Goedereede Guest Farm

• Snapshot: Fruit farm on the Breede River with two cottages on a small dam and a rondawel and flat near the main house
  Where: 8km from Robertson
  
• Sleeps: 6,4,2,2
  
• Equipped: yes
  
• Linen: yes
  
• Towels: yes
  
• Fireplace: no
  
• Braai: yes (free wood provided)
  
• Meals available: breakfast on request
  
• Pet-friendly: yes
  
• Activities: swimming, farm tours, canoeing, fishing, boating, stargazing, walking, birdwatching, wine routes, restaurants
  
• Rate guide: R130pp (R170pp with breakfast; children under 12 half-price)

Goedereede is a friendly family-oriented getaway with two 3-Star graded cottages (SA Tourism Grading Council) on a cute farm dam, two other options next to the main house, the general comings and goings of farm life, and access to the Breede River. With ducks, fish and canoes, even the most uninspired child will be kept entertained for hours, in turn allowing mom and dad deserved rest on the adjacent braai patio.

Goedereede's cottages are set directly alongside each other and are simple relaxed affairs, accommodating six in the main cottage and two in the adjoining flat. The main cottage features an open-plan kitchen and lounge (with telly), tiled floors, original beam ceilings alternating with the low modern type, two bedrooms (one with bunks for the kids) and two bathrooms. From the living room, glass doors open to a paved patio and braai area, where we spotted a most satisfactory stack of wood ? sourced from 25-year-old chenin blanc vines.

With an appealing outlook of dangling weaver nests, patrolling ducks, golden vineyards and a distant ring of mountains, Goedereede has the elements for a satisfying weekend. A lovely swimming pool, canoes, a free bottle of wine and fresh milk, are part of the deal, as is the optional 'Best in South Africa' breakfast.

Apart from the units on the dam, the farm has a four-bed flat and a pink rondawel called Nipple Palace, both next to the main house and passing road. While both are fine, in our view they don?t match the dam's location. From the latter, a farm track cuts through fields of strawberries and spanspek, fruit trees and vineyards, and comes to a halt on the banks of the Breede River.

Lined with a dense wall of papyrus on one side and a lazy choc-chip mountain on the other, the river is a cacophony of birdlife and offers good fishing, swimming and boating.

Pat Busch Private Nature Reserve

• Snapshot: Sprawling reserve/farm with three farmhouses, five rustic cottages and two exclusive cottages
  
• Where: 15km from Robertson
  
• Sleeps: 6,8,13 (houses), 2-4 (rustic cottages), 4,4 (exclusive cottages)
  
• Equipped: yes
  
• Linen: yes
  
• Towels: only in exclusive cottages
  
• Fireplace: yes
  
• Braai: yes
  
• Meals available: no
  
• Pet-friendly: no
  
• Activities: mountain biking, swimming, game viewing, fishing, birdwatching, 4x4 trail, wine routes, hiking
  
• Rate guide: R140pp - R160pp (houses and rustic cottages), R250pp - R300pp (exclusive cottages)
  

The setting of this farm-cum-reserve is stunning: a folded green valley below the towering Langeberg, segmented into multiple mini-valleys, each concealing further nooks and crannies crammed with trees, Cape fynbos and birdlife.

There is little to beat the convenience of Pat Busch and the immediacy and scope of the attractions, which include several walking trails, good birdwatching, fishing for bass, swimming in the farm dam, a 4x4 trail, vineyards, an antique wine cellar and a game reserve.

The adjacent Klaasvoogds Game Reserve is a recent development ? 800ha of renosterveld and other dry landscape that?s home to zebra and various buck species, among them bontebok, black wildebeest and eland. Game drives through the reserve are by guide only, in an open Landie adapted for the job.

Back at the ranch, the guest accommodation, three old farmhouses, several simple open-plan cottages, and two new luxury cottages, is comfortable and suited to nature-lovers. Choosing your bed for the weekend is mostly a matter of personal preference. Unlike in the past, all the cottages and houses now have fireplaces ? just one sign that Pat Busch listens to its guests!

For a group of friends or family who would like to be under one roof, the houses are obviously a better call as they are larger and more private, while the huddle of cottages, all functional farm buildings, are more suited to couples (travelling with or without mom-in-law). Of these, the freestanding Oak Cottage is the most private.

Need more luxury in your life? Nightjar and Hadeda Cottage are the way to go. With sweeping views of the mountains and vineyards, and lying side by side in separate gardens, these new cottages have French doors and windows, terracotta-tiled living areas, reeded ceilings and spa baths. Quality linen, bath salts, coffee, tea, wood, hair dryers and everything else you can imagine, are all part of the deal. Both sleep four.

At the end of the day, whichever option you decide on, the majority of nature-loving guests leave Pat Busch with a smile on the face. Chances are, you?ll leave feeling the same way.

For more information and booking enquiries for the above properties, visit www.budget-getaways.co.za