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Since meeting my man, Mat, by swiping right on Tinder four years ago, I’ve made it my mission every August to celebrate our respective birthdays, which are a week apart, by organising a slap-up road trip. This year I chose Coach House Hotel
It took months to organise – hotel, car and flights – but all the stress evaporated as we kicked back in our business class seats, courtesy of British Airways, on our flight from Cape Town to Jozi. I quickly forgot I was a lowly journo as we lounged back and joined the Executive Club in the front of the plane, spoilt for legroom and treated like a pair of rock star politicians by amazingly friendly and efficient BA crew.
The road trip began in our new luxury Toyota C-HR (I’ll do an in-depth review of the car in Travel Torque), and within a few hundred kilometres, the dry and flat Highveld landscape magically transformed into mountainous green forest. The route leading to our destination through Magoebaskloof in the northern Drakensberg has got to be one of the most beautiful unspoilt areas on this planet. Known as The Land of the Silver Mist, the mountainous views are breathtaking.
Pictures: Orion Hotels website
Situated just 12km outside Tzaneen, in a tiny hamlet called Agatha, the Coach House treated us to world-class hospitality from the moment we arrived.
Historically the Coach House, part of the Orion Hotel group, is an absolute gem, built on the site of a staging post popular with travellers during the gold rush in the late 19th century. The hotel is a perfect blend of heritage and up-to-date modern.
The suite we stayed in was large, airy and tastefully decorated, with a king-size bed swathed in cotton percale. Best of all was the private verandah that opened out on to heavenly views of the luscious Letsitele Valley. The rolling orchards, macadamia plantations, manicured gardens and world-class vistas make the Coach House an excellent wedding venue.
It is clearly popular for events as, during our stay, three separate conferences were held in venues on the 350 hectare estate. Service was excellent, ever-present but unobtrusive, overseen by Coach House manager, the stylish Blessing Murehwa.
The meals in the quaint Zeederberg Restaurant were wholesome and unpretentious – as a bit of an over-enthusiastic carnivore, I loved the excellent Bonsmara beef steaks.
The real gem of the Coach House was its magnificent spa. Both my man and I are total massage sluts – I’ve had hundreds – but I can truly vouch that the full body hot stone treatments we had at the Agatha Spa, situated on the edge of the property, were in the Top Three ever.
Needless to say when the time came for us to leave, it took a coach house of wild horses to drag us away.
- Ferguson was a guest at the Coach House.
- For more info see coachhousehotel.co.za
- Flights were courtesy of British Airways. For more info on British Airways Executive Club see britishairways.com
