Sip up a fruity cocktail, soak up the sunshine and get away from it all with these affordable stays close to Joburg.
After a year of travelling South Africa, these are some of my favourite stays anywhere from 18 minutes to 6 hours drive from the city of Johannesburg – perfect for a chic summer escape. The best part? They won’t break the bank.
By Melanie van Zyl
Please note that all prices below are subject to change at each establishment’s discretion. Please check with them before travelling.
1. Lemonwood Cottages, Midlands
Best for: holidays with pooches.
Cost: From R425 per person.
Travel time from Joburg city centre: 5 hours
Contact: lemonwood.co.za
Image credit: Melanie van Zyl
Forming part of the Midlands Meander and just 15 minutes off the N3 highway, these four pet-friendly farm cottages will make you feel much further away from civilisation. Perched on the edge of an indigenous forest in Dargle, there’s hiking in sheltered, fairy-like surrounding and birders will keep particularly busy checking off the 200 species found across the farm. There’s easy accessibility to restaurants, arts, crafts and scenic country drives too. The self-catering cottages have fireplaces and underfloor heating for cold, misty evenings and stoeps overlooking the surrounding picturesque farmlands. If you’d rather eat out, owners recommend Il Postino for the best Italian pizza and pasta, just 5 minutes away.
Also Read: The 20 BEST Restaurants in Centurion
2. Rissington Inn, Hazyview
Best for: unpretentious country hospitality
Cost: B&B from R620 per person.
Travel time from Joburg city centre: 4 hours
Contact: rissington.co.za
Image credit: Melanie van Zyl
Staying here is more like visiting a friends farm than checking into a B&B. The atmosphere is relaxed, staff are attentive without being overbearing and the space is slick, but you still feel like you can kick your feet up on the furniture if you want to. There are plenty of board games in the bar area and no TV in the rooms, making it the place to really connect with family or friends. Brush up on your Backgammon, Monopoly, 30 seconds or Balderdash (my personal favourite). It’s a ten-minute drive from Phabeni Gate and the Kruger National Park. If you want to head out on safari early, they can prepare a picnic breakfast for you. Dinner is a feast, with great vegetarian options – beetroof falafel with chilli beans and cashew cream anyone? The Budget Rooms are a smaller, but still comfortable, closest to the pool and housed in the former tobacco barn. These rooms form part of the original inn, which started 24 years ago with just five rooms. If you’re after space, the newest Superior Rooms are more plush with wide verandahs and daybeds overlooking sensational sunset views.
3. NAD Lifestyle Accommodation, White River
Best for: active excursions
Cost: From R700 per person
Travel time from Joburg city centre: 3h30
Contact: nadliving.co.za
Image credit: Melanie van Zyl
The perfect bush-break for city slickers, these beautifully-styled apartments offer the best of both worlds set among indigenous trees on a 40-hectare farm. Just five kilometres from the central White River, these homes are spacious, full of flair, within easy driving distance of exceptional restaurants and just an hour from the gates of the Kruger National Park. This stay is particularly geared towards mountain bikers (or trail runners) with MTB trails starting just outside the gate and cutting through the nearby forests. A central bike wash is available and bikes can be conveniently stored on your own patio. Although there’s a host of eateries in town, the kitchens are a dream set up with high-quality facilities such as gas stoves, Ouma rusks and filter coffee for breakfast, plus each apartment has a private patio with its own gas braai and romantically-lit outside entertainment area.
4. Sima-Kade, Magaliesberg
Best for: an eco-friendly group getaway
Cost: From R420 per person.
Travel time from Joburg city centre: 1 hour
Contact: sima-kade.co.za
Image credit: Melanie van Zyl
Rustic and off-the-grid, the beautiful Bush Camp at Sima Kade (which means tree of life) is the perfect group getaway. The camp is booked out by one group at a time and sleeps 16 between four treehouses and four regular cabins, with shared bathrooms. It’s set beside a river, with the twittering of busy weaver birds and the gurgling sound of water. There are rock pools for a refreshing dip just a short hike away, two fire pits for soulful evening chats and a covered space in a forested setting for chilling out in the heat of the day (or when it rains). All in all, it’s just a delightful stay that’s thoughtfully designed to immerse you into the natural environment and surprisingly close to Joburg.
5. Miz Goozberry, Kaapsehoop
Best for: fervent foodies
Cost: B&B from R680 per person.
Travel time from Joburg city centre: 4 hours
Contact: thenestkaapschehoop.co.za
Image credit: Melanie van Zyl
Famous for her cakes and scrumptious food, this homely B&B is decorated in pastel florals and warm wooden finishings, French country style. Overlooking the plantations from the misty peaks of the quaint Kaapsehoop village, there are two cottages to choose from, The Nest and The Birdhouse, plus a third room called The Snug. All are cosy with heaters, filter coffee and rusks, salt and pepper, milk and more. Breakfast is an event – fresh juice, owner Berry’s homemade granola, double cream yoghurt, fruits, with a selection of homemade muffins or scones, quiches, home-baked bread, preserves, imported Italian cheeses, smoked meats and locally made pickles and curd. If you’re truly an avid foodie, book dinner with her in advance.
Also Read: The 20 Best Restaurants in Johannesburg
6. Pablo House, Melville
Best for: an affordable staycation
Cost: B&B from R1,500 per person.
Travel time from Joburg city centre: 18 minutes
Contact: pablohouse.co.za
The outside area is sheltered from draughts but conservatory-style windows still reveal the epic view
Claiming the highest point in Melville, this gorgeous stay might even work out cheaper than an uber home from a night on the town. Pablo House is no ordinary B&B. Each room has fast WiFi, compact Nespresso machines, UHD Smart TVs with Netflix (you simply must watch the series Narcos while here), Marshall speakers to play your own tunes and luxurious rain showers with Charlotte Rhys toiletries. Breakfast means catching a tuk-tuk to the trendy Pablo Eggs-Go-Bar, down the road on Fourth Avenue.
Read the full review about this stylish Melville bed and breakfast here.
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