Our eco cabins exist to provide guests with a comfortable and relaxing environment amidst nature, making the most of the wild beauty that surrounds us. Although you may hardly believe it, these cabins are barely over an hour from Cape Town, yet still provide an immersive wilderness experience. This article will elaborate on the ways in which we maximise the effect of our beautiful surroundings without ever compromising on guest comfort.
Eco Cabins Designed to Blend In, Not Stand Out
Our eco cabins stand out among the available accommodation around Cape Town. Our eco cabins have been specifically designed to blend into their natural surroundings, embracing the colours, textures and forms of the Cape floral kingdom. We achieve this through carefully thought-out placement, nature-inspired design and the use of natural materials.
The reason we do this is that we want guests to truly feel as if they are immersed in the beautiful nature that surrounds them. As a guest at our cabins, we want you to feel removed from the city and stresses of day-to-day life. We also want to communicate a clear message with our cabins; these are built to allow you to better appreciate nature, not to overwhelm it with human presence. We owe that approach to nature out of respect, and to our guests to provide them with the most peaceful experience possible.
Silence Is Part of the Experience
While visual design is certainly a major aspect of our eco cabins, there are other, more subtle elements that have gone into consideration in the construction of our accommodations. One of the foremost of these is the soundscape of these cabins.
Far from any road, crowd or digital noise, our lodgings are a place where silence can once more come to the forefront. As strange as it might seem, silence has become a rare thing in the modern age for many. With so many living in densely populated cities, the sound of cars, people, machines, and more fills every single day until our brains accustom and tune these noises out, simply accepting them as permanent background chatter.
In the rare times when we are confronted with real silence, the absence of noise can be almost shocking. Yet, we believe there is a deeply restorative power to quietness, and we work to actively draw this out in the way in which we’ve built our cabins.
Each cabin is built a significant distance from the others, meaning that even when we’re fully booked, guests are unlikely to hear one another. Instead, you’ll be able to take in the sounds of nature and discover that the quietness that surrounds our eco cabins may not be as complete as you would initially believe. The soft sound of the blowing wind, buzzing cicadas, birdsong, frogs at night and more natural noises create a whole new soundscape that restores rather than exhausts.
Replace Screens With Views
Modern technology has provided us with countless benefits. Yet, it is undeniable that there have been downsides to this second industrial revolution, too. Digital screens seem to populate every aspect of our lives, constantly demanding our attention. Even when we do not strictly need to engage with a screen, smartly designed algorithms work to draw us back with the promise of easy entertainment. Many can sympathise with the feeling that screens suck up too much of our days, leaving us feeling drained and restless.
One of the best ways to escape the demand and draw of technology is to visit somewhere truly natural. Allow a three hundred and sixty degree view of mountains, open sky and fynbos to replace the screens that surround you. Our cabins are the perfect opportunity for guests to distance themselves from their computers and smartphones, rediscovering the simple joy of the great outdoors in their stead. This is also the perfect chance for guests to connect with one another, free from the everyday distractions of technology that so often keep us apart.
For anyone in need of a digital detox, our mountain cabins provide the perfect setting. Your gorgeous and peaceful surroundings will stop you from even thinking about your phone or laptop.
Eco Cabins Built Around Light, Air, and Space
One of the greatest advantages of having built out eco cabins against the mountains has been the way that we’ve been able to integrate the natural elements of light and air. While the traditional concept behind many kinds of habitations has been to resist the elements, considerate architecture can be used to work with these forces rather than combat them.
The orientation and designs of our cabins are such that they maximise the reception of natural light, filling the space with a clean and open feeling without losing their cosiness. Our cabins are designed to make the most of the morning and evening sun, while casting the interior into shade during the hotter hours.
Airflow can be just as important, and has been factored in with door and window placement. We want our guests to be able to enjoy the wild, clean air of the mountain. On our property, the wind is spiced with the subtle scent of myriad fynbos species rather than car exhaust. These two factors demonstrate two of the more subtle ways in which our cabins embrace the best of what the surrounding nature has to offer.
Slower Mornings in the Mountains
For the employed, mornings have long been dictated by a routine kick-started by the dreaded alarm. Quickly followed by a slurped coffee and a wolfed breakfast, most rush through their morning preparations to hop into the car and head to the highway. Momentum gets arrested by rush-hour traffic until you arrive at the office to begin the day. This way of doing mornings is as stressful as it is unsatisfying, but it becomes a habit that our nervous systems struggle to fall out of.
Taking a slow morning can begin feeling unnatural, and spurs guilty feelings in many who are driven by the need to be productive. Our eco cabins are made to wash away any feeling of guilt over a relaxed morning. The setting and designs of our lodgings push guests out of rush mode and into a state of rest, where they can wake naturally with the sun and slowly wake up to a beautiful day of rest and relaxation. So, if you’re in need of a reset, come enjoy a slower, more peaceful morning at our mountain cabins.
Our Eco Cabins Invite You Outdoors Without Forcing It
While most people can agree on paper that the outdoors is a great thing, there are many people who feel reluctant to engage with it in practice. Maybe it’s just temperament, or maybe it’s too many bad school camps, but a significant portion of the population associated being outdoors with being uncomfortable. Our eco cabins work specifically to put this demographic at ease with a gentle approach.
Our sweeping views and effortless access to nature openly invites guests to explore its beauty, whether on foot or simply by soaking it in with the senses. We offer an easy transition, making our remote wilderness cabins as luxurious as they are remote. Here, you can be immersed in the vastness of nature while still having access to outstanding comforts, such as a warm plush bed, hot showers, spacious living space, fully stocked kitchen and more. At our cabins, you can truly embrace the best of both worlds.
Rooted in the Natural Cape Landscape
The land upon which our eco cabins are built was once a farm, but for nearly a century, it’s been left for nature to reclaim. Fynbos, followed by local animal life, has long since erased the evidence that this was ever an agricultural property. We want to keep it this way, intending for our eco cabins to have a minimal impact on the natural landscape.
Rather, we want to highlight the features of that landscape and allow them to become attractions for our guests. Dominating the scenery is, of course, the rugged mountains of the Cape. They rise up into the horizon and add a majestic element to the view, no matter which direction one faces.
The local vegetation is made up primarily of fynbos, an incredibly diverse and fascinating endemic family of plants. Casting the landscape in hues of brown and green, closer inspection is likely to reveal countless small flowers that dot most fynbos species, especially in spring. The landscape always varies, carved into unique rock formations, valleys and water features like small streams and waterfalls.
Evenings Belong to Firelight and Stars
One of the most magical parts of a nature getaway is the chance to spend the evenings beneath the stars. In the cities, evenings are spent indoors for a myriad of reasons, safety chief among them. Even if you were to step outside, air and light pollution work alongside a towering skyline to obscure any sight of the stars.
But here, so far away from large urban centres, the night sky truly opens up to release the wonder of the stars. Simply step outside of our cabins and look up to marvel at what sits right above us, creating the most romantic canopy possible. Enjoy the peace and beauty of the night on its own, or use one of our designated fire areas to strike up a spark and get a flame roaring, creating one of the very oldest forms of entertainment and warmth.
Close Enough to Cape Town, Far Enough to Feel Gone
While it may at times feel like every weekend warrants a getaway, the truth is that logistics often prohibit any kind of extended adventure. The idea of staying at a remote and beautiful mountain cabin becomes less appealing when you consider the time you must take to drive there and back from the city, eating up a significant portion of one’s precious weekend. Yet, the wonder of our eco cabins is that they’re easily accessed from Cape Town, being just over an hour’s drive away.
Despite this close proximity, our mountain cabins do still absolutely offer a sense of true remoteness and serenity. Together, this means that our cabins offer guests high value with an authentic outdoor experience without demanding any significant logistic effort or time spent travelling. And if at any point you’d like to explore what else is in the area, consider visiting the Breedekloof Wine Valley or the Worcester Wine and Olive Route for some wine tasting, great food and serene views.
Final Thoughts on Eco Cabins
In conclusion, our luxury, remote cabins are places where real rest and relaxation can take place, away from the business of the city, making the most of our natural surroundings to instil a real sense of peace in our guests.
Rather than creating an accommodation that disrupts and despoils the beauty of the natural environment, our cabins are built and placed to have a minimal impact on the landscape. They’re a cosy and comfortable refuge for visitors to enjoy the openness and beauty of nature without having to let go of comfort, serving as a gentle introduction to the outdoors.
In need of a rejuvenating getaway? Book your stay at Eco Cabins today!