Pampoenfontein Restio Review – Stunningly Beautiful Getaway

In February we went away to Pampoenfontein and it was the ultimate restful getaway for my family. This weekend away was extra special because my parents, my mother in law and her partner joined us.

My husband first came across Pampoenfontein last year January and he showed me the Restio cottage which we both agreed was beautiful and we wanted to make a booking then, but life had something else in store for us which put a delay on travel plans for a few months. We decided to wait until it was hot again so that my kids could enjoy the beautiful pool on the stoep.

Pampoenfontein

Pampoenfontein is a 400 hectare farm nestled in the mountains of the Groot Winterhoek area. There are walking paths through the fynbos so you can walk for a few kilometers from the farm to the beginning of the Groot Winterhoek Reserve.

Hundreds of years ago pumpkin (pampoen) seeds were dropped by nomadic herders when they camped at a fountain while crossing the mountain, hence the name Pampoenfontein.

There are a number of cottages at Pampoenfontein to choose from:

• Restio
• Heron House
• Protea
• Pelargonium
• Lilly

Restio Cottage

Restio Cottage has a stone exterior but the inside is modern and comfortable.

It has 4 bedrooms that each sleep 2 people and 3 of the bedrooms have an en-suite which makes it very comfortable. I love having my own bathroom.

It is self catering and fully equipped with a fridge, electric oven, gas hob and microwave – it even has a dishwasher. Which is awesome but we decided not to make use of it. Bedding and towels are also provided.

There is an outdoor braai and a beautiful pool on the stoep.

For anyone that wants to stay connected there is uncapped internet – although we never tried to connect because when we go away we like to go screen free, especially me since I am always working any chance I can get in between my mommy duties!

Our Experience At Restio Cottage

Pampoenfontein is a beautiful place. The drive to Pampoenfontein is beautiful but also quite hair raising! You have to drive along a very narrow road that twists and turns up the mountain, personally I loved it. It makes it feel so much more like an adventure when the road is exciting. That said I would not want to travel that road in a downpour.

Soon after arriving we had a staff member come and check that we were comfortable and settled in.

Restio Cottage is very comfortable, with everything we could possibly need. There is plenty of seating space for a family group including a big dining table indoors and another shaded dining room table outside on the stoep in front of the pool.

We spent most of our time on the stoep by the pool partly because the view sitting there was breathtaking, but also because my kids spent all day in the pool and neither one of them can swim properly yet so we had to keep a close eye on them with their floatable devices.

I don’t get to rest often since I am a work from home mommy, which means that when I am not in mommy mode, cooking, cleaning, shopping or running errands I am working online. When we go away is when I get to switch off and rest. I love going to out of the way places and I am always looking for quiet and peaceful. We love nature and getting away from it all, which was exactly what we got here.

When we arrived it was very hot and the entire weekend was scorching hot, reaching over 40 degrees Celcius on the Saturday. We managed to go for a quick walk on the Saturday morning but I was lazy and got up a little late which meant we didn’t get very far before we had to turn back.

A lovely touch to the cottage (and I assume every cottage has one) is a book that lists all the fauna and flora that you can find at Pampoenfontein so if you want to know what any flower, animal or insect is you can easily look it up.

Since we didn’t get around much due to the heat we didn’t get to see all that was on offer. We did watch a group of rock rabbits on a rock outcrop while we were sunning ourselves on the stoep.

We did manage to get a look at the communal pool which is beautiful. It is set up against a koppie surrounded by trees. There is also a dam that you can swim in or have a picnic at but it was quite low and we didn’t hang around because of the heat. It looks like a great spot for older kids but not very suitable for my two youngsters that can’t swim properly yet.

My Final Verdict For Restio Cottage at Pampoenfontein

We loved this weekend getaway, it was a very special family weekend.

The cottage was comfortable and offered everything we needed. Pampoenfontein is beautiful and peaceful. The pool on our stoep was an absolute winner.

Just note that there is no railing around the stoep area and there is a drop next to the stairs and on the other side of the stoep by the braai there is also a drop. I would not advise going there with a crawling baby, toddler or even a young child under 4 or 5 years old due to the fact that they might fall.

One of the other cottages may be more suitable if your children are very young since the pool can also be a danger zone.

The only other recommendation I have is that if you want to take full advantage of the outdoor setting and go for walks don’t go in February. Rather go at a cooler time that is still warm enough to swim like November or December.

We are very keen to return to Pampoenfontein – our kids keep asking to go back.

***This review was originally published on lynnehuysamen.com***