When Hubert de Givenchy said that the ‘luxury is in each detail’, I’m pretty sure he could have been sitting in his own private Jacuzzi, on a balcony at Brahman Hills in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. Situated in the Blue Crane Nature Reserve, in the heart of the Midlands Meander, this destination is an absolute must from anyone looking for a bit of tranquility, and a break from the city life.
The Midlands Meander is the history-filled route, running between Pietermaritzburg and the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Mountain Range, which is a World Heritage Site.
We arrived mid-afternoon to the silhouettes of the resident herd of zebra grazing behind the magnificent Chapel. We were being hosted in the self-catering, three bedroom Bushbuck Cottage at the edge of the property, with the most exquisite panoramic views of the Reserve. As an added bonus and luxury – each of the self-catering cottages has its’ own private jacuzzi. Yes, please.
We had picked up some great deli treat from Linga Lapa, which is just over the road, so before we could even settle into our rooms, we sat in silence, totally in awe of our surroundings and loved every bite of our late lunch.
Feeling curious, we wondered around the property – the mix of the neutral tones and natural textures gave the modern, recently refurbished venue a beautiful rustic elegance, with the corrugated iron playing off the raw elements of stone and wood. On our visit, the restaurants were closing up early after a busy weekend so we, very sadly, didn’t get to experience the beauty that is said to be ’89 on Copper’s chef’s three-course set menu. Instead, we ordered room service from The Brahman Café, which was driven down to us from the hotel and we dined in our luxurious cottage in the hills.
After our slow Sunday afternoon meander up to the Midlands, the three of us on our girls road-trip were really looking forward to unwinding on the deck and having a glass of wine to watch the sunset. The temperature dropped rapidly with the sun, so we kicked up the heat on the jaccuzzi to ‘scorching’ & eventually jumped in for a dip just before bed to end off a beautiful evening.
Waking up to the mist rolling in over The Midlands is the perfect start to the day. The other two girls got up at dawn to watch the sunrise, and woke me when the zebra trotted past our cottage. When they say ‘wildlife on your doorstep’ they mean it. We decided that we needed a last dip in the hot tub before heading to breakfast at The Midlands Kitchen, and then home – so there we sat, hot cup of tea in hand and drank up the vistas one last time before heading back to reality, feeling revitalized and refreshed.
We were only staying one night in our relaxation-haven, as we had to get back to the city to catch an early flight home to Cape Town, and we definitely didn’t plan enough time for our trip. So we certainly will be heading back again to uncover more of what the Midlands has to share. Also, I didn’t get to see any of the famous, name sake Brahman cattle – can you believe it!
Follow Brahman Hills on social: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates, specials and event updates. To stay at this Old Curry’s Post Road hotel on Nottingham Road, Kwazulu-Natal, which is just 2 hours outside Durban and 5 hours away from Johannesburg, visit their website to see which option for rooms suites you best. Should you wish to book your table for lunch or dinner at the restaurant, call +27 (0)33 2666 965.
If you are planning on staying in a self-catering cottage, plan ahead and pack braai-style food and possibly even simple breakfast options. The cottages are fully fitted with a beautiful kitchen and barbecue, so it’s perfect if you’re feeling like some time to unwind at ‘home’. The venue also offers hotel rooms, which are located right at the Barn.
We’d also suggest packing some warm clothes as it gets really chilly up there in the winter months (we woke up to a 4’C morning) but each room is fitted with a heater and the beds all have heated blankets on them. There was also a fireplace in our lounge which would have been great for a movie night, as the rooms do have a fully cable selection.
#OOTD: Jeggings and Striped Top – PicknPay Clothing | Sandals and Jacket – MRP | Nails – Sorbet Gelish Cashmere Kind of Gal
DISCLAIMER: Although we were invited to stay at Brahman Hills, we are under no obligation to share a positive review about our experience and the above is totally in the opinion of The Social Needia.
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