Kings Walden Garden Manor
CEDARBERG RATING
Premier
PRICING FROM
₤ 61 (Pps)
Overview
Kings Walden Garden Manor is a little gem of a place near Tzaneen in the far north of South Africa. It offers simple but comfortable accommodation with a truly amazing historical garden with spectacular mountain views of the Drakensberg escarpment. It lies in the hilly Agatha area, just outside Tzaneen in the Limpopo province and so is conveniently situated between the Waterberg, Mashatu and the northern Limpopo region and the game lodges of the Greater Kruger Park.
Accommodation at Kings Walden Garden Manor
Kings Walden Garden Manor comprises five luxury en suite bedrooms, each with extra length beds and a sitting area with fireplace decorated in clean elegant lines with warm earthy tones and textures. Each room leads out onto a private terrace overlooking the romantic garden with its large swimming pool, extensive lawns and cascading terraces where paths lead to shaded secret spots. One of the rooms can be a triple room. Whilst another two are inter-leading so it works well for families as well as couples.
Owned by the daughter of the original owners, food is very important at Kings Walden. Both at breakfast and dinner with European dishes combined with South African specialities using the freshest of local ingredients. Weather permitting, dinner takes place on the terrace over-looking the iconic lightening tree
The romantic Kings Walden garden is one of the most famous in the far north and South Africa in general. Wander through the extensive gardens with acres of Agapanthus and St Joseph lilies, rolling lawns, lavender walks, a mirrored rose garden, water features, fountains and ornamental ponds. The famous Lighting Tree has been featured in Thomas Packenham's Remarkable Trees of the World.
Sunny days can be spent around the pool fed by a mountain spring. However many guests prefer to venture no further than their room where a crackling log fire enlivens mysterious misty mornings. The various attractions of Tzaneen are all close by with its tea plantations, stunning forest walks and the Magoebaskloof canopy tour.
At A Glance
Birding hotspot
Good Food & Wine
Garden
Restaurants
Rural location
Wifi on premises
In Pictures
Kings Walden Garden Manor on the map
Rooms
Double or Twin Room
King size bed or 2 x 3/4 extra-length beds, en-suite bath & shower, fireplace, sitting area, ceiling fan, IPOD/CD player.
Family Room
King size bed or 2 x 3/4 twin beds, standard single bed, en- suite bath & shower, fireplace, sitting area, ceiling fan, IPOD/CD player,
this room can also be used as a family room
Natasha’s review of Kings Walden Garden Manor
Kings Walden is still our favourite place to stay in this relatively remote part of South Africa. Tzaneen is one of the most scenic places to stay as a stop-over between the Waterberg, Mashatu or the northern Limpopo area and the game lodges of the Greater Kruger Park.
However with Kings Walden, it may not suit everyone. The gardens reek of romance. And yet there is no denying that they have some maintenance issues to deal with. The new owner/manager Bridget as taken back ownership of her beloved family home, which has been operating as a boutique guest lodge under overseas ownership for some years. And she is keen to upgrade the rooms. (For example some areas need a fresh coat of paint. So for now, you get comfortable accommodation in an unarguably romantic setting.
The garden, which they are most famous for, does need some attention. But as it is in the style of a romantic English terrace garden,it is still a magical feature nonetheless.
At the moment they only offer 5 of their 6 rooms. As one of the rooms is being used by Bridget. Room 3 can take a triple and Rooms 5 & 6 are inter-leading. These two rooms overlook the garden and pool, whereas other rooms overlook the lawn and gardena.
They are known for their food. Dinner is a 4 course meal, with options changing on a nightly basis. (So pre-booking for dinner is essential). The dinner was good and very well presented and we especially thought their breakfast was very good as well.
Bridget is a lovely hostess and usually shares a bit of the property/family history with guests. Dining areas are swopped around, so depending on the weather, outside dining now offers a much better view, overlooking the iconic lightning tree. The table setting at dinner added a great ambience to our meal.
The rooms dont have air-conditioning, but this hilly area above Tzaneen is remarkably cooler, because of the elevation, than the heat that we felt in town. The ceiling fan was sufficient even in December (summer).
Conclusion - If you only want ultra-modern and all mod-cons then Kings Walden may not be for you. However if you like a little bit of romance and history and can trade this for a fresh paint of coat, then we recommend Kings Walden!
