‘Panoramic vistas peppered with sheep and lambs’ surround Willem and Pippa Vlok’s ‘tranquil’ restaurant-with-rooms. One-of-a-kind bedrooms in stone and brick outbuildings sprawl around a courtyard (low automatic lights show the way). ‘Our rustic, well-designed room, up a short flight of stairs, had soaring rafters, a super-king-size bed and lots of quality fittings.’ Consider discussing bedrooms before booking: a ground-floor room on the way to the restaurant was found lacking in privacy. Pre-dinner drinks may be taken alfresco, or in front of a log fire in a ‘massive, stunning’ converted barn. Across the ‘delightfully laid-out’ gardens, chef Karl Martin cooks ‘wonderfully tasty’ daily-changing tasting menus, ‘ideal for one-off, very special occasions’. A typically succinctly described dish: venison, artichoke, walnuts, blue cheese, pear. ‘Our seven-course menu was a master class, with top-quality locally sourced ingredients.’ At breakfast, ‘good portions of wholesome offerings’ (smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit salad, home-made marmalade) are just right for country walks straight from the door. (JV, and others)