges, a wine cellar, a small bar and a dining room. We offer the option of hosted dinning at a communal table or if you would prefer you can also sit at an own table. We also offer the option of private dining where we setup a table on the deck of your cave and you dine by candlelight under the stars.

This Drakensberg accommodation lodge practices small scale farming permaculture. We have a small flock of sheep, 3 milk cows, horses, donkeys, a pig, and a few chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese. For us it is important that the animals are well kept and live a good life.

There is a lot to do or you could just chill out. The main attraction is the Drakensberg Mountains so a visit to Giants Castle and some hiking is a great idea. Or you could visit one of the best rock art sites in South Africa at Kamberg. We offer horse trails ideally suited to beginners. There is the option to fly in a hot air balloon, glide with vultures in a microlight or a game drive in the Zulu Waters Private Game Reserve.

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Kwazulu Natal Midlands & Battlefields

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