Dubbed the biggest awards show of the year, Kfm 94.5 invited the people of Cape Town to vote across 30 categories for the 2022 Best of the Cape Awards. No funny business, just you choosing the Mother City’s finest. And Cape {town} Etc is adding to the gees by proudly supporting each winner.
Stay tuned: over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing a full feature story on each of your favourites. Pack your bags – and best bikini or baggies. This is the ‘Best Hotel’ in Cape Town:
The best hotel winner: Avalon Springs Resort
Just two hours from Cape Town is Avalon Springs Resort – a slice of paradise in the mountainous town of Montagu. It’s not only the staff that are warm and welcoming here but the natural hot springs too which bubble at a steamy 43°C year round.
Hotsprings with history:
Judging by some early “graffiti” which was found during the excavations of the present-day pool complex, humans are believed to have known about the springs since the late 1700s. The “graffiti” is a chiselled rock inscription by an “A.J. De Wit” dated 1812.
It’s believed that a ‘Trekboer’ (pioneer farmer) had injured his hand repairing a wheel on one of his ox wagons. While nursing his injury in a nearby stream, he discovered that the water was warm and decided to trace the stream …
The hot springs had been discovered!
As the story goes, the farmer’s hand healed in no time at all. The news of this “miracle spring” quickly spread throughout the Cape Colony. People started coming from all over the country (and the world) to experience this natural wonder for themselves.
While we now know that these waters are extremely rich in minerals, there are still some healing properties yet to be fully understood. We reckon it’s the magic of Mother Nature in the Cape.
History before the history:
Based on the fact that there is Khoi San rock art in caves in the greater Montagu area, we can assume that the springs were known to these people for hundreds – possibly thousands – of years before the aforementioned “discovery”. So, the real date of the origin of the spring is lost in the mists of time.
Leaving history to the past:
People still flock from all over the globe to experience this natural wonder, and Avalon Springs Resort makes the experience that much sweeter.
Since 1982, these springs have been part of the Avalon Springs Spa Resort Hotel. Though the journey, as well as the levels of comfort enjoyed, are much improved since 200 years ago, the springs are as natural and perfect as they have always been, flowing naturally from a fissure in the rock face in a cavern some five meters underground.
Although the water comes to the surface at 43°C, it reaches the Resort’s various pools at different temperatures due to the distance the water travels. The rate of flow is unaffected, even by the worst droughts that the area has experienced because it comes from deep underground – about three kilometres.
The water is 100% clear and clean with a near-perfect PH when it reaches the surface. It contains a number of minerals, chemicals and other trace elements, undergoing natural filtration and picks up properties of the various rock strata that it is being forced through.
This natural perfection allows Avalon Springs to pump the water directly into the various available pools and spa baths without treating, or in any way changing it. As such, visitors are able to enjoy these waters in their most natural form. For hygiene reasons the water is chlorinated, but is not recycled and is continuously drained off into the river that flows past the property. This is really as natural as it gets.
The resort also has a cold swimming pool by popular demand, perfect for steamy summer days.
Bathe your way:
A family getaway, romantic runaway or solo trip for the soul, Avalon Springs Resort is the perfect place to experience the best of the Cape’s inland glory. On the property is a health spa, restaurant, cafeteria, bars and lounges to enjoy. As for accommodation, there’s something for everyone and every occasion.
There are 28 mountain chalets that house six people which have built-in braai areas, a lounge with one double sleeper couch, a fully fitted open plan kitchen and dinette, and two double bedrooms each with a full bathroom en suite. They all have their own exclusive spa baths with temperatures averaging 37°C. Enjoy full access to resort facilities.
Also available to book are 20 fully equipped hotel rooms with queen-size beds. There are five options to choose from with varying costs according to your budget.
Finally, there are 30 self-catering apartments – neat and spacious, accommodating four to a maximum of six guests.
Pruned and ready for adventure:
During school holidays (March to April), the resort puts a lekker programme together for youngsters, and when you’re not bathing your time away, there’s a bounty of on and off-site activities to enjoy.
On-site activities:
- Tennis courts
- Various hot natural spring pools
- Coldwater pool
- Kiddies pools and slides
- Bicycle hire
- Aviary
- Walks and hikes
- Waterslide
- Putt Putt
Off-site activities:
- Golf / Squash/ Bowls
- Wine routes
- Museum / Historical walk / Herbal garden
- Mountaintop tractor ride
- Breede River boat ride
- Working farm visits
- Mountain bike trails
- Cactus gardens
- Watersports / Fishing
Avalon Springs Resort has been crowned for contributing to, and uplifting, the local economy, for its quality accommodation, wonderful facilities and excellent service.
Avalon Springs Resort’s details:
- Website: www.avalonsprings.co.za
- Location: Uitvlucht Str, Montagu, Western Cape
- Bookings: [email protected]
- Contact: 023 614 1150 | 023 614 1150 (Whatsapp)
- Note: no day visitors are allowed from 22 March 2022
The finalists in this category were:
- Avalon Springs Resort in Montagu
- Old Mac Daddy in Elgin
- Radisson RED in V&A Waterfront
- The President Hotel in Bantry Bay
- Views Boutique Hotel & Spa in Wilderness
The 2021 winner of this category: Avalon Springs Resort in Montagu
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