Kings Walden Garden Manor

Having tracked the history and story behind Kings Walden over the years, when we decided to spend some time in Magoebaskloof, KW was the natural choice, and a GOOD decision! Hannes and Marike, returning to SA from the Netherlands, courageously and lovingly took on the challenge of reimagining and restoring the guesthouse and classic gardens about a year ago. The house and accommodation have been tastefully and comfortably furnished, with a muted, classy style. Just the right amount of luxury. No clutter. The pool area and gardens are peqceful and beautiful. The extended gardens will be a work in progress over the coming years, I suspect it will take time as gardening does! The backdrop for KW is a magnificent, dynamic vista overlooking the valley, changing with the mist and shifting light. Our dining experience was good. We, together with our children, enjoyed our breakfasts and dinners. Butter chicken curry was a highlight, morning fruit and granola pots nicely prepared. We are quite fussy and we can’t think of any way to improve our meals. For us, the chef seems to be striking the right balance: simple fare done very well. Not getting too fancy such that the basics go wrong. Eg steak requested medium rare, is perfectly medium rare. Then the wonderful staff! Mathimba, Walter and Portia looked after us so well. Always around and available and NOTHING too much to ask. When we even just THOUGHT about swimming then they would appear with towels!! Just a lovely team. Thank you to each individual involved especially those we didnt meet who are making things happen behind the scenes. We look forward to KW rising to wonderful success in the hospitality industry - if you flourish, we do too

We had heard about the place's history which intrigued us. Then we saw the images of the gardens and views which looked very enticing. The food was excellent and Matimba's hosting us was superb. In fact it reminded us, particularly the gardens, of Palazzolo Torre di Bellosguardo in Italy, only, instead of looking down on Florence, we were looking down on Modjadjiskloof!

very clean and elegant rooms. Friendly staff members. The breath-taking views of the mountains complimented with the dead tree. The gardens will be even more of an attraction. Thank you for the lovely weekend. Our kids loved it.