A Deluxe Room at the Granny Mouse Country House in Natal Midlands Meander, Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa
Luxury Travel Advisor just returned from touring South Africa and uncovered a charming boutique hotel hidden away in Balgowan, Midlands Meander.
Meet the Granny Mouse Country House, whose name is almost as sweet and homey as its guesthouses.
We stayed in guesthouse No. 32. It was a lower level room. Although the upper level rooms offer better views, there are obviously no elevators, so VIPs will have to either call a bellhop to collect their bags or choose to lug them down a long flight of stairs on their own.
This was a Deluxe Room that came with a King size bed and a flat screen TV, but the best features were a balcony with a view of the Lion’s River, a small, easy-to-operate fireplace and a fully stocked minibar, something that we found was hard to come by at most South African hotels. The shower is small but the water pressure is tremendous. Nice Touch: Each room comes with a heated towel rack that makes your towels warm and toasty.
Besides the quietness and smoky, campfire aroma of the surroundings, the other features that will please guests here is the food and the wine. Ask about the hotel's five-course, wine-pairing feast in the main dining room, which used to be a stable and even has an old stable door latched up just below the ceiling. Hint: Request the sweet soy braised pork belly. It was the best dish. The Peacan Steam Savignon Blanc that accompanies it was by far the best sip of wine we've had during our trip to the country. Tip: Meat options can be substituted with vegetarian options.
The Granny Mouse Spa is modest in size, but robust in offerings. Using Matis products, guests can choose among a full range of massage and beauty treatments; there's also a Jacuzzi and hydrotherapy as well as a steam room.
The hotel also offers a host of excursions, including a wine, beer and cheese tour; a visit to the popular Abingon Wine Estate, a jaunt to Gunthers German Sausage, a tour of Terbore Coffee Roastery and a visit to Tasha’s Fudge. Note: The wine, beer and chees tour comes with a private chauffeur, but guests are responsible for their own transportation for the other tours.
We recommend the wine, beer and cheese tour, which goes to the Midlands Meander, an area famous for its natural beauty. Stops include the Swissland Cheese Farm, the brewery at Nottingham Road and a visit to the the hotel's very own estate.
This Granny Knows Value
Now, we don't usually talk prices in our coverage as we realize most of you are affluent enough to afford most accommodations in the world. But that doesn’t mean you don’t appreciate some solid value and the Granny Mouse Country House has just that. For example, remember that delicious five-course, wine-pairing dinner we told you about above? That costs a mere $50 while the most expensive bottle of wine in the stocked minibar will not run you anymore than $13. Also, locally brewed beers were less than $2.
Visit www.grannymouse.co.za.