Hand-picked South African Places to Stay

Welcome to the Greenwood Guides website! Our chief (but not sole) purpose in life is to recommend great places to stay in South Africa. To this end we spend 5 months each year researching and visiting guest-houses, lodges, B&Bs, farm stays and self-catering accommodation across South Africa. We select only those places that excel in character, friendliness and the hostly arts and all the descriptions are written by us not the owners.

Blue Yonder Waterfall Farm Enjo Nature Farm Beaumont Wine Estate Les Hauts de Montagu Guest Lodge Umngazi River Bungalows & Spa Cypress Cottages Jaci's Lodges Pezulu Tree House Game Lodge Bovlei Valley Retreat The Bush House White Elephant Safari Lodge and Bush Camp 191 Nirvana Oystercatchers Haven Kersefontein

B&Bs, game lodges, farms, guesthouses, self-catering cottages and uncategorisable others

things we like…

…unstuffy, humorous hosts who treat their guests like friends, cherished gardens, good food, untouristy places, dirt roads, the lived-in look, the unusual, the artistic,the eco-friendly, creative interior design, historic buildings, modern architecture, big baths, powerful showers, imaginative breakfasts, open fires, real coffee, freshly-squeezed orange juice…

things we don't like…

…conference centres, identikit bedrooms, chain hotels; hosts who disappear irretrievably after your arrival… or never leave you alone; swirly, frilly, lacy décor; the smelly, the over-priced, the sickeningly cutesy; fake smiles, hatchet faces and steely eyes!

PLACE OF THE DAY

Plumbago Guest House

Through wrought-iron gates at the end of a bougainvillaea-lined drive I found Plumbago, as pretty as the flower that shares its name. Set on an avocado and banana farm, it sits above the plantation watching over it and out to Kruger Park in the distance. When I arrived, 1940s jazz was swinging out from the radio, just the right aural accompaniment to the nostalgic, colonial-inspired setting.…

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June

South African accommodation special offers for this month, focusing on…June Getaways

A blog of don't-miss
upcoming events
in South Africa

Wacky Wine

Wacky Wine

4 days and 50 wineries, the Robertson Wacky Wine weekend is one to book in advance!
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MORE EVENTS IN SA

Makaranga

Blessed with a beautiful public holiday (thanks to all you workers!), a special gran's birthday …
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Makaranga

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RESTAURANTS

Travel Information

Here's some more specific South Africa travel information: when to go, getting around (car hire, inter-island ferries, train journeys) and distances.