Ever since we heard about the Cavern Resort & Spa in 2018 and paid it a visit, we have been enamoured with the place and it is an honour to share this special gem with you all. The Cavern, founded by Bill Carte in 1941, is still a family run business, and with that creates what I believe to be the heart of the resort. It is, in my opinion, far more special than a business-run resort with “one in one out” mentality. Megan & Hilton Bedingham run The Cavern with love & heart, and that can be felt throughout the resort. The family eats nightly in the same dining hall as guests, and with a weekly ‘snacks in the bar’, genuinely seem to care for making connections with their guests. See discount code at end of this post 🙂
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:
The Aesthetic
The Cavern still holds onto it’s charm from when it was first created, and so you will not find it to be a modern resort, particularly the main dining & communal areas. This charm is unique to The Cavern, and believe me when I say you grow to love it, and look forward to its comfort & familiarity on each return.
Meals:
All meals are fully inclusive and when I tell you that you will leave the resort heavier than what you arrived, I am in no way kidding! Meal times are an absolute treat with almost anything you can think of being served, from Duck to Kudu… and all with such attention to detail in presentation and flavour. Breakfast spreads are impressive while you are also able to order eggs & bacon just the way you like it. Lunches & dinners are all 3 course meals with the option to order more of anything you desire – no limits! If you would like to try all three starters you can! In just the same way, if you want 2 servings of the utterly melt-in-your-mouth fillet steak then you’re welcomed to do so. Just make sure to save space for the as-beautiful-as-they-are-delish desserts!
The Rooms:
There are different rooms to suit differing budgets and needs. The Hotel rooms are located closest to the common areas and dining hall. Each standard hotel room has bathroom en suite, tea and coffee making facilities and a patio to soak up the sun and enjoy the mountain splendour. There are no TV’s in the standard accommodation. This last trip we stayed in the standard interleading unit which was perfect for what we needed as we really don’t spend much time in the rooms. The rooms are light & airy, and you can see that they have been invested in to make them more modern and beautifully inviting. They have ceiling fans and gorgeous scatters, modern finishes and plug points with USB ports
The Superior Family Suite has to be my favourite, though. The views are breathtaking of the mountains and valleys, birds in abundance and absolute peace & tranquility. They also have a small lounge, which is fab when you have a bigger family like ours for a little extra room.
Daily activities:
There is soooo much to fill your days in The Cavern resort. You can hike beautiful mountains up to cave paintings, take nature walks to streams and waterfalls, go on mountain bike trails (with your own bike), go fly fishing, have picnics at Cowslip Fall Dam, and so much more. Alternatively you can come to the resort for the utmost chilled out time, filled with reading in the lounge or around the pool, afternoon naps, slow walks around the resort and ultra luxurious spa days. This last trip we spent 6 nights at The Cavern and still could have stayed longer to fit more into our holiday!
Kids:
Every year we return to The Cavern our kids seem to have more & more fun and adventures. This last time in particular they were old enough to know the lay of the resort, how to get from the play area back to our room, where our designated table was and how to ask the staff for glasses of water when they needed – all without our supervision! They made friends and played for hours on end. They enjoyed activities in the kid’s club like arts & crafts, face painting, building wooden block forts and more. Children are able to either eat in the kids zone or with you as a family. This year our 3 enjoyed eating with us and once they finished they either popped back into kids club to watch a movie or we settled them in bed with a child minder while we could enjoy some adult time.
There are jungle gyms, see-saw, tennis court (with small bikes to ride around on it), swimming pool with slides, climbing wall, ping pong table, pony rides and more. It’s basically heaven for kids!
The Spa
The Cavern Resort & Spa possesses the single most wonderful, beautiful and well-run resort spa I have ever been to. The staff are so technically qualified, they know how to pamper and relax you. My two favourite treatments were the 75 Min Full Body massage and the Advanced Facial. The spa uses Ease products and not only was the treatment thoroughly enjoyable with the scents and textures, warming and cooling, mister and foot massage during the mask, but it left my skin glowing and beautiful too!
COVID Protocols:
The Cavern is taking the pandemic very seriously and has set strict protocols in place for the safety of both their staff and their guests. Stickers are placed on the floor at places people might gather – ie; coffee stations – to encourage social distancing. Hand Sanitiser units are stationed all around the resort, and provided every time you are served a drink or need to sign to put something on the room. Guests are encouraged to wear masks at all times, apart from when sitting at their tables eating and drinking. Please note that many of these pictures were from previous years we have enjoyed holidays at the Cavern, especially of the bar, cellar and wine tasting.
DISCOUNT CODE
You can get 20% off your booking** using code SHAN FOURIE until 12 June 2021
**This applies to all off peak dates and therefore excludes the following dates:
25 February – 1 March Midterm Break
Minimum stay of 3 nights over the midterm break Bookings open on the 1st March 2020 but all details should be with us by the 15th February when we begin working on the reservations
19 – 22 March Human Right’s Day
Minimum stay of 3 nights. Bookings open on the 1st September but all details should be with us by the 15th August when we begin working on the reservations
26 March – 11 April Easter Holidays
Bookings open on the 1st September but all details should be with us by the 15th August when we begin working on the reservations
1 – 6 April Easter Weekend
Minimum stay of 5 nights over the Easter weekend. Bookings open on the 1st September but all details should be with us by the 15th August when we begin working on the reservations
23 – 27 April Freedom Day
Minimum stay of 4 nights. Bookings open on the 1st September but all details should be with us by the 15th August when we begin working on the reservations
You can contact info@cavern.co.za to book
What to pack:
- Your umbrella
- Takes to hike / walk in
- Peaks / caps / hats
- Sunblock
- Clothes for all seasons 🙂 weather changes frequently up here in the mountains
Best time of year to go?
In my opinion there isn’t a best time. There is magic in the mountains in all seasons and we have loved all of our trips here at different times of the year.
You can see my previous review of The Cavern HERE
Happiest holiday memories in the beautiful mountains x