The award-winning Grootbos Private Nature Reserve offers five-star luxury accommodation in an eco-paradise, only two hours from Cape Town.
Grootbos has a 5-star rating on TripAdvisor and it’s easy to see why. Set in an exquisite reserve of Cape flora and fauna near a coastline brimming with marine life, this delightful setting also boasts heritage sites and shipwrecks to explore. When you’re done embarking on a guided eco adventure or wine tasting tour, you can experience the finest contemporary cuisine or indulge and a luxurious spa treatment before retiring to your elegant suite.
Your stay contributes directly to the Grootbos Foundation‘s conservation efforts, as well as to developing sustainable livelihoods amongst local communities.
All in a name
The name Grootbos comes from the Afrikaans word meaning ‘big forest’ or ‘thicket’, which was inspired by the ancient Milkwood forest in the reserve. This rare forest is one of few Milkwood forests of its type on earth and is officially protected in the Grootbos Nature Reserve. Milkwood trees are known to grow for over 1,000 years and their appearance creates a captivating ambience around Grootbos’s impeccable accommodation offerings.
National Geographic Unique Lodge
Grootbos is the only Western Cape establishment to be featured on the prestigious National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World list.
This list doesn’t simply feature hotels, but rather the materialisation of the ideas of dreamers: unique lodges with exquisite design and detail conceptualised around the desire to protect the cultures and surrounding ecosystems while providing a meaningful guest experience.
The lodge’s pledge to sustainable tourism, authenticity, and service excellence are scrutinised before it earns a spot on the list. National Geographic lodge experts spend time at the retreat, assess operations, meet with everyone from the general manager to the kitchen staff to assure that all the boxes are checked.
The dreamer behind Grootbos
In May 1991, Michael Lutzeyer, owner of Grootbos, moved his family to his 2,500-hectare plot of land between the villages of Stanford and Gaansbai. After fourteen years, the dilapidated farmland of Grootbos has been transformed to an expansive nature reserve with two 5-star lodges and an exclusive luxury villa.
A peek at Grootbos’s introduction video leaves one feeling intrigued.
When Year round
Where Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, R43 Between Stanford and Gansbaai
Cost From R2,790 to R 5,170 per person per night. Click here for rates.
Contact +27 28 384 8008, [email protected]
Photography courtesy
