retreat spaces PERFECT HIDEAWAYS’
We invite you to experience our handpicked, private retreats, each one so unexpectedly beautiful and designed for complete relaxation … a sublime escape from the outside world, providing a peaceful sanctuary to reconnect and recalibrate as a family. The magic of these hideaways is that they invite you to ‘pause’, but this is exactly what is needed to open the mind to new ways of thinking, new ways of living, learning and adjusting to our current world. And we all need this nurturing space, now more than ever.
Each hideaway or safari invites rest and relaxation, a healing retreat to restore body and soul. Some are sleek and sexy, others fully embrace the concept of slow travel and a barefoot lifestyle. Some are quintessentially African, the depth of their layered and soulful interiors unmatched anywhere else in the world. We favour an interior philosophy of subtle layering, delicate lustre and gently ageing patina … interiors that are as fascinating as they are cocooning.
Your journeys will be individually crafted, with everything from private chefs and sommeliers to specialist guides and hosts who are passionate about interactive travel. They are about creating authentic memories to savour forever. Every journey is paced around guests’ special projects or individual needs, and can be timed around the perfect balance of inspirational speakers and bespoke experiences.
As it turns out, our magnificent country of truly wild and unforgettable landscapes, is full of treasures. We’d like to begin by sharing a few of favourite retreats with you…
With love, The Perfect Hideaways Team
Bishop’s Hall, Cape Town
If truth be told, we’re besotted and bewitched with Bishop’s Hall. It was the swirling stairway carpet, of all things – inspired by the owner’s much-loved designer handbag, a bold design statement if ever there was one, that made us fall in love. Bishop’s Hall is pure eye candy. But there’s more: magnificent views, an eco-pool, tennis courts and a rambling garden that’s perfect for candlelit dinners. This rockstar might seem more English manor house than a grande dame with attitude, but its location in the leafiest lane beneath Table Mountain seals the deal.
Icaria, Cape Town
You couldn’t ask for a more dramatic position, like something out of James Bond’s Skyfall … Icaria hugs the contour of a 45-degree cliff over four levels. Set among granite boulders, Icaria is along South Africa’s most glamorous riviera and gazes out over the azure waters of the Atlantic and along the rolling skirts of Table Mountain’s famed Twelve Apostles peaks. Her views mesmerising, her gardens reminiscent of the Mediterranean, yet the interior is almost zen-like. Top restaurants and everything Cape Town’s vibrant city has to offer is right on your doorstep. Speaking of doors… we will open those for you, giving you an insider’s take on the fascinating culture and art of this extraordinarily beautiful city.
Mount Norwich, Cape Town
A blissful Bishopscourt beauty with theatrical Table Mountain views, Mount Norwich is ensconced on two acres of tiered lawns and blooming indigenous gardens, with tall trees shading the tennis court and its accompanying pavilion, a heated swimming pool and trampoline. There’s so much space, you could even do mini-soccer! This nine-bedroomed luxury home is a favourite with multigenerational families, with entertaining spaces that spread themselves across the welcoming level of the home, and a fully-equipped gym and cinema room… all this, a short drive from Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront.
Owloon, Cape Winelands
Stay on a hidden stud farm, in a valley so private and secure no-one will know you’re here. Wake up to swims in a freshwater dam and hike to a private waterfall, enjoy mountain biking on one the most exhilarating trails in the world. Enjoy this luxurious manor house and cottage featuring the owner’s private art collection, butler service or wine tastings with Owloon’s winemaker. Head out on 4x4 Polaris to explore the valley or chauffeur drive to top wine estates and restaurants on your doorstep. Cape Town is only an hour away from this utterly secluded retreat.
Maison Franschhoek, Cape Winelands
Maison’s 18th-century barn and stables are settled above the vineyards just outside the suave cosmopolis of Franschhoek, where the voguish-ness of its village is perfectly counterbalanced by abounding nature. Views extend down to the lemon grove at the river, across to endless mountain ranges with their flowing rivers and streams. Farm paddocks and roaming livestock add to the bucolic country lifestyle, yet the buzz of Franschhoek, known as the gourmet village of the Winelands, is no more than a few minutes’ drive away. Our guests are usually hard-pressed to leave as Chef’s Warehouse at Maison is one of the best in the village, with Chef David Schneider at the helm. Book everything exclusively and it’s all yours!
Heaven on Earth, Hermanus
Hands down the most sought-after location on the ocean in Hermanus with the best land-based whale watching in the world, Heaven on Earth’s voluminous triple-layered living spaces are both elegant and contemporary custodians of the beach coves below. There’s nothing like the sound of the ocean here, wafting through the open doors and windows, as you drift in and out of a dream. A gentle stirring of nature’s conversation.
In the fynbos-clad valleys nearby, a plethora of superb wineries and restaurants await, as do beautiful mountain trails, tea-coloured rivers and rock pools. Return after a day spent exploring to a private barbecue in the boma overlooking the beach, the rising scent of the ocean laden with brine and botanica, the unmistakable ‘Champagne air’ of Hermanus.
Schrywershoek Beach House, West Coast
There are few places in the world where you might be be the only person on the beach that morning… believe us when we say that a stay in Churchhaven, in the absolute solitude of the West Coast National Park, feels like an indulgent luxury. It’s heavenly here. Schrywershoek is our most cosseted stay in this bird-filled paradise where the warm waters of Langebaan lagoon gently lap along the shoreline.
It’s only when you stand at the water’s edge and look back at this seemingly humble ‘langhuisie’ or ‘long house’ surrounded by untouched fynbos that you realise it is anything but traditional. A corner glass window, stack-back shutters enclosing a deep outdoor stoep and fresh thatch suggest a contemporary makeover and modern-day comforts, a first clue of the transformation within…
Bobbejaanskloof, Garden Route
To visit this elegant Karoo-style farmhouse is a lesson in gratitude. Sitting on the deep-set stoep at Bobbejaanskloof feels like you’re on a remote farm in Africa, with views over gently waving grasslands to the majestic Outeniqua mountains in the distance – yet this serene retreat only a short drive from the magnificent white sandy beaches of Plettenberg Bay, a gem on the Garden Route. Barbecue in the evenings, walk to the yoga barn or meditate on the contemplation deck in the early morning light. Explore this biodiverse 150-hectare wilderness of kloofs and valleys by foot or bicycle. Spot zebra, eland, giraffe, springbok, wildebeest and even elephant on the adjacent game reserve… Bobbejaanskloof is a place in which you catch your breath, soak up the vast horizons and open yourself up to new possibilities.
Our retreats are where we escape in pursuit of a dream. I’m often asked if there’s a perfect retreat… For me, it’s about being in total isolation. It’s about being able to see the stars with no light pollution, about having breathing space and being cocooned in absolute comfort and luxury. You’ll want for nothing. Our beautiful retreats free up your mind and allow you to be creative.
Helen Untiedt, co-founder Perfect Hideaways
Saseka Tented Camp, Thornybush Game Reserve
We think this is luxury glamping at its best: the dream team of luxury lodge designers, Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens, created Saseka to be both sensual and enchanting. Influenced by the romantic narrative of tented camps from yesteryear, the suites blend nostalgia with contemporary design. This is a luxury bush immersion experience, but nothing quite beats the view from your pillow of a canopy of printed botanicals on your tented ceiling, all echoing the gentle palette of indigenous flora and fauna. Expect bespoke dinners in river beds under star-spangled sky, even an ice-cream bar in the bush. Conservation specialists and dehorning experiences can also be arranged.
Singita Lebombo, Kruger National Park
Arguably the favourite cliffside lodge for seasoned travellers who have seen it all, but not done it all… Singita Lebombo (and its smaller sister camp Singita Sweni) simply deliver. On all levels. The interiors, architectural design, personalised wine tastings from a superb collection, gourmet food (not to mention deli-style dishes available all day – always delicious, and a welcome break from traditionally heavy safari meals) and a focus on wellness.
Sleeping here is as close as you’ll ever get to waking up in an eagle’s nest, but in sublime comfort and luxury. Choose between a bed on your private deck, perched high above the N’wanetsi River, with panoramic views over the Kruger National Park, or your four-poster inside … both bliss, but there’s nothing quite like waking up on the deck at sunrise with a hippo grazing beneath you and listening from the safety of your bed!
Shepherd’s Tree Lodge, Graaff-Reinet
Stay on a hidden stud farm, in a valley so private and secure, no-one will know you’re here. Wake up to swims in a freshwater dam and hike to a private waterfall, enjoy mountain biking on one the most exhilarating trails in the world. Enjoy this luxurious manor house and cottage featuring the owner’s private art collection, butler service and experienced wine tastings with Owloon’s sommelier. Head out on 4x4 Polaris to explore the valley or chauffeur drive to select wine estates in the area. Cape Town is only an hour away from this utterly secluded retreat.
Kubili House, Thornybush Game Reserve
The vast expanse of rough-hewn granite on arrival at this private safari retreat is Great Zimbabwe Ruins in scale and grandeur but it fast envelops you with soothing lines, wide open spaces and Asian-style, low-slung seating shaded by cantilevered roofs stretching out into the bush. Low slung and eco-conscious in every way possible, it sits on the largest water source in Thornybush. Elephants arrive in their herds and you have front-row seats in the Moroccan-style boma at the water’s edge. There’s nothing understated about it – nothing.
Part Marrakech riad, part bush lodge, part New York in its soul, Kubili has quietly rocked the safari world. Expect a superb food experience and enjoy a scent journey like no other with bespoke fragrances for bath time rituals. Make time one evening to experience mobile camping Kubili style, in luxurious, one-of-a-kind, limited-edition Land Rovers.
I love the ‘sounds of silence’. When the peace that surrounds us is almost deafening. Sometimes, night smells and scents are the most therapeutic… clicking frogs, crackling fires and wood smoke. Or waking to the sounds of the ocean and cicadas buzzing.
Helen Untiedt, co-founder Perfect Hideaways
Tarkuni Homestead, Kalahari
At Tarkuni there is absolute freedom. Around you there are views forever under the Kalahari’s cobalt skies. This is Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, a vast, privately-owned conservation area of 114 000 hectares in the green Kalahari. It’s a world-class conservation initiative, place of magnanimous tranquillity and beauty beyond imagination. Here, you can completely escape the world in your private bush hideaway and be immersed in authentic conservation and wildlife experiences. See Kalahari black-maned lions and endangered pangolin and black rhino. Aardvark, aardwolf and oryx live here naturally. Interact with researchers and learn about their projects, watch a colony of meerkats go about their daily lives, horse ride through the bush or walk in the mountains to find middle Stone Age petroglyphs, enjoy dinner on the dunes and a night under canvas on their star bed.
But the pièce de résistance for us has always been the experience Restaurant Klein JAN. Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen was the first South African chef to achieve a Michelin star for his namesake restaurant in Nice, France. And without giving too much of the surprise away, we can tell you that the experience is multi-sensorial… an absolute highlight of any visit to Africa.
Tswalu Kalahari is a member of Oppenheimer Generations, a diverse community of commercial ventures and not-for-profit organisations representing the global interests of the Nicky and Jonathan Oppenheimer family.
Aldourie Castle, Scotland
Masseria Pistola, Italy
Castle Elvira, Italy
And can we tempt you with some of our favourite retreats abroad? From the remote Aldourie Castle near Loch Ness in Scotland, to Castle Elvira or Masseria Pistola in Italy’s Puglia, where you will instantaneously succumb to la dolce far niente!
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mandi@perfecthideaways.co.za