It’s been a long time since we went up the West Coast, and thanks to fortuitous timing, our return coincided with the arrival of wildflower season and the optimism that always accompanies spring.
September is here, and with it the natural reflection on nearly a year gone by. At the same time, the general promise of a final quarter filled with sun and busyness and the beginning of more of these getaways sets anticipation, right there, next to reflection. Spring is a good time, and the West Coast is a particularly good place to be during this time, bejewelled in yellow daisies and purple vygies, the days crisp but the nights icy enough to still offer cosiness as winter winds its way out.
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I had been invited to De Wildeveldt’s luxury hideaways and managed to recruit three friends during the working week to enjoy a two-night escape. Only three properties (currently) perch on the 2000 hectares of privately owned land, and we were afforded two of these luxurious houses to enjoy 48 hours surrounded by the sprawling sandveld and renosterveld, and the distinctive calm of the West Coast.
The Veldt Haus collection – where we stayed – comprises two self-catering luxury lodges. They are beautiful. The lodges announce themselves as monolithic, minimalist white structures, standing out against the ochre entry road and green horizon line. But inside, the space is warm and sophisticated, characterised by natural tones and quality fabrics, with modernist touches of technology complementing the architecture throughout. Sometimes, a space sacrifices intimacy for grandeur – these lodges do not. The Veldt Haus collection exudes elegance, not opulence, and the effect is the comfort of a home that begs a closeness of the people occupying the space, while still making it obvious that one is relaxing in a luxury outside of everyday life.
Each unit sleeps two in a one-bedroom, one-bathroom layout with a king bed, separate loo, shower and bath, plus an outdoor shower whose vertically stacked terracotta tiling was a design highlight for me – both positively tactile and a pleasure to look at. On top of the house is a sky deck for even better views. There is an open-plan kitchen with a coffee maker, dishwasher and fridge, and an indoor fireplace is the centrepiece to the lounge room. Air conditioning, another fridge, an in-room safe and wireless internet make up some of the other more important amenities. This wonderful living area spills out onto an expansive deck whose highlights include a dining table for warm, windless evenings, an eight-metre private pool, a wood-burning hot tub, and a fire pit with sunken seating that housed boisterous conversation into the early hours of the first night.
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I’d bought my favourite wine for these conversation-filled evenings. “What wine would that be?” asked Ella. “This one” – a finger point was as close to a description as I could muster. I know very little about wine beyond the associated occasion and the prettiness of a bottle. “Maybe a pinot,” I ventured. “It’s a red blend,” said Jack, Ella’s partner, reading from the back of the bottle and laughing at the blind guest. Luckily, I would not only unwind at De Wildeveldt, but also learn a bit. On our second day, we were treated to an in-house wine tasting by Christelle van der Vyver, the owner of Darling Cellars, which possesses the widest range of Darling wines in the world.
Along with red and white drops of local flavour, Christelle brought the friendliness and personality characteristic of Darling to our living room for the afternoon. There were also cakes. In an awesome two-hour blind tasting, we were given insight into the world of viticulture and the humour and passion of someone who loves what they do. The experience added to the intimate undertone of the time away, and while we could not fit everything in, the lodges offer other in-house experiences, including a private chef, in-room massages and curated sundowners on the deck.
Beyond the lodge, De Wildeveldt puts big-sky sandveld at your feet: horse riding with West Coast Horse Trails on farm paths or Yzerfontein’s beach, mountain biking, e-bikes, trail running, nature walks, quad tours, kayaking, surfing and West Coast National Park day trips. The concierge team can also create a special memory upon request, no doubt spearheaded by the wonderful lodge manager, Philippa Wood.
We barely left the comfort of the deck and the cosiness of the living room. The personal element and unfussed luxury of the experience makes one feel both laid back and looked after. Refined but unpretentious, modern yet organic, De Wildeveldt is a perfectly nuanced escape into the rolling renosterveld of the West Coast.
Visit dewildeveldt.com for more details and booking.
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