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  s e l f - c a t e r i n g   f a r m   r e t r e a t . o v e r b e r g . c a p e  p r o v i n c e .  s o u t h  a f r i c a
            

M a L k o p  o n  M a L p l a a s  

M a L p l a a s  is just one hour from cape town.
a funny farm with houses for friends who love and respect animals and nature,
who don't mind the odd insect, fluttering bat, muddy paw print or cat whisker;
who seek solitude and stillness or wish to celebrate a special occasion with a party;
who enjoy the elements, birdsong, fresh air, unpolluted water and wide open spaces;
who share our deep concerns about the future of our children and the planet,
who appreciate the freedom to be as mad they like and don't particularly mind orange!

M a L k o p  is a thatched house high on a green hill  in a forgotten fabulous valley
with a winding red river, surrounded by farmlands and private nature reserve.
creatively appointed, considerately equipped and made with love and humour,
the house sleeps three couples with a small bedroom for two single friends or children.
an unusual venue for small workshop weekends (separate cottage for instructor),
a discreet and healing haven for convalescence after illness or surgery,
a safe and loving sanctuary for groups of women of all ages,
but really just a private, peaceful and unpretentious country retreat for friends and their dogs.

                                                                                                                                        


                                           

a b o u t  M a L k o p  t h e   h o u s e
four bedrooms  three with double beds, one with two single beds
                              bedlinen, pillows, duvets and blankets provided 
two bathrooms one en-suite with double basins, bath and loo
                              other with spacious shower, bath, basin and loo towels provided
living area         with fireplace, video, dvd and cd player
dining room      with seating for eight friends
kitchen                microwave, eye-level oven, hob, fridge/freezer, scullery & breakfast alcove
                              utensils, cleaning paraphernalia, kettle, toaster, espresso pot & coffee plungers,
                              pots, pans, glasses, crockery, cutlery provided
garden                fenced and private with tiered lawns, chaotic vegetable patch and fruit trees
patio                sheltered and shaded by trees
plunge pool      deep and black and built to resemble a farm dam 
pavilion              with fireplace and loads of seating, shaded and protected from the wind
                              for easy outdoor entertaining throughout the year
                              braai grid, braai utensils and ample firewood provided   


                                        

    
w h e n   s t a y i n g   a t   M a L k o p

river, dams and meadows for swimming, picnics and games    
          undisturbed and safe walks in private renosterveld nature reserve
          no landline but dodgy mobile reception
          library of elderly cookery books, novels and magazines
          no television but selection of video's, dvd's, puzzles, cards and board games
          antiques, original art, fabrics and carvings by african artists and rather a lot of orange!
n a t u r e   o n   M a L p l a a s

100 hectares of highly endangered renosterveld reserve, kloofs and gorges, streams that flow in winter
magnificent wild flower displays in spring
view of the sea from the highest vantage point  
cleared and lawned areas of river frontage 

w i l d l i f e   o n  M a L p l a a s

nguni cattle, porcupines, cape clawless otter, greysbok, mongoose, rooikat, genet, cape hare, tortoise, puff adder, cape cobra

blue crane, african fish eagle, black eagle, giant and malachite kingfisher, hoopoe, malachite sunbird, european bee eater, bokmakierie, crow, cape turtle dove, fork-tailed drongo, egyptian and spur-winged goose, guinea fowl, grey heron, hadeda, mousebird, nightjar, barn owl, rock pigeon, cape robin, secretary bird, cape sparrow, starling, cape sugarbird, swallow, swift, weaver, white-eye, woodpecker and many more    

t h i n g s   t o   d o   o n  M a L p l a a s

           an early morning or evening stroll into the reserve - excellent dog-walking trails
           picnic on the river bank, in the meadows or beside the ruin in the reserve
           hang out at the river - rolling green lawns, fire pit, hammocks, swings and trampoline
           a romantic candlelight dinner in the pavilion with peacocks wailing down the valley                    
           a poolside party with some chilled tunes and your best beloveds 
           swim or pretend to fish in the dam or river or simply observe the kingfishers and fish eagles hunting
           bring a mountain bike to cycle in the renosterveld reserve and up the pass
           accredited guide available for horticultural, ornithological & historical safari's (request in advance) 
           bird watching ask us for binoculars and reference books - an absolute paradise for bird watchers
           kite flying wind conditions are brilliant in summer
           paddle a canoe around the island on the dam
           extreme croquet or whatever ball games you fancy in the meadows
           get involved in our alien clearing campaign or land art project 
           watch video's or dvd's on a chilly day, tackle a puzzle, trawl through our collection of elderly magazines
           or simply relax, unwind in a hammock, read a book, listen to the birds, watch clouds, count stars...

t h i n g s   t o   d o   f u r t h e r  a f i e l d

            botriver railway museum and tea room on the railway station
            art galleries and craft fairs in hermanus, kleinmond and greyton
            wine tasting at any of the many wine estates in the area
            horse trails into the mountains or down to the sea - contact sue or manfred telephone 028 284 9422
            hiking in the surrounding mountains - ask us for details about trails
            the harold porter gardens in betty’s bay are always well worth a visit
            whale watching (may to november) in hermanus (twenty minutes away) or shark cage diving at gansbaai for the intrepid
            lounging about on any one of the local beaches or scuba diving, surfing or fishing (permit required)
            a round of golf at the world class arabella golf course (ten minutes away), unwind in the spa afterwards
            river rafting down the palmiet river
            windsurfing or canoeing on the fresh water lakes  in the area
            sandboarding at blesberg
            quad-biking in grabouw
            outdoor music festivals in the area during summer 
            caledon casino for a spot of gambling or hot mineral baths at the caledon spa telephone 028 2141271
            neighbouring villages are a comfortable drive from M a L p l a a s - depart in the morning and return for high tea!

e a t i n g   i n   a t   M a L k o p


M a L k o p is self-catering. the kitchen is spacious and considerately appointed for friends who enjoy cooking and entertaining (recipe books, measuring cups, cake and bread baking tins, garlic press...) and has a microwave, eye level oven and hob. the pool pavilion has a barbecue and plug points. we will provide you with eggs (if the hens are laying) and whatever is in season from our kitchen gardens. most friends visiting the farm prefer not to leave but if you don't feel inclined to cook then:
          
          the shuntin' shed on the botriver railway station - pub, pizza, all day breakfasts, ice cream - take-aways!
          telephone 028284 9443 
          botriver hotel offers sunday lunches (book beforehand), pub lunches and 'bellows' family restaurant 
          telephone 028 284 9640
          goedvertrouw wine estate up the pass caters for private lunches and dinners by prior arrangement
          telephone 028 284 9769 
          houw hoek farm stall on the N2 serves breakfast, tea and lunches  - very good pies!
          telephone 028 284 9015
          porcupine hills restaurant 15 km up the pass - bookings by appointment only     
          telephone 028 284 9066
call us to discuss private catering for dinner parties, events and special occasions - fantastic formal dinners in the pavilion, fun gatherings beside the river with spit braai or dinner & dance evenings in the shed... and for friends who prefer to be catered for (by our friends):
ZEST - funky fusion food, situated conveniently down the road
giuseppe - passionate italian cook and beloved friend 
        * in the event of an eskom power outage we will provide paraffin lamps and a gas cooker and of course there is ample firewood for the barbecue!

d r i n k i n g   a t   M a L k o p

          beaumont wines mon - fri 09h30 - 16h30, sat mornings by appointment telephone 028 284 9733  
          luddite wines boutique winery telephone 028 284 9308 for appointment
          goedvertrouw wine estate telephone 028 284 9769 for appointment  

there are many more wine producers in the overberg - way too many to mention.
well worth making appointments and arranging a leisurely wine tasting trawl. but please don't forget to designate a sober driver!

t h i n g s   f o r   y o u   t o   r e m e m b e r   w h e n   s t a y i n g   a t  M a L k o p 

c h e c k   l i s t  
petrol fill up at grabouw (botriver pump closes at 5 pm as does the ATM, café and bottle store) 
beware of speed traps on the N2 - stick to the speed limit particularly near the peregrine farm stall
the dirt roads are mostly well-maintained but travel at 60 km per hour in case of potholes, stray animals and cyclists
food, booze, beverages if you should run out of provisions - café, bottle store, farm stalls are minutes away  
most only accept cash though and the local ATM is somewhat temperamental
tea bags and filter coffee plunge and espresso pots and coffee-making machine provided
bottled water although our filtered bore-hole water is perfectly safe to drink
sugar, cooking oil, vinegar, spices and condiments
paper napkins, plates and cups for outdoor dining
extra rubbish bags for large groups of friends - we recycle organic matter, glass, plastic and metal
extra loo paper for large groups of friends
torch, candles, matches, firelighters and tin foil
khakibos spray for ticks and sunblock
sunglasses, hats and  hiking boots for exploring the nature reserve
beach towels and picnic rugs we prefer that our towels remain in the houses - they get shredded outside
camera and cellphone chargers
music sound system provided so bring suitably chilled cd's
cellphone no landline but dodgy cellphone reception (cell c and vodacom ok - mtn reception dreadful)
binoculars if you intend bird-watching (welcome to use our reference books)
toys and games for children and grown ups (video's, dvd's, kites, balls and games)
water wings for babies who cannot swim and lilo's for pool, dams or river
bicycles - mountain bikes yes but please check with us first about quad bikes?
prescription medication and essential things like headache tablets and hay fever muti                                                  

t h i n g s   f o r   y o u   t o   r e m e m b e r   a b o u t    y o u r  d o g s  
  we adore dogs. ours are confined to barracks over weekends so you can bring yours to play! 
tick and flea collars there ARE ticks and there is nothing worse than an infestation of fleas
leashes otherwise they eat our chickens and you won't get eggs laid by really happy hens
food and water bowls so they don't have to drink from the pudding bowls
sufficient food and doggy treats so they won't need to eat our hens
baskets/beds and blankets and perhaps some old sheets if they are sofa dogs

 w h e r e   i n   t h e   w o r l d   i s   M a L p l a a s ?
b o t r i v e r . o v e r b e r g . c a p e  p r o v i n c e . s o u t h  a f r i c a
just one hour from cape town and even less from cape town international airport.
e-mail or telephonel for detailed d i r e c t i o n s (if you've not been before) map and check list for printing out.
the traffic police are madly active on the N2 so remember to wear seat belts and beware of speed traps.
be advised to travel at a reasonable speed on dirt roads - 80 km maximum.
call us for weather updates - invariably not the same as cape town weather - usually much nicer and way less wind!
baz bus from cape town stops at botriver every day of the week telephone 021 439 2323
rat bus offers private tours anywhere in the western cape telephone 072 681 6460
please think twice before you make unnecessary trips in your vehicle and share transport with others!

t r a v e l   s a f e l y .......................................................................................... s p e e d   k i l l s !

 
s t a y i n g   o n   M a L p l a a s
camping beside river by prior arrangement (not a proper campsite but terraced green lawns, private and safe)
with use of MaLhuisie outside bathroom for hot shower and loo.
donations towards ongoing alien eradication & environmental upliftment greatly appreciated
film location and crew accommodation
long and short term accommodation in M a L p l a a s cottages or M a L k o p
picnics and parties on M a L p l a a s by prior arrangement
small funky functions and alternative catered events can also be arranged
there is a birthday celebrated by friends on M a L p l a a s almost every month!

s t a y i n g   a t   M a L k o p
 
m i n i m u m   f o u r   f r i e n d s 
m i n i m u m   t w o  n i g h t s
c o n t a c t   a b o u t   M a L k o p
   
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t e l e p h o n e  + 2 7   0 2 8   2 8 4   9 6 1 9
   
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p l e a s e   c l i c k   o n   b u t t o n s   b e l o w   f o r   m o r e   a b o u t   M a L p l a a s ...


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