The Greenwood Guide shines a light on the charming, citrus-farming, polo-playing village of Addo. Due to its proximity to the famous elephant park, this is fertile territory for places to stay, and as always it is our job to sift, pan and winnow through the places on offer for the gems. The below stand out as wonderful places to stay, whether you want to see the elephants or not. Highly recommended.
Lupus Den Country House
Call 042 234 0447
Priscilla and Noel have not needed to learn any tricks about how to host. They are just naturally hospitable people who make you feel instantly at home and relaxed. When I arrived, lunch was waiting and, with a homemade lemon drink, I already felt part of the furniture. They have been living in their farmhouse for 40 years – although the land has been in the family since 1894 – and have made some adjustments to make the rooms all the more comfortable. The latest of these – three new large rooms, each with a private entrance – are in Garden Cottage.
Two have outdoor showers and all have air-con. Their citrus and cattle farm is on the friendly dirt roads between Addo and Kirkwood. And when I say friendly, I mean locals waved hello to me all the way there! The garden, surrounded by citrus groves, blooms with bougainvillaea and an abundance of other flowers and trees. The tiled swimming pool and an enormous tipuanu tree are two of the gardens’ greatest assets, while vine-shaded terraces are the perfect places of repose after a rendezvous with the elephants in Addo (only 20 minutes away). When staying at Lupus Den you can be a tourist by day out in the parks and feel like a local when back in the fold. A true farm B&B with home cooking – hard to beat.
The Elephant House
Call 042 2332462
The bush telegraph gave advance notice of the many charms at Elephant House. Many tourists and other guesthouse owners had urged us to visit. It’s a stunning house, the brainchild of one night’s sleepless pondering by Anne who mapped the whole thing out in her head: a small, lawned courtyard surrounded on three sides by thatched and shady verandas.
The house is, in a sense, inside out. The drawing room leads to a dining room on the veranda (with antiques and Persian rugs). All the bedrooms open onto the veranda too and dinner (advertised with an African gong) is served there on silver and crystal.
Elegant evening meals are lit to stunning effect with lampshades made of Tuareg bowls. Lawns, indigenous trees and the racehorse stud surround the house, though the gallopers were recently relocated to another paddock 1km away to make room for Clive’s new baby, the informal Wine Bar & Cafe.
The Elephant House bedrooms are luxurious affairs with antique furniture, carpets, thick duvets and deep beds; the internet room is handy, as is the morning tea or coffee that’s brought to your bed, if so desired.
The Family Suite, which is separated from the main house, retains the same charm but is a little cosier. The Elephant House also runs open-vehicle game drives in Addo, morning and afternoon.
Hopefield Country House
Call 042 234 0333
My mother, a conductor-pianist, would go bananas over Hopefield. Kobus actually has to pause and count when I ask how many pianos they have about the house (five, he thinks) and the soothing strains of chamber music, opera and choral melodies linger in the orange blossom-sweet air of this 15-hectare citrus farm.
Known throughout Addo as The Music Boys, Kobus and Gerhard did time in Gauteng’s fast-paced record industry before repairing to Kobus’s family home (along with their miniature schnauzers Horatio and Ophelia) to do what they love best: playing music, gardening and entertaining. And though the Beethoven busts, baby grands and roses named after composers will excite musos, there’s plenty here for everyone.
Sun-worshippers may lounge in the rose-packed garden (52 varieties), safe in the knowledge that Kobus is “happy to carry G and Ts to the pool on a regular basis”.
Disciples of design will adore one-off furniture pieces, unique bathtubs, private verandas, elegant Jack Vettriano prints, and chess-themed artwork.
Gastronomes mustn’t miss orchard-fresh orange juice at breakfast or the gourmet dinners. Let’s just say, you won’t be getting a spatula of lasagne and a bag of chips, and Gerhard makes the best creme brûlée this side of the Mediterranean. Hopefield is a truly vibrant place to stay.
Riverbend Lodge
Call 042 233 8000
Within one hot hour of PE airport I was sipping a refreshing lemonade, squeezed from one of eight variants of citrus plantations at RiverBend. Soon I’d moved on to vetkoek, followed by a fanned power kip and a speed-dip in the pool. And now six of us were out spotting on a game drive – the sun, scent and space of the bush dissipating the rest of the world into the dust clouds behind us. I’ve been to Addo and been lucky enough to experience several other game drives up and down the country, but in this 400-odd-minute taster of the Nyathi section of the park I felt I could have just landed from Heathrow. As Stef said, this park knows its drawcards and RiverBend specialises in providing an effortless, enchanting and affecting experience. - Cape Times