Schoone Oordt Country House

Location & Setting

Old trees and gardens surround the house. Bontebok National Park is a few minutes’ drive, and the mountain trails of Marloth Nature Reserve are close. De Hoop Nature Reserve, known for southern right whales in season, makes a good day trip. Museums, cafés and the old church are an easy walk.

The house goes back to the early 1800s, when Johannes Zacharias Human, a prominent Swellendam burgher and benefactor of the town, built a large, square, two-story home in the English Georgian style. The filigree veranda came later, in Victorian times. Herman and Dulcie Moore bought it in 1968 after it had stood empty for almost ten years and restored it, and in 1983 it was given heritage status.

Rooms

Each of the eleven rooms is decorated differently, with antiques, good bedding, en suite bathrooms, tea and coffee and views of the garden or the mountains. The Honeymoon Suite was once the bakery and the Family Cottage the coach-house, and a Family Suite makes room for children; the veranda rooms open onto shaded seating. Wi-Fi is strongest in the shared rooms, and the family who run the house are very much present.

Facilities

There is a lounge, a bar, the Conservatory restaurant and a saltwater pool among lawns and roses. Breakfast is built on local produce and fresh baking, and dinner brings Overberg flavors and a good wine list. There is secure parking, and laundry is done on request.