How do you design luxury accommodation that caters for your guests’ every whim while at the same time blends effortlessly into the surrounding wilderness? In this case, a great deal of sensitivity and understanding of the surrounding landscape went into the refurbishment of the rooms at the Kagga Kamma Private Game Reserve in the Western Cape, resulting in a faultless merging of man-made spaces with nature.

Situated in an untouched wilderness area south of the Cederberg mountains three hours from Cape Town, the game reserve recently revamped its facilities into a welcoming retreat of serenity and starlit skies. Home to bushman 6 000 years ago, the reserve is renowned for its scenic beauty and dramatic rock formations typical of the Cederberg as well as its rich cultural heritage featuring hundreds of bushman rock paintings and art.

Kagga Kamma’s accommodation is nestled between typical Table Mountain-like sandstone formations and resembles bushman caves and rondavels. It is made up of luxurious huts, outdoor rooms, conference facilities, a health and beauty spa, an open air boma restaurant and a swimming pool built into the Cederberg rock formations, offering views from the escarpment into the Ceres-Karoo 700m below.

Earlier this year, a decision was taken to refurbish five of the huts in order to create a more natural look that would blend with the outdoors, and which also included a complete revamp of the bathrooms. The interior design work was undertaken by Kagga Kamma’s managing director Hein de Waal and Paarl-based architect Johan van Rensberg, who teamed up to create a design that would meet the high standards of the accommodation’s four-star luxury status.

“Our signature look and feel is inspired by nature and the untouched reserve setting we’re surrounded by, so as a result, wherever possible, natural materials were used. To create a continuous flow between the outdoors and the accommodation, we used rocks from the reserve to build the front verandas of the huts as well as inside the bedrooms,” explains Hein. The first change was to enlarge the verandas to enable guests to make the most of the beautiful views. These are shaded by pergolas made from natural latte and antique riempie chairs offer a place for repose.

“A major part of the facelift involved creating new rock backdrops behind the beds to continue the flow from the outdoors in, and to give the rooms a rustic feel. The natural colour of the rock gives each room a warm atmosphere, especially at night when the lights are on and the different brown and orange colours of the rock really stand out. The idea was to keep the look timeless, but very comfortable, with a warm and relaxed atmosphere in each room,” continues Hein.

Certainly, every décor element in the rooms was carefully selected to fit this bill. The king-size beds, clothed in 100% cotton Oxford percale bedding in shades of orange, saffron and white, add to the luxurious, fresh and organic feel. Roman blinds in light bamboo and stone coloured curtains create a smooth flow between the landscape and the rooms, and the curtains include block out lining to allow guests an extra lie-in. The stylish chandeliers and new bedside lamps with their rich, dark stands and yellow and stone shades radiate a soft ambient light that reflects off the rustic thatched roofing. Finally, all the other furniture, including the solid wood bedside tables and dressing tables, the wooden framed mirrors and sleeper couches, as well as the carpeting were chosen for their earthy tones to complement the uncontrived nature of the design.

This same feel is echoed in the magnificent outdoor rooms, which consist of king-size beds raised on wooden platforms and set against natural rock formations. These extraordinary ‘rooms’ offer panoramic views of towering mountains, strange rock formations and phenomenal night skies where the Milky Way, billions of stars, planets, satellites and shooting stars are only a hand’s reach away.

“A huge challenge we faced with the refurbishment of the huts was the en suite bathrooms, which had very limited space. We felt that the previous bathrooms were not in keeping with the natural look we were aiming for, for example, the original design included small baths in a dark colour that weren’t luxurious enough. There were also shower curtains alongside the baths and the basins were old with small fiddly taps. In addition, the lighting was also not up to standard,” explains Hein. “We needed to fit these spaces with luxury baths, basins and toilets and, to do this, had to shuffle some of the existing toilets and basins around to use the space more cleverly. We opted for bigger baths that would fit two people to offer guests a luxurious soak after a long day out and about in the reserve.”

“In order to achieve the desired natural but elegant finish, we chose sandstone tiles which are in keeping with the feel of the reserve and create the impression for our guests that nature has followed them from the reserve right into the bathrooms. Although the bathrooms are small, a feeling of spaciousness is achieved through the use of large floor tiles, light sandstone tiles for the walls and an outsize mirror. In addition, clever lighting, rounded off basins and mosaic tiles give the bathrooms a modern, African feel. All the bathrooms, apart from one unit, were also refitted with energy saving solar geysers,” says Hein.

“The challenge of designing the new look for Kaggga Kamma was a wonderful and exciting experience and allowed me to tap into my creative side. The lodge is now transformed into a stunning location away from the pressures of modern life, mobile phones, traffic pollution, highways and city lights. Being forced to spend a night or two on the reserve in the Cedarberg mountains on a regular basis away from my customary office environment was very refreshing!” concludes Hein.

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The sweeping views down the Hennops River over the indigenous gardens of River Place Country Estate is of stark contrast to the scenes of office blocks & fashion malls in Sandton where River Place Country Estate’s new executive Chef, Kenneth Davidson, used to work.

As the former Executive Chef and General Manager of White Boy Shebeen restaurant in Sandton, Kenneth was the secret ingredient that made his former restaurant in Joburg such a success. However, he also lays claim to a long and impressive list of other restaurants, hotels and blue chip companies that benefitted from his services, including Liepoldts, Protea Hotels and BMW.

River Place Country Estate falls under the portfolio of Earthbound Hotel, Lodges and Spas and according to the Marketing Director of Earthbound, Marnel Edwards, Kenneth was the perfect man for the job. “We loved Kenneth’s passion and knowledge of food, not to mention his very impressive resumé. He also possesses qualities of diligence, honesty and a great work ethic which we strongly identify with at Earthbound Hotel, Lodges and Spas”, Marnel exclaimed. Kenneth is excited at the challenge of creating a menu of entirely new cuisine compared to what he’s recently being dishing up in trendy Sandton. “I think it’s always important to challenge myself creatively as a chef and not be afraid to experiment with different styles of cuisine. River Place Country Estate has offered me a fantastic opportunity to do this and I look forward to creating many memorable dishes for guests in what is a truly remarkable setting”, Kenneth beamed.

The River Place Country Estate is located in the West of Johannesburg in Hennops River Valley and offers guests a profound sense of peace. It’s the perfect place for relaxing with friends and family, or for hosting a romantic wedding, or even to re-energise business employees as a conference venue. At River Place Country Estate, the setting and facilities matched with the staff’s meticulous attention to detail and the property’s emphasis on stylish sophistication and timeless elegance is what makes this beautiful destination so special. For more information contact Earthbound Hotels on Tel: 086 111 5162; International: +27 12 348 0273 or E-mail: res@ebhotels.co.za or log onto www.ebhotels.co.za

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Earthbound Hotels, Lodges and Spas has a combination of establishments to suite almost every travellers taste. From the budget conscious to the luxury traveller, for the holidaymaker and the businessman, we offer a selection of privately owned and well-managed establishments in Southern Africa for every need. From luxury game lodges to five star guest houses in the Winelands, tranquil country retreats to state of the art meeting facilities – each with its own unique character.

Emphasis has been placed on personalised service, warm South African hospitality and value for money. On offer are not only breakaways for the holidaymaker but also executive meeting facilities for the businessman. We also strive to make those special celebrations, events to be remembered.

A unique selection of activities is on hand to excite the adventurer or to just relax the stressed out executive. Game drives, golf packages, spa breakaways, elephant back safaris or just a stroll in the forest…

Allow our properties to create everlasting memories for you on your travels through our exceptional country.
We invite you to come and spoil yourself….

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