Montagu Country Hotel
Montagu lies nestled between the Langeberg and Rivier sonder end mountain ranges. The village offer a perfect halfway stop between Cape Town and the Garden Route. Robertson Wine Route is on our doorstep, and might be the best kept secret in South Africa.The general perception is that the Wine Routes closer Cape Town offers the best Wine Route experience, but in this Wine Route one can taste wine on a barge, have sundowners on the river and even have dinner served while drifting soundlessly down stream. Visit our suggestions for a six day stay in Montagu and discover the “magic” of this historical village.
expect the unexpected
The weather is perfect … Far enough South to escape the heat of the Karoo, far away North to get away from the long wet winters of the Cape. In winter, the days are warm and sunny, with the occasional hint of rainfall. Autumn bringson a kaleidoscope of colours. In October, Montagu becomes a picture perfect haven with the abundance of roses for which it is famous.
Montagu Country Hotel has 33 beautifully furnished en-suite bedrooms, 11 luxury and 22 standard of which 1 is wheelchair friendly.
Luxury rooms are spacious and mostly situated at the back of the hotel in the gardens. Classic rooms are somewhat smaller, and mostly situated in the main building. All rooms are tastefully decorated, and beautiful antique furniture can be seen all over. All rooms are air-conditioned with television, clock radio, hair dryer, direct dial telephone & coffee/tea making facilities. Bathrooms are en-suite and contain towelling & toiletry amenities. Luxury rooms mostly have separate bath & shower, while standard rooms consists of shower over bath.
Lunch is an outside affair, seeing that our winter middays are the best time of the year to drench yourself in sunshine, and in the summer a vine covers the pergola adding to the country atmosphere. Light lunches and a small selection of traditional dishes are available of which oxtail in the winter of course is as total winner and our Pear and Blue Cheese Salad in the summer.
Dinner is a somewhat more formal affair. Kosie Hanekom, our pianist, has produced two CD’s already, and lots of guests still enjoy his beautiful playing in their cars or at home. Candles set the scene; the waitress is friendly and helpful and opens your serviette for you. Is this the 21st century? NO, we are back in the days when serving was still an art. Our menu focus mainly on dishes we grew up with in South Africa. The lamb we bring from the Great Karoo to prepare top quality Lamb Pie and Lamb Shanks are slowly braised in tomato, onion and red wine. Our Bobotie, a Cape Malay speciality, is prepared to an original recipe and served with dried fruits from our area. The wine list is representative of the best wines from the Robertson Wine Valley and will satisfy even the most selective pallet.
The water used in our “Mineral Bath” pushes from 120 meters under the ground to the surface at a temperature of 26° Celsius. It is then heated to be used in our bath, which is hygienically cleaned after each usage. Users of our bath claims especially relief of arthritic pains and other ailments of joints.
It is recommended that you make use of this facility or our steam bath before a massage to get the full benefit of the treatment. Examples of Treatments:
SWEDISH MASSAGE (FULL BODY)
Spinal care, Finger pressure points Massage
HEAD, NECK, BACK & SHOULDERS
Spinal care, Finger pressure points Massage
FEET, HEAD, NECK, BACK
AROMATHERAPY
MANUAL LYMPH DRAINAGE (MLD)
COMBO (ALL THE ABOVE)
EAR CANDLING
MANICURE & PEDICURE
We also offer a variety of beauty treatments, including non-surgical facelifts
Full Package
•Accommodation (incl. Breakfast)
•2 x Coffee/Tea Breaks
•Lunch
•Dinner
•Venue Hire
•Use of equipment
•Mints & Cordials
•We have secure under cover parking for guest cars
Day Packages
Full day
•Venue hire
•Coffee / tea on arrival
•Lunch
•Afternoon coffee / tea break
•Mints & cordials
Half day
•Venue hire
•Coffee / tea
•Mints & cordials
Seating available:
•Board room style (14pax )
•School room style (26pax )
•Cinema style (60pax )
Equipment available:
•Digital Data Projector
•Flip chart
•White board
•TV, VCR, DVD
The following team building activities are available in Montagu area:
•Tractor trip to summit of Langeberg mountains
•Wine tasting on Breede river
•Klipdrift Brandy tours
•Fire walking
•Archery
•Rock Climbing & Abseiling
•Themed dinner dances
Drive to the South towards Cape Town (2 hours) and you drive into the Boland. Drive to the North towards Barrydale (45 minutes), and you drive through the Fruit Pantry of South Africa of the Little Karoo. Drive to the East towards the N1( 45 minutes) and you will experience the vastness of the Great Karoo. Drive to Cape l’Agulhas (1hour 15 minutes) the most Southern tip of Africa, and you can watch whales in the Overberg (over the mountain) region.
Day 1:Drive through Cogman’s Kloof, the natural gateway in or out of Montagu, today a declared National Monument. The tunnel, constructed by Thomas Bain, was completed in 1877. The historical British Fort built atop the tunnel in 1899 can be visited. An area of magnificent views, panoramic landscapes, towering cliffs, crystal-clear streams, and an abundance of trees and indigenous flora. Stop at Graham Beck, (Madiba’s Winery) and Rooiberg just after Robertson, for a wine tasting. Onto Worcester, capital of the Breede River Valley, and largest of the Western Cape’s three fruit and wine producing valleys. In Worcester you can visit the Kleinplasie “Living Open Air Museum” and experience life as the pioneers lived in years gone by. Each building is representative of a certain agricultural industry in the Western Cape during the period 1690 to 1900. The KWV Brandy Cellar, largest of its kind in the world, offers cellar tours and brandy tasting.
Then drive to Tulbagh, a charming, historical town with a wealth of Cape Dutch Architecture. It was extensively damaged in an earthquake in 1969. The town has been restored to its old-world splendour and has the largest concentration of National Monuments in South Africa. A walk down historical Church Street, with its many museums and antique shops as well as arts and crafts, is not to be missed. The next village we visit is Ceres. Oaktrees and beautiful architecture abounds. Back to Montagu through the magnificent Koo and Keisie Valleys with breathtaking views as you drive down the Burger’s Pass.
Day 2: Today we drive the scenic R60 to Swellendam, a charming town that was founded as a military outpost in 1745. Together with Tulbagh, it is the third oldest town in South Africa and has many beautiful Cape Dutch, Cape Georgian and Cape Victorian buildings dating from the 18th and 19th century, including the old Drostdy, now part of a museum complex. The Bontebok National Park is 6km south of the town. From Swellendam we drive through Zuurbraak, a mission station, and over the magnificent Tradouws Pass with its pools and waterfalls to Barrydale, one of the prettiest villages on the Route 62. It offers unrivalled diversity of vegetation and wildlife within 30 km radius. The road back to Montagu runs through the most fertile fruit growing area with magnificent mountain views.
Day 3: Drive the Robertson Wine Route with famous wine farms like Springfield, Bon Courage, Van Loveren and Zandvliet, to mention a few. Maps are available at reception, ask the staff to assist you with recommendations and bookings.
Day 4: Do the world famous tractor ride to she summit of the Langeberg .At 12h00, be at the Burger’s Farm for a traditional “potjiekos” lunch. After lunch take the tractor trip up the mountain through the most unbelievable “fynbos”. This trip is Wednesdays and Saturdays, we can arrange extra trips for groups
Day 5: Drive through Bonnievale and Stormsvlei to Bredasdorp where we visit the fascinating Shipwreck Museum. A visit to the nearby little mission station of Elim with its Moravian church and picturesque cottages is a must. The entire village is a National Monument and nobody may live there unless a member of the church. The old watermill (1833), the largest wooden water mill in SA was renovated in 1990 and is in use again to grind wheat.
Onto L’Agulhas – the most southern tip of Africa, where the needle of the compass shows no deviation between true north and magnetic north, and the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. The lighthouse at L’Agulhas is the second oldest lighthouse in SA built in 1849 to resemble the Egyptian Pharos-style lighthouse at Alexandria. Then drive on to Hermanus. The best land based whale watching in the world can be done here. The Southern Right Whales come to the peaceful waters of Walker bay to mate and calve each year – arriving in June and leaving in November.
Because of the cliffs and the resulting deep water, they come as close as 2 m away from the spectators. The cliff path stretches for 12 km from the one end of town to the other, and is well laid out with benches strategically placed along its entire length. This fishing village, established in the late 1800’s’ is an extremely popular tourist destination.
From Hermanus drive via Botrivier, Grabouw and Villiersdorp to Worcester, and then back to Montagu.
Other Activities:
• The Montagu Country Hotel is the start of the Historical walk, a popular and informative tour revealing an unique blend of rural and urban architecture, restored houses and national monuments.
• Golfing at any of three excellent golf courses nearby
• Sport i.e. squash, tennis, rock climbing, fishing, horse riding etc.
• The Hot Mineral Springs situated 2.7 km from the hotel offers outdoor warm swimming pools with a constant temperature of 43°C. Relax in the pools with its “healing powers”.
• Walking trails for the nature lover varying from 2.4 km to 15.6 km through the beautiful kloofs of the surrounding mountains.
• 4×4 Routes – the Waboomsberg and Witkwas for the adventurer.
• Breede River Goose Boat Trips for a few hours of complete relaxation cruising on the river
• Visit Montagu Guano gaves, only 10 km out of town
• Attend the village market, every Saturday and public holiday
Cape Town to Montagu (N1): Take the N1 from Cape Town through Du Toits Kloof to Worcester. Turn off at the second robot to your right where Worcester is sign posted. Drive straight on with this street where you will cross a bridge where you will see a fire station on your right hand side. At the second robot after the bridge you turn left for a couple of hundred metres where you will see the R60 sign posted at the traffic light. You turn right here. You pass through Robertson and Ashton before reaching the village of Montagu. In Montagu you will take the fourth turn-off to your left which is Kohler Street and where the hotel is clearly sign posted. One street block, and you will find the hotel on your right hand side.
Oudtshoorn to Montagu: Use the R62 from Oudtshoorn through Calitzdorp, Ladismith and Barrydale to reach Montagu. Enter the town in Long Street. Take the fourth turn off to your right which is Kohler Street and where the hotel is clearly sign posted. One street block, and you will find the hotel on your right hand side.
If you are travelling from a destination not mentioned here, please contact us and we will supply you with directions to get to us.
