Reasons to visit Bosjes

If you love architecture and tranquility, you’ll love Bosjes…

I heard about Bosjes for the first time earlier this year from my lecturer at my design school, BHC, who had been to see the farm just after it opened.  I had, in a fleeting moment, mentioned it to Nick and never really thought about it again.

True to form, he remembered this one occasion and booked us a night there for our “6 months-married-versary”.

We left Cape Town behind and set out for the Breede Valley on a beautiful Saturday morning in August, one of those Winter days for Summer to envy.  The drive there is probably as beautiful as the whole experience TBH.  Driving through the Hawequas Mountain Range is something everyone should experience.  Being surrounded by the beautiful mountain ranges with birds of prey flying overhead is just breathtaking, and combined with the ‘Wedding Songs playlist’ that Nick made, well let’s just say it wasn’t my contact lenses making my eyes water.

The drive was just under 2 hours but you feel like you are much further away from the city than the travel time suggests. Bosjes is situated off the R43 near Ceres (we could see the snow on top of the Ceres mountains), you literally drive to the middle of nowhere and that’s where you’ll find Bosjes.

We went straight to lunch at the Kombuis which was buzzing with patrons despite its distance from any major town.  The walk to the restaurant is so beautiful and you immediately feel relaxed.  Being a decor student I was so fascinated by the design and decor of the whole farm.  The emphasis is definitely on architecture at Bosjes and a lot of time was spent making sure you’d never forget the crazy designs.  The Kombuis interior is simple but the building and the views definitely aren’t.  The high ceilings and big glass windows make you feel like you are sitting outside (which you can also do on the wooden terrace).  The menu is limited but there’s definitely something for everybody.  We both had the hamburger which was delicious (and humongous) and came with a very generous portion of fries and I accompanied my meal with a double G&T (talk about a food baby).I was so excited to see our room, as usual.  The guest house is really small, with only 5 rooms available.  Nick booked us the Honeymoon Suite which has both a shower and a bath.  Our room was beautiful!  Liam Mooney, the Interior Designer did such an amazing job with the interiors.  The neutral tones are perfect for the setting, with the touches of yellow adding vibrance and life.  The bathroom was my favorite and straight out of my bathroom dreams.  The dark grey floor tiles contrasted by the white marble wall tiles and rose gold detailing were all a few of my favorite things!! The bath was the biggest I’ve ever had the privilege of soaking in AND the underfloor heating was perfect for the cold night.As tough as it was not to spend our afternoon in bed next to our little fireplace, watching TV, we decided to go for a hike.  The path starts right near the guest house, through a security gate.  As we entered we spotted an Ostrich and the inner Game Ranger in me got so excited about what else we could potentially see, I never even expected to see wildlife so this really excited me.  During our walk/hike we saw Springbok, Black Wildebeest (a rare sighting) and a large herd of Eland.  The main purpose of our hike was to find a nice spot to pop a bottle of bubbly to celebrate our milestone.  We eventually found a large flat rock with a view of the impending sunset and the valley below, where we sat and sipped on J.C. Le Roux Pinot Noir MCC.We opted to eat dinner at the guest house and this was probably the only thing that I would say was slightly disappointing.  Dinner was very tasty but very small so we were both not very satisfied afterwards.  We actually thought that the main meal was a starter so it was quite heart breaking when we realised it was THE meal.  However, their cheesecake was out of this world and the lady serving us was so sweet.

We slept like babies.  On the Sunday morning we ate brekkie at the guest house, packed up and then on our way out we stopped to view the iconic chapel.

It truly is something to behold and if you are remotely interested in design/architecture you will be in absolute awe of the extraordinary landmark.  This alone is worth the 2 hour drive to Bosjes.  The chapel was inspired by Psalm 36:7 (“How precious is your steadfast love, O God!  The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.”) and designed by Steyn Studio of London.  The accompanying gardens are also so stunning and tranquil.  I loved the large walk-through water feature and the elevated labyrinth which has a stunning view from the top.  There’s also a cute tea garden which I’d love to try next time.More than anything the area is just so beautiful. You can’t help but feel in awe of God’s divine work when you look at the surrounding mountains and endless views.  We came home feeling so relaxed and rejuvenated.  I would suggest researching neighbouring wine farms if you want an activity while you are there but if rest and nature is what you need then Bosjes is a must.

The thing I love so much about the Western Cape is that there are so many little gems like Bosjes just a short drive away from our home (just like Clouds Wine Estate).

I can’t wait to do loads more exploring of our beautiful province and country.

With love,

Amber Denae xxx