What is a visit to a hotel with over 160 years worth of history without a good ghost story?
This one dates back to the origins of Zuurberg Mountain Village in the Addo region of the Eastern Cape, a hotel whose history can be traced as far back as 1858 when a pass, providing a direct route from Port Elizabeth — as it was then named — to Grahamstown (now Makhanda), Somerset East, Cradock and Colesberg, was opened in the Zuurberg Mountains.
The owner of Doorn Neck farm, Englishman John Matthews, saw the potential of an inn for travellers and decided to apply for a hotel and tap licence — after all, what is a decent hotel without some good cheer?
The inn, which he opened in 1861, proved popular and became a layover for surveyors making their way to diamond fields during the 1870s rush.
By 1883 visitors started arriving from Coerney, a railway station 64km north of Gqeberha, where they were transported, primarily on horseback, to the top of the pass. Here they would spend weekends at the Zuurberg Hotel, as it was later named, playing games of tennis, croquet, golf and quoits.
The hotel changed hands a number of times, was rebuilt after burning down twice, and even welcomed General Jan Smuts in 1901 during the South African War, after modern conveniences such as electricity and running water were introduced to make it more attractive to the distinguished traveller.
It was the death in 1895 of Martha Robertson, Matthews’ only daughter, at the age of 29, that inspired the ghost story.
Today, a short walk past the hotel’s quaint Edwardian “village” of pastel-coloured cottages will reveal her burial place; the grave, complete with cracked gravestone, rests solemnly under a tree.
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It is rumoured that she has appeared to some guests, Reginold Treadway, floor manager at Zuurberg Mountain Village, tells me. “You know why she comes out? You see that crack [in her grave]? I think she squeezes through there,” he says, eyes full of mischief.
Intriguing as his story is I found no trace of Martha’s ghost during my stay. Instead late afternoons were spent on the patio of my cottage admiring the sunset while sipping a glass of wine before making my way to the lounge in the main Manor house, where a fire in the original fireplace burns warm on winter evenings.
Meals are served in the main dining room next to the Woodifields Bar, named in honour of an engineer of the Zuurberg pass, and high tea with delectable scones appears later in the morning, ready to welcome you back after a ramble on the 160ha property.
The modern visitor can also enjoy a foray into the Addo Elephant National Park. It’s not only home to the herds of majestic creatures that inspire its name, it also claims the bragging rights as the world’s first Big Seven game reserve after an expansion of the park along the coastline in 2005 resulted in the addition of the southern right whale and great white shark to its list of fierce inhabitants.
It was a thrilling prospect as we set out on a half-day game drive in the park. We spotted herds of elephant and buffalo, the occasional zebra and graceful buck. But, by the end of it, my search for the Big Seven proved as elusive as Martha's ghost — the property is simply too vast to explore fully during a few hours. Sometimes the fun in a trip is in the search.
GETAWAY AT A GLANCE
WHERE IT IS
Zuurberg Mountain Village is an 80-minute drive from Gqeberha and a 20-minute drive from Addo Elephant National Park.
ACCOMMODATION
Four family rooms with en suite bathrooms and a private patio are available in the Manor house — the main house that formed part of the original hotel. The charming mountain village has 26 two-sleeper cottages with a front and back patios and en suite bathrooms with a free-standing bath and indoor and outdoor showers.
WHAT TO DO
Guests can visit Addo Elephant National Park at their leisure or book morning, afternoon or full-day game drives with a guide from Zuurberg Mountain Village. Drives include concession fees, drinks and snacks.
Visitors to the park can stretch their legs along several trails and there is the option of booking a 4.5km guided hike in the Zuurberg, playing a game of tennis in a nod to the hotel’s bygone days or lounging next to the swimming pool and beautiful garden with views over the rolling landscape.
For some pampering, there is the reasonably priced Zuurberg Garden Spa and Wellness Centre with on-site sauna.
THE FOOD
Country breakfasts are standard, complete with dainty touches like grapefruit spoons. Light lunches can be ordered from the terrace menu, while five-course set menus in the evenings feature hearty fare such as chicken liver and brandy pâté; tomato-and-bean soup; gin-cured butterfish; ostrich steak; and a dessert trolley piled with pudding, pie, crème brûlée, jelly and ice cream. On Sundays, the traditional carvery appears to be the modern-day draw card of the hotel and is popular with guests and locals.
RATES
Zuurberg Mountain Village is running a summer special until April 14 2022 at R1,250 for adults, R800 for ages 12 to 20 and R650 for children between 3 and 11. Rates — not valid over public holidays — include dinner, bed and breakfast per person per night. E-mail zuurberg@addo.co.za or bookings@capecountryroutes.com or visit capecountryroutes.com.
• Oberholzer was a guest of Cape Country Routes.
