Cape Country Routes (CCR) South Africa is a leading group of owner operated and managed accommodation and activity establishments – more than 20 privately owned hotels, lodges and guest houses – located on the scenic and historic routes in the Western and Eastern Cape. All carefully selected for their character, charm, and romance they offer the best accommodation and activity options to suit every taste and budget.
Situated just off Route R62 in Barrydale, the 4-star Karoo Art Hotel – the latest addition to the Cape Country Routes collection – is a perfect holiday destination for art aficionados, families, couples, groups, honeymooners and wedding parties, family reunions and birthday celebrations and the best stop-over between Cape Town and the Garden Route. This recently transformed hotel was always quirky and crazy but never beautiful – now it’s all three, thanks to the major renovation under a new team that used the ‘art’ of reinvention.
Aside from the artworks adorning the walls, many other arts have been added. The hotel offers 16 spacious, individually themed en-suite bedrooms with King/Queen-sized beds, tea/filter coffee-making facilities and free WiFi, some rooms have flat-screen TVs and private balconies. The Garden Suite has a separate living area and a private courtyard.
There is also an outdoor pool and adjacent to the hotel off-street parking is available. The restaurant, with its long history of award-winning cooking offers traditional South African and Karoo inspired cuisine and a comprehensive wine list and with warm fires and a cosy bar with fascinating artworks adding to the ambience you will want to return and experience Karoo hospitality at its best.
The hotel presents an ongoing programme of ‘Arts of’ Workshops on a broad range of themes – writing, cooking, yoga, meditation, music and film, hosted by experts and leading facilitators. A significant feature of the hotel is its ‘Map Room’ – with wall to wall maps of the entire region plus a library of digital downloads for route planning purposes the Map Room is the number one place to plan your ‘Barrydale raid’ from mountain biking to motorbiking, riding to hiking and trail running.
The hotel is within easy reach of the Barrydale brandy cellar, close to the Tradouw Pass, Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve and the Warmwaterberg Hot Mineral Springs Spa. And good news for pet owners – the hotel’s two ground floor suites are dog friendly. Ask Karoo Art Hotel owners Rick and Sue Melvill what the most important art of all is, their reply is always – “The art of joy.”