Matlapa Lodge
Magaliesburg Bliss
One of my New Year's Resolutions was to get away from Joburg Life atleast once a month- not too far, and not necessarily for an extendedamount of time- but far and long enough to escape from Joburg life, Joburg people, Joburg perceptions. We are now one month into the year and I am proud to announce that I have stuck to this resolution. The 'pride' exudes because this is The Only resolution I've kept. I am still smoking, I still weigh the same and I still have a tendency to frequently oversleep.
The
mission for last weekend was to a place called Matlapa Lodge. A cluster
of lofty but warm chalets about 5km's out of the town Magaliesburg.
This secluded getaway took us only 45 minutes to get to from Randburg
but once there it felt like we were in another world.
At the moment Matlapa Lodge resembles 'The Shire', thanks to this recent 'uber' bout of rain. Everything is lush on this sunny hillside, with all sorts of creatures buzzing and hopping around, celebrating the outdoors that has been so hard to access for the past damp week.
The actual lodge consists of a main house with a large dining room boasting amazing views of the Magaliesburg to be enjoyed whilst eating the delicious breakfast provided, a tiny library (with ladders to reach the high up books!), a kitchen and a welcoming reception. The main house looks out onto an infinity pool that in turn looks out into the valley beyond it- aaaah bliss!
Surrounding the main house are the chalets. Whilst being fairly close to one another they have been carefully designed so as to ensure privacy. The jungly vegetation also acts as a soft, natural barrier. The chalets are warm, luxurious and homely. Each one has a huge, and private, outdoor shower (our shower even had a tree in it to hug) as well as alluring bathtubs that are big enough to really enjoy and bask in. With decks accompanying the chalets you are guaranteed a beautiful view any time of the day. We really enjoyed watching a storm pass over us in the evening with spectacular bolts of lightning in the distance.
The beauty of this place is that there is very little to do. Apart from horse riding and swimming, the other obvious option is to relax, read, sleep, look, listen, smell, daydream and if you really energetic- explore. There's nothing quite like communing with the countryside, connecting with nature and then falling asleep in a comfy, ready made, warm bed.
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What Others Said
bernito said
on 29 August 2009di nthsa ko kae boss