Accommodation

Visiting Riebeek Kasteel? Then stay at Absolute Castillo

Absolute Castillo, Riebeek Kasteel

Located at 9 Rose Street in the very picturesque village of Riebeek Kasteel, Absolute Castillo is about as centrally situated as any guest house can get.

Riebeek Kasteel is the kind of place where you want to park your car for the duration of your stay and walk from restaurant to brewery to art gallery to wine cellar. Absolute Castillo is conveniently no more than three blocks away from any of the main attractions in this quaint village.

What I liked most about this guest house is that it was designed by an architect to be a guest house. So expect north facing rooms that have been perfectly planned to accommodate you and your luggage.

Notably, the architect is also the owner of the guest house and he and his wife’s artwork has been lovingly used to create a pleasant atmosphere.

Ria and Dries were great hosts and made my girlfriend and I felt very at home and pleasantly comfortable.

Accommodation at Absolute Castillo

The bedrooms are not large but thanks to their thoughtful planning and design they feel much bigger than they are. My first impression was one of comfort, simplicity and, well happiness.

Happiness may sound like a strange adjective for a room but that is exactly how I felt when I stepped into the room.

Perhaps it was sunny outlook, crisp white linen, neat layout and homely décor, but I knew that I was going to be happy staying at Absolute Castillo.

There are four rooms, each on-suite, at Absolute Castillo. Two are downstairs and two upstairs. The down stairs rooms have a private veranda and share a plunge pool. One of the upstairs rooms have a tub at the north facing sliding windows so that guests can enjoy the view while soaking away the day’s dust.

The bathrooms are neat and shiny and have a shower. I love the black and white chequered floor tiles and the fluffy white towels.

Facilities at Absolute Castillo

Absolute Castillo Guesthouse does not serve breakfast, however the owners can direct you to some great breakfast spots in the village. The rooms are equipped with a coffee station with wine glasses and fridge. There are no cooking facilities in the rooms.

Absolute Castillo is a self-catering guest house. Essentially it is a guest house that does not serve breakfast. The rooms are equipped with kettles, fridges and cutlery and crockery but they do not have cooking facilities.

My room had a well provisioned fruit bowl and plenty of chocolates too. The bar fridge had fresh milk and the coffee station was well stocked. Standing next to the fruit bowl was a decanter with sherry and two glasses.

If you are concerned by the lack of cooking facilities, then you are visiting Riebeek Kasteel for the wrong reasons. This is a village with some very good restaurants and cafes and all are just a short walk away. Riebeek Kasteel is a gastronomic delight.

What to do in Riebeek Kasteel

This is one of my favourite villages in South Africa. It ranks up there with Graaff Reinett, Dulstroom and Clarens. It does not have a beach like Cape St Francis or a game reserve like Bela Bela – it is the village itself that is the attraction.

Situated on the slopes of Kasteel Berg, the village has a lot of history. Riebeek Kasteel is, not surprisingly, also home to some of the country’s top artists and writers. The beauty, peace and tranquillity of the area can, I would imagine, be both inspirational and undisturbed

I spent my two days trekking between Absolute Castillo and the wealth of great restaurants, art galleries, breweries, wine cellars.

I can see myself returning again and again.

Top reasons for staying at Absolute Castillo

Walking distance of all restaurants and attractions
Custom designed as a guest house, so very comfortable.
Spotlessly clean, crisp linen and attractive rooms
Great hosts

For more information or to make a booking call 060 752 2408 or email absolutecastillo@gmail.com

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About us

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,

Home Food and Travel advice on finding the right accommodation

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!