Hubby and I stayed In the self catering cottage on the 26-27 May which was a real treat! Peaceful and secluded which offers wonderful atmosphere for couples. Cottage is fully equipped with everything needed for a comfortable stay, caught up on reading and quality time because there is no distraction of a tv. Overall wonderful stay! Patricia and Joao SoaresMore
Thank you so much to Rob and Dawn - we had a wonderful stay at Ashbourne. Amazing and personal hospitality, lovely big rooms with ensuites, fantastic breakfasts, great views, reasonable price, so convenient to Kruger National Park, elephant riding, monkey & birds sanctury, half day drive from Joburg... Ashbourne was so relaxing we didn't want to go anywhere! One cottage has kitchen facilities, so a group can book that and a few rooms and meet up. Also bush bbqs. Rob and Dawn have lots of tales, advice on where to go and plenty of good humour - would go back in a heart beat! Thanks so much Rob & Dawn - we had a wonderful stay:) Can't recommend highly enough. Sue Mackintosh, Perth, Australia
Thanks Sue.....and for taking the time and trouble to post two of your photos. It was lovely meeting you and your family, and we thought of the seven of you leaving for most points of the compass from Johannesburg that evening.
It was the first time we had let out the whole lodge in conjunction with the self catering cottage...and you all seemed to make it work really nicely. Breakfast on the verandah of the lodge, and lunch or dinner at the cottage.
We have had some late rain, so we go into the dry months looking welcomly green and mowed, instead of the usual dust of this time of the year.
Fond Regards,
Rob and Dawne
Dawne and Rob have done an amazing work! Their guest house is a very welcoming place with comfortable rooms, with a view -- very quiet, but close from everything.
Peaceful, relaxed and beautiful. I'll be back!
Beautiful rooms, a spectacular view, excellent service, delicious breakfast and the highlight was the amazing owners that was so friendly and accomodating. We feel like we made some new friends. It is close enough to everything with only a 10min drive to the Kruger National Park. It was realy an exceptional experience and we hope to return many more times. We highly recomend it for any type of trip.
The moment we got out of the car and where greeted by the two hosts Dawne and Rob we immediately felt at home. Cold beers and a nice chat where waiting for us. Their approach is exceptionally warm and welcoming and gives this place that something extra you are hoping for when you travel.
The rooms are spacious and beautifully decorated by Dawne who used to decorate lots of lodges in her working life as an interior designer. The rooms are very clean and serviced every day. The lovely porch provides an excellent spot to watch the beautiful surroundings and to have breakfast, dinner or just a drink and a chat.
Use of the kitchen is included and on request Rob lights the BBQ where you can enjoy a typical South-African braai. Also on request they'll make you a nice breakfast or lunch to take away. We did this when we went on a day long game drive.
The proximity of the Kruger Park (about 15 mins to the Phabeni Gate) and Blyde Rivier Canyon gives this guesthouse a nice starting point to explore the area.
Rob took a lot of time to give us detailed and very useful information on the area. We continued our trip to the southern part of SA and Rob was incredibly nice to plan the rest of our trip with us. Again very informative and useful.
It's worth mentioning that dogs are living on the property which can be bothersome for some people. We don't consider ourselves dog lovers but these guys are very friendly and were absolutely no bother to us at all. They are well trained and listen to their bosses straight away. And if you ask Rob about Baldrics' (one of the dogs) special features he'll tell you a story you won't forget ;)
To cut a long story short: Don't hesitate to book this lovely place with these incredibly nice and caring people, you will not regret it!
Thank you both for your kind words and recommendations.
The appreciation was mutual, and we really hope to, one day, sit down with you and find out all about the rest of your trip...by car...to Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, Graaf Reneit, Port Elizerbeth, Jeffrey's Bay, Knysna, Addo, de Hoop, Stellenbosch, Cape Town.
You really had the most wonderful insight into the extremes of this beautiful country.
Sandy, if you had to write an article on "Malaria Pills, Yes Or No" I believe thousands of future travellers would benefit.
Mike, I enjoyed your adventurous spirit...driving out of here without any forward booking...prepared to just see how the mood moves you. I am sure that not having destination times to stick to frees you up and exposes you to the fun and adventure side of travel
We had a great trip through South Africa. And, the Ashbourne was the PERFECT ending to an EPIC adventure. My husband and I are in our 40s and were with another well-travelled couple.
We had an adventure filled 17-day trip through SA, and I wanted a quiet & relaxing spot for our last 2 nights. Plus, we wanted a base to drive the Panorama Route and see Blyde River Canyon. - This was the right place for us.
Location: A short drive outside Hazyview with KILLER views of Kruger and the surrounds from their property on top of a gorgeous hill. It is really lovey and really quiet.
Rooms: They have 4 PRETTY B&B rooms right behind their welcoming home (One of the owners, Dawne, is an artist and interior designer that has worked on many of the area luxury game lodges.) They have HUGE comfy beds with nice linens. The only drawback for us was the wacky eurpoean-style bathtub / hand-held shower. I'm guessing they want to limit water usage since they have to pump it up the big hill?? They also have a self-catering cottage overlooking the pond. It is fully equipped with kitchen, BBQ and a private plunge pool.
Rooms were really clean with the exception of one large visting lizard and a few stray bugs (that are impossible to avoid in this type of location).
Amenities/Grounds: Gorgeous grounds, local hiking trails, small on-site swimming pool. Their sweet dogs are really chill. So, even if you're not "dog people" (like the couple we were travelling with) you will love them. I personally wanted to pack them up and take them home with me.
Breakfast: Both our breakfasts were high-end gourmet restaurant quality. They offer fresh fruit, cereals, yogurt and a fully cooked meal as well. It was a great way to start each day. They made our second breakfast REALLY special since one of our guests was celebrating her birthday. They even sang us a local brithday song that brought my friend and myself to tears. It was a special experience.
Nearby: Drive the Pamorama Route! And, Summerfields Kitchen is a nice restaraunt that is close-by. It's a GREAT place for both lunch and dinner. We had two great meals there. The menu is small. But, the selections are yummy, the location is a stunner and the staff was professional.
Hosts: The facilities are great and the veiws are specatcular, but, what make this place really special are the owners Dawne and Rob. They went above and beyond the call of duty over and over. They are funny, interesting and kind.
