Accolades

ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST

April 2003 Article by Tim Beddow

“Appearing to exist in a glorious and romantic time warp, the Cape Dutch manor house stands on the banks of the Berg River, its original outbuildings resembling a village street. You could be forgiven for thinking it might be a film set.”

HOUSE & LEISURE

July 2003 Article “Flights of Fancy” by Cathy O’Clery

“Rich layering, family heirlooms and an authentic patina from centuries of life well lived give this national monument its romance”

GREENWOOD GUIDES

“You are fed like a king, but treated as friend and I am always recommending people to go there.” – Simon Greenwood

THE INDEPENDENT

TRAVELLER May 2005

Voted one of FIVE BEST LUXURY FARM STAYS worldwide.

WINE

February 2004 from “Escape Routes” by Marianne Holtman.

“Dinner’s delicious, including tender and succelent roast wild boar with perfectly done roast potatoes and assorted fresh greens from the farm’s vegetable garden. The accompanying wines selected by Julian are particularly fine examples from the nearby Swartland wine region.”

GETAWAY

April 2004 Photo Portfolio by Robert Ross.

“I have visited the farm on many occasions, each visit unique: a different group of characters at dinner, flowers in spring, birds in winter, harvesting of wheat, shearing of sheep, searching for wild boar. A sense of consistency and steadfastness of the place endures.”

SUNDAY WORLD

March 2004
Voted one of FIVE BEST LUXURY FARM STAYS worldwide.

ROOI ROSE

Aug 2006

“Mooier as die plaas en opstal kom dit nie . . Die plaas lê langs die standhoudende Bergrivier en die plaashuis kyk uit oor troppe beeste en perde- en skaapkampe rivier se kant toe. Die ou familiebegraafplaas is omsoom deur koringlande en die grafte daar vertel die eeue oue geskiedenis van geslagte Melcks en hulle geliefdes. Donkermaan kan jy die sterre omtrent raak vat, so helder gloei hulle daar bo, en die stilte vou soos ‘n karos uit dié wêreld om jou.”

FROMMER’S SOUTH AFRICA

“This is one of the most authentic, unusual experiences to be had in the country – to be hosted by what is effectively a South African aristocrat in his beautiful Cape Dutch farmstead.(Rooms) have been decorated by Graham Viney (the man responsible for refurbishing the Orient Express), utilizing family antiques …”

MEN’S HEALTH

November 2010. Article “13 places to eat before you die” by Jean-Pierre Rossouw

“Experience Cape living as if it were 1780. Yes, not 1980 (which is still the decade of choice in some areas), but in 1780. On this fabulous West Coast farm, life has moved at its own pace, and a week-end here will certainly recalibrate your system. Eight-generation owner Julian Melck hosts guests in the aviation-themed bar, then on to dinner; a multi-course event in the historic manor house, complete with a large dining room table, silverware, trophy heads and paintings of colonial derring-do. The dishes are straight from Cape food history, often including variations on the farm’s own beef, sheep and wild pigs.”

SARIE WOON

2012/2013 Uitgawe. Artikel “Pure Plaas ” deur Johan van Zyl

“Om Kersefontein te besoek is soos om huistoe te kom na ‘n lang afwesigheid. Hier is alles wat jou herhinner aan mooi dinge,en in die luukse gaste-suites kan jy ‘n regte plaaskuier beleef.”
Lees die artikel hier >

TIME MAGAZINE

Time Traveler Article by Alex Perry August 4, 2008.

“IN AFRICAN NATURE, THE circle of life has fangs: mosquito bites man, fish eats mosquito, crocodile eats fish, man shoots crocodile, man dies of malaria. But for a few weeks a year, South Africa witnesses the climax of a somewhat gentler natural cycle. Most of the time, Namaqualand is a featureless swath of scrub desert running from just north of Cape Town up the coast to Namibia. From August to October, however, these plains explode in a display of wild flowers. What was once brown, dusty and flat is transformed into a sea of pinks, oranges, yellows, whites, purples and reds. Better still, there are few towns around, so if you go to see one of Africa’s most pastoral natural spectacles, you’re likely to have it all to yourself.

As for where to stay, head for a spot that is possibly even more vibrant: Kersefontein Guest Farm, a national monument that is now a luxury hotel on the Berg River, north of the town of Hopefield.

Proprietor Julian Melck is one of the eighth generation of Melcks to farm this barren land, which his family first settled in 1770. He hosts extravagant dinner parties—foie gras, venison, malva pudding, set to robust reds from nearby vineyards—around a giant polished table at which he arranges guests with a view to conversation. Accommodation is king-size and regally furnished—leather armchairs, four-poster beds, wall-to-wall libraries—in a line of converted outbuildings. And with geese wandering down the dust avenue that runs between the buildings as horses nuzzle in their pens beyond, the view is every bit as bucolic as the flowers in the surrounding fields.”