The Rest Farm is situated at the top of the water catchment deep in the Sneeuberg Mountains in the Karoo, approximately 16 km on a dirt road from Nieu-Bethesda. This is the ideal place for families to enjoy affordable accommodation and connect with farm life. You can enjoy the silence with the option of taking part in farm activities. Enjoy the stream which runs through the old forest, enjoy long mountain hikes, mountain biking, bird watching and star gazing, watch the cows being milked, or help with herding the cattle.
Accommodation is offered in 2 rustic, family sized self-catering cottages. The Shepherd’s Cottage is beautifully situated with a magnificent view of Alwynkop and Compassberg. The cottage comprises a fully equipped kitchen, an open-plan lounge and dining room, 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. There is a small braai area where guests can enjoy views of the setting sun, and in the summer a large peach tree provides shade and the thick walls of the old building keep things cool. In the winter, a fireplace heats the whole house.
The Garden House is nestled in the trees near the main house. The house is lovely and cool in summer, and is kept cosy and warm by the old stove in winter. The cottage comprises 1 bedroom with a double bed and two curtained off areas with double beds as well a small, well-equipped kitchen, a lounge area, and a bathroom. There is also a hot shower outside and compost toilets near to the house if you need them.
Homemade bread, farm-style meals, grass-fed Karoo choice meat, milk, yogurt, cream cheese and eggs, when available, can be purchased on the farm. The farm is approximately an hour away from the nearest grocery shop, so guests are advised to shop before they arrive. Snow is not uncommon in winter and summer floods create dramatic patterns in the landscape. The spring is celebrated with beautiful veld flowers and the fruit trees are at their best when in blossom. Hot summer days are enjoyed in the river sheltered by the poplar grove, and the autumn months are dramatic, as the forest turns from green to red, gold and orange.
We invite you to experience an authentic farm experience. You will not find city chic on this farm. You will experience the intensity of the seasons, the dusty droughts, the muddy roads when it rains. We run our farm on strict conservation principles and ask you to join us in this effort.
Please also inquire about our solo, couples and group retreats. Individuals traveling out of season can ask about reduced rates.
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The Rest Farm
The Rest Farm
The Rest Farm
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Accommodation is offered in 2 rustic, family sized self-catering cottages. The Shepherd’s Cottage is beautifully situated with a magnificent view of Alwynkop and Compassberg. The cottage comprises a fully equipped kitchen, an open-plan lounge and dining room, 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. There is a small braai area where guests can enjoy views of the setting sun, and in the summer a large peach tree provides shade and the thick walls of the old building keep things cool. In the winter, a fireplace heats the whole house.
The Garden House is nestled in the trees near the main house. The house is lovely and cool in summer, and is kept cosy and warm by the old stove in winter. The cottage comprises 1 bedroom with a double bed and two curtained off areas with double beds as well a small, well-equipped kitchen, a lounge area, and a bathroom. There is also a hot shower outside and compost toilets near to the house if you need them.
Homemade bread, farm-style meals, grass-fed Karoo choice meat, milk, yogurt, cream cheese and eggs, when available, can be purchased on the farm. The farm is approximately an hour away from the nearest grocery shop, so guests are advised to shop before they arrive. Snow is not uncommon in winter and summer floods create dramatic patterns in the landscape. The spring is celebrated with beautiful veld flowers and the fruit trees are at their best when in blossom. Hot summer days are enjoyed in the river sheltered by the poplar grove, and the autumn months are dramatic, as the forest turns from green to red, gold and orange.
We invite you to experience an authentic farm experience. You will not find city chic on this farm. You will experience the intensity of the seasons, the dusty droughts, the muddy roads when it rains. We run our farm on strict conservation principles and ask you to join us in this effort.
Please also inquire about our solo, couples and group retreats. Individuals traveling out of season can ask about reduced rates.
Accommodation is offered in 2 rustic, family sized self-catering cottages. The Shepherd’s Cottage is beautifully situated with a magnificent view of Alwynkop and Compassberg. The cottage comprises a fully equipped kitchen, an open-plan lounge and dining room, 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. There is a small braai area where guests can enjoy views of the setting sun, and in the summer a large peach tree provides shade and the thick walls of the old building keep things cool. In the winter, a fireplace heats the whole house.
The Garden House is nestled in the trees near the main house. The house is lovely and cool in summer, and is kept cosy and warm by the old stove in winter. The cottage comprises 1 bedroom with a double bed and two curtained off areas with double beds as well a small, well-equipped kitchen, a lounge area, and a bathroom. There is also a hot shower outside and compost toilets near to the house if you need them.
Homemade bread, farm-style meals, grass-fed Karoo choice meat, milk, yogurt, cream cheese and eggs, when available, can be purchased on the farm. The farm is approximately an hour away from the nearest grocery shop, so guests are advised to shop before they arrive. Snow is not uncommon in winter and summer floods create dramatic patterns in the landscape. The spring is celebrated with beautiful veld flowers and the fruit trees are at their best when in blossom. Hot summer days are enjoyed in the river sheltered by the poplar grove, and the autumn months are dramatic, as the forest turns from green to red, gold and orange.
We invite you to experience an authentic farm experience. You will not find city chic on this farm. You will experience the intensity of the seasons, the dusty droughts, the muddy roads when it rains. We run our farm on strict conservation principles and ask you to join us in this effort.
Please also inquire about our solo, couples and group retreats. Individuals traveling out of season can ask about reduced rates.
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Reviews (12)
12 guests' feedbackNo tongs, only a closable grid that loses smaller bits when turning. Also only hot water for 2 out 4 days stay. Don't mind rustic living but cost should determine better facilities mentioned. Would go back if hot water and braai are fixed.
The cottage was spacious and the beds comfortable. It is rustic and farm style, but quite run down, with not much to do but chill in the shade. There is a koppie behind that you can walk up for a lovely view, not a marked hike. And you can visit the labyrinth. The owner was quite rude about people always getting lost - not surprising since the signage was facing the wrong way or not visible. They have tried to make it the accommodation Karoo quirky with mismatched crockery, but missed the plot with number of things being broken. A mouse/rat chewed its way into the back of the fridge and ate and pooped all over our food. They also have a lot of barky dogs, so if you take yours make sure they are well behaved and will just ignore this.
We cannot recommend this place enough. The environment, the silence, the tranquility and hospitality of Paula and her husband are almost unprecedented in today's times. The Sheppard Cottage has everything you need and you get the feeling that you are back with grandpa and grandma on the farm. The farm products for sale are honestly some of the best and it's especially the sausage that can be packed extra. We explored the area and were lucky enough to experience rain. Unfortunately, the region went through massive storms and washouts and the route between the farm and Nieu-Bethasda was not really suitable for even a 4x4, but a detour could be used. We are definitely going back.
Apart from the clinking in the kitchen and broken glass in the yard, we appreciated the natural beauty and farm environment. No cell phone reception. Wifi allows data text messaging.
We had a lovely stay at The Rest. The setting of the farm is beautiful and it's very peaceful and quiet. Paula and family and inviting and friendly hosts who ensured we enjoyed our stay. Our dogs had so much fun on the farm with the farm dogs that they didn't want to leave!
Here you just have to enjoy the beautiful scenery! Far from nearest town so take everything with you. The cottage has everything you need. If it is cloudy or cold, no hot water as it has solar geyser.
It is a very old Karoo house, but when the cold bit and the snow started to fall on the mountains, it was the Bosca wood deer that came to our rescue. Very clean and tidy, but like everywhere in the Karoo, you have to be able to think ahead in winter. Pipes freeze, but just a few scoops of snow in the kettle on the wood stove makes for a true Karoo winter experience. A place that few will see and experience in their lifetime. It is here where the silence rages and the stars burn out like embers in the light.
Ian and Paula are charming and hospitable hosts right down to the fresh farm baked bread left in our Garden Cottage at no charge. The Rest is a operating farm off the beaten track and certainly on a road less travelled. 27 km off the N9 and 15 km from dorp of Nieu Bethesda. If you're looking for the bright lights and hurly burly, then look elsewhere, but if you're looking for the brightest stars and freshest Karoo air then you'll probably love this place like my wife and I do. We'll certainly be going back.
The area was beautiful and very peaceful, but the cottage inside was very dirty. As you sat on the sofa you could see that under the cupboards and tables had not been cleaned in years. The water in the geyser had probably not been tapped for years, the smell was unbearable when we first used it. But after that no problem. The beds were pretty clean, but the place smelled badly of moth poison. The hostess was lovely and the people very accommodating and friendly. The area is so quiet and peaceful. I wouldn't just stay there again, but I would like to visit the area again in the future.
The Rest Farm has a lot of potential with minor improvements. The dishes were dirty and the braai facilities bad. There is no place to sit outside, and only 2 old garden chairs for a house where 6 people live. Suggest they build a boma to be able to sit outside and enjoy the scenery. The yard can also be cleared.
I would suggest that a standard be set for accommodation. Dilapidated bedding, home that has been cobbled together for extra income is an absolute no. I can understand that it was cheap but cheap doesn't have to mean shabby. I was extremely disappointed in the distance, as there was no way I could drive back and forth to town. We cut our visit short. I informed the hostess what type of holiday I was looking for, and did not find it. No water, no pool - frog pond with dead rabbit in it. There is one cow on the farm that is milked, if it is milked. No coolness at home, and no safety. I would not suggest this to anyone in the country in light of farm attacks.
Fantastic experience. I went as a single parent with 3 children (15, 12 and 5) and apart from the signal, we had a fantastic 2 nights. The silence took us to places we had never been before, the scenery had my children in awe and full of questions. On our arrival, Paula offered to make us Shepherd's pie, unforgettable to eat traditionally so in the middle of nowhere with a fireplace cloth to keep you warm! Worth the effort for those who like silence, calmness, natural beauty and want to completely disconnect from the too-fast-moving life in which we can trap ourselves like this!
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Description
The Shepherd’s Cottage is beautifully situated with a magnificent view of Alwynkop and Compasberg. The cottage comprises a fully equipped kitchen, an open-plan lounge and dining room, 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. The first bedroom contains a double bed, the second bedroom contains 2 single beds, and the third bedroom contains a single bed. The bathroom has a flush toilet, a shower and a bath; there is also a compost toilet outside. There is a small braai area where guests can enjoy views of the setting sun, and in the summer a large peach tree provides shade and the thick walls of the old building keep things cool. In the winter, a fireplace heats the whole house.
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Description
The Shepherd’s Cottage is beautifully situated with a magnificent view of Alwynkop and Compasberg. The cottage comprises a fully equipped kitchen, an open-plan lounge and dining room, 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. The first bedroom contains a double bed, the second bedroom contains 2 single beds, and the third bedroom contains a single bed. The bathroom has a flush toilet, a shower and a bath; there is also a compost toilet outside. There is a small braai area where guests can enjoy views of the setting sun, and in the summer a large peach tree provides shade and the thick walls of the old building keep things cool. In the winter, a fireplace heats the whole house.
R900R900R720Accommodation is offered in 2 rustic, family sized self-catering cottages. The Shepherd’s Cottage is beautifully situated with a magnificent view of Alwynkop and Compassberg. The cottage comprises a fully equipped kitchen, an open-plan lounge and dining room, 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. There is a small braai area where guests can enjoy views of the setting sun, and in the summer a large peach tree provides shade and the thick walls of the old building keep things cool. In the winter, a fireplace heats the whole house.
The Garden House is nestled in the trees near the main house. The house is lovely and cool in summer, and is kept cosy and warm by the old stove in winter. The cottage comprises 1 bedroom with a double bed and two curtained off areas with double beds as well a small, well-equipped kitchen, a lounge area, and a bathroom. There is also a hot shower outside and compost toilets near to the house if you need them.
Homemade bread, farm-style meals, grass-fed Karoo choice meat, milk, yogurt, cream cheese and eggs, when available, can be purchased on the farm. The farm is approximately an hour away from the nearest grocery shop, so guests are advised to shop before they arrive. Snow is not uncommon in winter and summer floods create dramatic patterns in the landscape. The spring is celebrated with beautiful veld flowers and the fruit trees are at their best when in blossom. Hot summer days are enjoyed in the river sheltered by the poplar grove, and the autumn months are dramatic, as the forest turns from green to red, gold and orange.
We invite you to experience an authentic farm experience. You will not find city chic on this farm. You will experience the intensity of the seasons, the dusty droughts, the muddy roads when it rains. We run our farm on strict conservation principles and ask you to join us in this effort.
Please also inquire about our solo, couples and group retreats. Individuals traveling out of season can ask about reduced rates.
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