Accommodation

Idwala Boutique Hotel adds an elegant touch to your stay

Nestled in the leafy suburb of Darrenwood, just a hop, skip and jump away from Cresta Shopping Centre, a hidden gem lies, waiting to be discovered. A farmhouse built over 100 years ago, the Idwala Boutique Hotel will make you feel as though you’ve left the city limits behind and travelled into the bushveld.

From the moment my husband and I arrived, we knew our stay was going to be something special. The pure charm of this boutique hotel captures your heart and we felt like guests returning to a familiar favourite.

Jeanette Friese, one of the owners of Idwala Boutique Hotel says; “At Idwala my team works together to ensure that guests are comfortable and are completely satisfied from the moment they arrive – we take note of the likes and dislikes of each guest, especially the little things, and do everything possible to make their stay a memorable one”.

She adds; “We have a very high return rate, many guests have been visiting since we opened eleven years ago!”

Be enchanted by the rooms at Idwala Boutique Hotel

Idwala Boutique Hotel restaurant — *Fancy a meal?*

The Idwala Boutique Hotel consists of twelve enchanting stone and thatch rooms – three allowing for self-catering, located throughout the beautiful gardens. At the main lounge and dining area, roaring log fires, soothing music, Oriental rugs, wingback chairs and large sofas welcome the weary traveller.

Our spacious room was comfortably furnished with an extra length King-size bed, crisp cotton linen, feather/down duvet, flat screen TV with selected DStv channels, underfloor heating (a treat in winter), bar fridge, coffee station and complimentary Wi-Fi. The bathroom was luxurious, complete with bath, a large shower, heated towel rails, bathrobes and L’Occitane en Provence toiletries.

There is a small rock pool and a splendid, outdoor boma area where we enjoyed our sundowners and later relaxed around the firepit as the chilly evening settled in.

A well-equipped conference room, seating up to 18 people is also available.

Enjoy a fancy dining experience

Idwala Boutique Hotel food — *A filling breakfast*

The food at Idwala is magnificent – Paul, the Chef, is a culinary genius. Our fillet steak was prepared to perfection, while the starters and desserts were just as delicious. The same could be said of our breakfast the next morning. For a romantic dinner or a relaxed breakfast, Idwala now ranks top of my list.

If you ever find yourself close by, ditch the big, impersonal hotels and stay at Idwala or pop in for an exceptional dinner or breakfast. You’ll be glad I told you about this little hidden gem.

To book your stay, call 011 888 1437 or visit www.idwala.com today.

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Actually, Home Food and Travel offers a lot more than just reviews of accommodation, restaurants, spas and adventure activities. We also visit great destinations, receive advice from interior designers and stop to smell the roses and taste the coffee.

Our team of journalists are seasoned travels and love visiting the myriad of exciting places around South Africa. Whether it is off the beaten track or in the heart of the top attractions of the country, we’ll be there,

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So what is the right accommodation? Well more often than not, it’s your travel budget that dictates the type of accommodation that you choose.

Expensive is not always better. Our team at Home Food and Travel will tell you that they have camped in areas with limited ablutions and had a wonderful holiday. They have also spent a night in a five star hotel only to be disappointed because their expectations exceeded the experience.

The reason for your travels will also affect your choice. A business trip requires different amenities to a beach holiday.

Our articles, reviews and experiences can certainly help you make your decision.

Restaurants with a good mix of service, food and ambiance

To my mind a great restaurant offers three things – excellent service, great food and a wonderful ambiance. Of these, service is the most important.

No matter that the food is delicious and the setting delightful, poor service can ruin the occasion. However, great service combined with mediocre meal and a plane jane restaurant can still be a pleasant night out.

We’ve eaten in restaurants that are really dirty but with incredible food and couldn’t help but give a rave review. We’ve also hardly noticed what we ate because the setting was just amazing.

However, the best restaurants come with the best of service, food and ambiance.

Spas are the ultimate relaxation aid

How do you know when you have had a great spa experience? The answer, of course, is when you doze off on the treatment table.

Well that’s our theory anyway. It also doesn’t take a grand location with enormous facilities for a spa to be really good

A small, personal spa that is owner run can result in the best massage you have ever experienced. However, the grand spas in five star hotels offer unsurpassed facilities in an environment that just makes the stress in your shoulders and neck melt away before you even finish checking in.

Adventure!

You don’t have to be an adrenaline junky to enjoy an exciting experience. In fact, what are commonly termed adventure activities usually have incredibly high safety standards and unblemished safety records.

Ziplining, bungy jumping and shark cage diving are all very safe. It’s just that our mind tells us we are craaazzzzyyyy to be doing this.

On the road to great places of accommodation, restaurants, spas and adventure activities

If you’re driving, be safe and make use of all the wonderful farm stalls that populate South Africa’s open roads.

If you overhear somebody asking a lot of questions or see someone taking photos of empty bedrooms chances are it’s one of our Home Food and Travel team members.

We’re out looking or those great places of accommodation, restaurants, spas and adventure activities.

See you on the road!