There are the getaways that you plan – the ones you’ve been looking forward to for months, the ones that have taken painstaking levels of organisation, the ones you arrange your annual leave around. Then there are the ones that just pop up on your horizon, like a rubber duck, and you think, “Huh. Why not?” Taking a half-price Groupon deal to De Kleijne Bos Country House was the latter decision, and it was a good one.
De Kleijne Bos is an old farm house – dating back to 1692 – halfway between Wellington and Paarl. Although it’s still a working farm, providing Boland Cellars with grapes and the local areas with guavas, you couldn’t call it rustic. Glossy dark wooden floors, heavy doors, chandeliers, and gilt embroidered chairs place the aesthetic closer to Versailles than country-charm. The Cape Dutch is everywhere in the details though, with copper kettles, old sewing machines, and bureaux peppered throughout the place.
Hanging next to the fireplace in the lounge is the biggest set of bellows I’ve ever seen – can’t think how else they’d be operated but by jumping on them, like a trampoline.
As someone who’s more interested in campfires than chocolates on a pillow, it’s not the sort of place I’d usually splash out on. But there’s a funny thing that happens with spontaneity – it changes your priorities. Instead of obsessing over the details, you can just appreciate where you are – and when that place is De Kleijne Bos, there’s a lot to appreciate, even for a savage like me. I spent a lazy afternoon reading in dappled sunlight next to the pool, under the Drakenstein mountains without a care in the world. And seeing as a private function was being held on the front lawn, I was even able to enjoy the sax wafting under the oak trees.
There are only eight rooms, which is one of the reasons it’s an expensive break. A luxury room is R1 500 per couple per night, including breakfast – not prohibitive for splashing out on an end-of-year winelands retreat, but certainly more than your average spontaneous night out. However, the half-price Groupon deal runs until 21 November which should make you tilt your head sideways and go, “Reeeaaaallly?”
If you’ve missed that special, don’t worry: there will be others. If you’re looking for something new, check out the other Groupon specials to see if there’s a spot that takes your fancy.
