written by Andrew Alexander
I spent the past weekend with my fiancé at Kievits Kroon Estate and Spa, nestled about 10-15 minutes outside of Pretoria, or a comfortable 40 minutes from Midrand. Driving up to the estate, the area is very unassuming: beaten roads, large farm plots and an overall arid appearance. However, as soon as we turned into the dirt road leading up to the entrance, we glimpsed incredibly lush grass and vibrant greenery.
We were directed by security to the reception and proceeded past the beautiful old Cape Dutch style buildings that housed the facilities, as well as lots and lots of tall pine trees. The reception area was very nicely decorated with a slight colonial feel; old telephones and other antiques dotted around the walls and pedestals, a big bouquet of flowers dominating the space with bright colours.
We were greeted by Sonneyboy who insisted we not worry about the checking in process until we were seated on the patio with a welcome drink of champagne. The staff made us feel completely relaxed and right at home. We took our time to enjoy the last bit of the afternoon sun and the noticeable quietness which makes one feel completely removed from the buzz of city life.
Before heading to the spa, we had to check out our room: an awesome little cottage, somewhat removed from the rest of the suites, offering us privacy while not detracting from the stunning view of the estate.
We excitedly opened the door and found a personalised welcome letter along with a complementary bottle of Kievitskroon wine and a selection of cheeses, crackers and chocolate. Needless to say we wolfed those down while we explored the room. Warm, yet refined furniture occupied the living/dining room; a well-stocked tea table along with coffee pods and homemade biscuits stood alongside the entertainment cabinet which housed the mini fridge and TV.
The bathroom was quite magnificent: a wide, 2-person bath/Jacuzzi took the main focus with the shower and toilet nestled on the side of the room. Stark white, soft towels were placed around the bathroom; they felt so fluffy and soft…it made me think of a polar bear cub. All the expected toiletries and gowns/slippers were provided as well.
The bedroom was partitioned from the main area of the cottage by a pair of sliding doors…upon opening them, the word “welcome”, along with a heart was laid out in blood red rose petals on the floor. That scored huge brownie points with the missus! The bedroom felt very comfortable with heavy, cream curtains and a bed layered with crisp white linen, white pillowcases and white duvet.
The Spa at Kievits Kroon
The Spa was tranquil from the minute we stepped inside it, with soft music playing and some aromatherapy oil wafting through the air. In the centre of the foyer was a large, round glass table with wood and glass domes on top that were filled with fruit skewers, muffins and healthy sandwiches and 3 pitchers of infused water and iced tea.
The ladies showed us to the change rooms where we put on our spa robes and were then led into the relaxation room while we waited for out therapist. Again, gentle music played softly in the background with the light scent of the oils. After a short while we were shown the therapy room and lay down on the table. What ensued was pure bliss: my first ever hot stone massage! It was firm but not hard to the point where one would tense up. Hot, but a weird temperature where the hotness was a good kind of too hot.
The ladies were very thorough…to the point where I apparently passed out. After the hour my fiancé and I had a glazed look on our faces as if it couldn’t get any better. But it did. We used the sauna, swiss shower (I love the sudden shock of the cold water), steam room; which is quite intense, plunge pool and Jacuzzi.
All the facilities reminded me of a trip a few years back to Switzerland where I experienced everything for the first time and this time was very close to that!
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