“THE
INDEPENDENT” Travel section Feb 28 2004
Gradually
the landscape started to flatten out. The craggy mountains softened
into the rolling green hills of the Breede River Valley - all
whitewashed fruit farms and vine-clad slopes. Our next stop
was Swellandam and the Jan Harmsgat Country House owned by Brin
and Judi Rebstein. Another old farm, this time dating back to
1723, it's completely different in style, yet just as welcoming.
Huddled beneath the towering Langeberg mountains, its sleek
design belies its humble origins. The four guest rooms are in
the old converted slave quarters, the thick stone walls and
small shuttered windows keeping them cool in summer and cosy
in winter. All polished concrete floors scattered with Persian
rugs, ceilings of beam and bamboo, and carefully chosen antiques
and paintings, it's more designer B&B think rustic guesthouse.
The feel is solid yet stylish, a mix of traditional and contemporary.
A living-room up in the eaves has stacks of magazines, while
a hatstand provides umbrellas and panamas for guests.
At dinner Brin serves a velvety red fittingly called R62. The
680-hectare farm is still very much in operation - he took us
up into the hills in his 4WD and to watch the cheese being churned
- and guests are free to explore
the grounds or laze by the lavender-rimmed pool.
Historic Swellendam nearby is also worth a detour. Judi set
up an award-winning community project here, turning part of
the old jail, alongside the atmospheric museum, into a coffee
shop. The project trains women from disadvantaged communities
and then gives them a stake in the café, which serves
delicious regional specialities in an old courtyard, such as
traditional breads (roosterkoek) baked over coals, and local
cheeses and springbok carpaccio.
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