Durban - When Richard and Mouse Poynton sold their Midlands Granny Mouse Country House in 1993, I counted myself among the disappointed guests who would miss their hospitality and wholesome food. So when I heard they had opened a new hideaway, a visit was added to my bucket list. Thankfully, I had to wait only 14 years to find out why people rave about the Poyntons’ new passion.
The experience starts with a meandering drive through the picturesque farmlands of Nottingham Road and Rosetta with your final destination the uKhahlamba World Heritage Site. Friendly greetings from the family dogs set the scene and as you are guided past the formal herb garden to your room – one of only 11 – it almost feels like you’re being welcomed home.
The rooms seal the deal. I was spoilt with one of the executive suites, complete with a roaring fireplace, chandelier, king-size bed, a dressing room and two bathrooms! After a stressful week, an afternoon nap wrapped in the fleecy bath robe took preference over a walk, but not before I overindulged in the afternoon tea and cake… and cheese (all local) and biscuits.
I also couldn’t resist a quick peek around the main farmhouse with its resident cat in front of the fireplace, yellowwood and Oregon pine, quirky decor, fascinating artefacts and spectacular setting, looking over a trout dam.
“Everything you see here has been collected over 40 years, some of it local and some from overseas, like the church pew which Mouse found in England and insisted we bring home,” says Richard.
“What you see here is not a hotel but really an extension of our house.”
A sucker for history and old buildings, I soon learnt that my room was part of the original mountain cottage built in 1896 and carved out of local stone. Richard’s grandfather Fred, a pioneering sugar farmer, bought Cleopatra in the 1940s as a place to escape the intense summer heat on the KZN north coast.
The family extended the cottage and built the dam in 1980. When Richard and Mouse returned from their four-year culinary adventure working with great European chefs, they decided to turn Cleopatra into an intimate and romantic gourmet getaway.
The original old cottage became suites and the stables were turned into rooms with eclectic inspiration drawn from places like Italy, Darjeeling in India, the Nordic countries and even the Wild West.
The Poyntons opened the boutique hotel in 1998 and have since added a new dining room, which also caters for small weddings, special occasions and functions, overlooking the dam and the mountains. It is here, among the imposing family portraits, that you will be treated to sublime meals conjured up by chef Richard with the freshest local produce.
To savour every mouthful, you should arrive ravenous for dinner. Work up a mean hunger with a mountain hike, horse riding, a guided walk to the San rock art site, an historical tour or fishing for trout in the river and nearby dams.
And don’t forget to visit the underground cellar stocked with the best of local wines, where you can choose the perfect bottle to accompany your meal, bound to be even more perfect.
I can’t wait to go back to catch up on that walk I missed and to sit down to another spectacular candlelit five-course dinner. And maybe another and another…
Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse is about two and a half hours from Durban.
Rates are for each person a night, sharing, and include dinner, bed, breakfast as well as a cheeseboard for lunch and all teas, coffees and cakes. Prices range from R1 595 for standard twin and double rooms to R1 995 for executive cottages.
To book or for more information: www.cleomountain.com or e-mail [email protected] or call 033 267 9900. - The Mercury