I just love it when the traffic noises slow down, in that moment you know that you are out of the forever busy city, Johannesburg, South Africa. Sibani Lodge is located inside Mount Savannah in a tranquil upland area in Farm Danielsrust with the most beautiful landscape.
On arrival, we were welcomed with warm smiles from the very friendly staff and we were given a small tour of the lodge before we were shown into our rooms. Sibani Lodge has spectacular views with the most splendid interior furniture from vintage leather suitcases, mahogany furniture to animal skin carpets. The lodge is furnished to taste.
In the main lodge, you find the master bedroom with a deck, this room is one of my favourite. It is designed in a way that catches the sun from every angle and not even the sliding doors covers the view. The interior was a combination of modern and vintage mahogany furniture with a touch of animal skin carpet, a bath tub that catches the sunset view and an indoor shower that leads you to another shower outdoor. The deck had unlimited view that brought small animals like rabbits gracing the front yard. The second room has two head-to-head double beds with a large bath, shower plus unlimited view from the deck.
The room was designed in a way that catches the sun from every angle and not even the sliding doors covers the view.
The deck had unlimited view that brought small animals like rabbits gracing the front yard.
The royal cottages are situated away from the lodge with an inside fireplace, bathtub, a shower, an open lounge and an extended open deck.
The staff at Sibani Lodge are always happy to assist and make your stay as comfortable as possible. After we were settled, we then gathered at the table for dinner. This is the tradition at the lodge. The dinner was set up on a vintage barn board dining table and everyone who is a guest at the lodge gathered to the table; everyone have dinner together. At first, I found it a bit strange but later on, I actually enjoyed exchanging conversations with other guests at the table. The starters were vegetable soup with toasted ricotta bread. The soup was creamy, delicious and smooth on the tongue. The main course was a specialty, dessert was homemade custard with malva cake, my all-time favourite. Wine was brought to the table and my colleagues and I snuggled around the fire, sharing conversations.
The next day, we wanted to go swimming; which I have been looking forward to, but the weather did not permit us. The weather was fairly different because Sibani Lodge is located on the uplands and it was windy and cold but when you leave the premises the weather was a little warmer. When you are at the lodge and its cold, there isn’t much to do. I decided to curl up with a glass of wine while enjoying the pastoral scenes and then later went into my room to catch up on my favourite series.
My last day was one of my most memorable moments at the lodge. The weather was perfect. It was a sunny day, the mood was just right. I put on my bikini, grabbed my sparkling non-alcoholic sparkling wine, sarong, sunglasses and rushed to the swimming pool. The view from the pool was magnificent! You could see the wildlife and the endless scenes of mountains that surrounds the lodge. I had about an hour or so of relaxing by the pool side before heading off for a game drive as scheduled on our list of activities for the evening.
The weather was perfect. It was a sunny day, the mood was just right. I put on my bikini, grabbed my sparkling non-alcoholic sparkling wine, sarong, sunglasses and rushed to the swimming pool.
The view from the pool was magnificent! You could see the wildlife and the endless scenes of mountains that surrounds the lodge.
Around 17:00, we made our way to the game drive and Simon was our game ranger. He knew a lot about Mount Savannah, the plantations and the animals. It was my very first time being on a game drive and I was really excited. During the game drive, we saw animals such as wildebeest, giraffe, ostriches, antelopes and zebras just to name a few.
We made our way to the Sibani Lodge camp-site to catch a glimpse of their outdoor accommodation. There are four tents; the Boma which includes an open lounge, inside fireplace and a king size bed. The smaller and bigger tents that occupies two people each and B&B (bed and breakfast). The interiors of the tents are modern with a touch of outdoor furniture. Guests sleep in beds instead of sleeping bags. The tents on the premises are permanent, you do not have to build them yourself.
There are four tents; the Boma which includes an open lounge, inside fireplace and a king size bed.
We made our way to the cliff that overlooked the sunset for a small picnic. The picnic basket was full of my favourite treats from biltong, peanuts, raisins, crackers, cheese plus a bottle of wine. It was really an eventful evening. Once the sun set, we made our way back to the lodge and it was already dinner time. At the dinner table on the third day, we had vegetable soup. It was not tasting as good as it was when I first had it. The oxtail was cooked to perfection though. The meat was tender, succulent, falling off the bone exactly how a properly cooked oxtail should be. We ended our dinner with malva pudding, homemade custard and wine.
The picnic basket was full of my favourite treats from biltong, peanuts, raisins, crackers, cheese plus a bottle of wine.
Once the sun set, we made our way back to the lodge and it was already dinner time.
If you are looking for a quick getaway from the forever busy city, Johannesburg, South Africa. Sibani Lodge, Farm Danielsrust’s hidden gem is the perfect place. A totally unique experience that will make you want to visit Gauteng, South Africa more.
