Clearly last year with the deadly Covid-19 pandemic raging across the globe was not the year to do much going away in. In fact, with the various rules, regulations and lockdowns in place, nipping out for a holiday was not exactly possible for the longest of times anyway, which is then probably why when the gap did finally open to do so, we seized the opportunity to zip out for a quick week long holiday at the very nice and quiet, pretty secluded and thus social distanced, Badensfontein farm, situated on the outskirts of Montagu on the edge of the Klein Karoo.

A beautiful family owned farm nestled in the Baden Valley, Badensfontein is situated a mere 5 km outside Montagu (just past the famous Montagu Springs) and apart from its array of vineyards offers both camping and self-catering accommodation on its ample grounds. Managing to have cultivated a large lush lawn of green grass in the very semi arid surrounding environment, Badensfontein has crafted a perfect spot for people with tents, though it does also offer luxury tent accommodation plus of course the self-catering cottages which we were by far the most interested in.

Our cute little cottage was called Duiker, and nestled in among the fynbos on the slopes of a hill, it had exactly everything that we were looking for. Tranquility, views, an outdoor braai, a stoep, excellent WiFi, trails to walk, a host of giant geckos living behind all the paintings, and down at the bottom of the camp site a small but very refreshing splash pool which my girls basically lived in for the duration of our stay. (That said, when we first lifted the cover off the pool we had a good giggle – the girls had to share the tiny pool with a rather large frog!)

As it turned out, we were the only people staying at Badensfontein for the majority of our stay, and while Chantelle wasn’t there from start to finish (as always the Helderberg Cake Company had cakes to bake!), as a family this getaway from the confines of our little home back in Gordon’s Bay was exactly what we had needed. Lots of braais, games of Jenga and Go Fish!, colouring-in, walking, and splashing in the pool was very much the order of the day.

We did of course pop into Montagu a couple of times and do some of our usual sightseeing/driving around, but for the most part we stayed put, socially isolating in what was a wonderfully relaxing and peaceful spot. Highly recommended then if you are looking to escape from the city.

Related Link: Badensfontein | Montagu