out of officeby CD Anderson

We were somewhere around Krugersdorp, on the edge of suburbia, when the countryside began to take hold. I remember saying something like “I feel a bit light-headed; maybe you should drive...”

One SeeS Great thinGS FrOm the Valley...photos by Yolanda Anderson

It’s always a strange and surreal feeling for an urban-ised soul like myself to travel away from the city, but on this weekend breakaway to the Magaliesburg, it

seemed particularly bizarre. Considering it took less than the running time of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony to travel from the built-up urban sprawl of Pretoria to the rushing waters and welcoming openness of the Valley Lodge Country House Getaway on the Magalies river, at the foot of the Witwatersberg mountains. To my wife, my five-month-old son, Thomas, and myself, it might as well have been another planet.

Valley Lodge hosted the Portuguese national football team during this year’s FIFA World Cup, a fact proudly displayed in their stylish reception area along with numerous other hotel and hospitality awards, including their four star accreditation. We were warmly and professionally welcomed by the front of house staff on arrival, and were efficiently assigned our cottage suite, one of 80 stands dotted around the 100 acres of lush gardens of the resort. We were in suite 79, secluded from the main lodge building, overlooking a bubbling brook and with a great view of the quintessential Highveld sunset. The room was immaculately prepared, clean and welcoming, it was a shame to let young Thomas loose inside. The cottage, an open plan space subdi-vided into a spacious bathroom, small lounge area and bedroom space, featured under floor heating (the evenings still get a little nippy here, even during September), comfortable and tasteful furnishings

and a covered patio, perfect for sundowners, accom-panied by nature’s chorus.

The Friday evening dinner menu was a pleasant surprise. All too often a buffet can be a clichéd affair, with the ordinary and obligatory meat and two veg, with maybe a few speciality items added for variety. But Valley Lodge excelled in their vast choice of deli-cious food. From five kinds of meat, including beef, lamb, fish and even ostrich, to a fresh variety of vege-tables and salads, choice was difficult. Bear in mind, when you do visit, to save some space for dessert, it is well worth your while, with a prime choice of over 10 different dishes, from healthy fruit salads to delicious chocolate mousse and a selection of death-by confec-tionery. A great after dinner idea is to enjoy a coffee or brandy with a fine selection of cheese as an afterthought on the dining room patio overlooking the darkened pool area listening to sounds of rural Magaliesburg night life. Even better, is the enormous lounge area in the main lodge where one can enjoy a good book and cosy conversation surrounded by eclectic furnishings, including an impressive collection of antique clocks, all stopped, of course, indicative of the motif of time liter-ally coming to standstill during a stay at Valley Lodge.

A good night’s sleep was had by all in Suite 79, and Saturday brought on some fresh, new adventures for the Andersons in the Magaliesburg. The Valley Lodge is perfectly situated in the area, with easy access to many places of interest along the Magalies Meander, including a short drive to the esteemed Cradle of

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Humankind world heritage site and the Sterkfontein Caves, and numerous nature reserves and bush walks scattered around the area. If however, you don’t feel up for a drive, there are many things within Valley Lodge to keep one busy. After enjoying a lazy break-fast in the main dining room, including another vast selection of choices from full fry-up of eggs and ba-con (plus many bonus features) to fruit, yoghurt and fresh breads for the healthy minded, not forgetting of course lots of good, strongly brewed coffee, my family and I took a slow walk around the grounds. Activi-ties include bird watching along the internal nature walks where one can also spot small game, catch and release fly-fishing along the river, the chance of an im-promptu picnic on the vast grounds and the oppor-tunity to row a boat down the picturesque Magalies river (a new and exciting endeavour for this writer). Be advised, even though Valley Lodge markets it-self as child-friendly venue, it is a smart idea to keep a close eye on youngsters along the river, as this is mostly an unsupervised area. Alternatively, closer to the main lodge, one can enjoy a game of tennis on one of the floodlit and full sized courts, or just laze around and worship the sun next the large swimming pool area. Another added bonus is the spa and wellness centre, recently built at the request of the aforemen-tioned Portuguese football team, and professionally staffed and equipped with only the best in grooming treatments, offering everything from a basic back and shoulders massage to full-day, full-house titivation in

a relaxing and quiet environment. (This was a notable highlight of the weekend for my wife, a full time mom and overworked home executive.)

A late Saturday afternoon can be spent in one of the two on-site pubs, Maloney’s and Saunders’, enjoying some big screen sports action, while improving your snooker and table football skills or arranging a competi-tive round of chess or Trivial Pursuit, all in the company of some colourful characters, like overseas travelling ex-ecutives visiting for an indaba at one of Valley Lodge’s eight conference centres and locals who offer some in-sightful stories about the history of the area.

In addition to the conference facilities offered at Valley Lodge, they also have a beautiful chapel over-looking the river and professional reception areas availa-ble for memorable weddings and other celebrations. The venue can accommodate up to 140 guests, ensuring per-sonalised professional service for any special occasion.

By Sunday morning, the pampered and relaxed Anderson clan were reluctant to make their way back to big bad city, but nonetheless we left Valley Lodge smil-ing, thanks to the great, friendly and professional service offered by the staff of the lodge. From their warm and ef-ficient reception to the singing chamber maids, as well as helpful and dedicated waiters like Ezekiel and hands-on management staff such as Marius, to mention just a few of the many Valley Lodge staffers who served us gra-ciously and without complaint. Thanks to all at Valley Lodge for making this family’s first holiday together a memorable one.