My sister and I had initially booked this weekend for May 2020, but that didn’t happen due to the lock down. We rescheduled for August 2020 and landed up having an awesome weekend at Platbos Farm, just outside of Gaansbaai.
Platbos Farm is an eco friendly farm, which means it is completely off the grid i.e. no electricity. We selected the Bush Buck Suite, as it had a flushing toilet. Some of the sites have more environmentally friendly composting toilets.
The drive from the Southern Suburbs took us approximately 4 hours along the coastal road. This included a lunch in Hermanus. Platbos Farm is a self catering venue so we traveled with all the groceries we would need. This in turn turned out to be more than we needed.
We arrived at 2pm and were pleasantly surprised at the level of trust that is extended to the guests as there was no one there to check us in. In fact, we spent two nights without any interaction with the hosts or other guests. Although strange at first, we decided we liked the fact that we were in our own isolation bubble.
Our first night we spent getting used to the amenities and cooking on an open fire. We managed to get 10 hours sleep the first night, due in part to the fact that the sun had set by 7pm. Waking early on the Saturday morning, my sister made an impressive griddle scone on the gas stove. We then started exploring the bigger area.
Platbos Farm is an indigenous forest and the walking trails through the forest were thoughtfully and creatively done. The size of the forest is misleading, as it is probably smaller than what it felt like but the winding trails made it seem a lot bigger.
The quiet of the forest, the humidity and the birdsong were restorative. The Platbos Farm trees are covered in moss and air plants. We even started tracking some of the animals based on the spoor prints. There was an excited, speculative discussion when we spotted a big cat paw print.
The one highlight of the forest trail was the labyrinth, made from sea shells.
From the labyrinth we moved on to the approximately 1000 year old Milkwood tree. We sat in front of the tree, imagining all that it had seen in its lifetime.
Heading back to our suite through the forest, we heard other guests at their site although still didn’t see them.
We started the fire of the donkey boiler, to heat water for an open air shower. And it is probably the best shower I have had in a long time. The closeness to nature is right there as you stand naked under your very own heated hot water with some screens for privacy.
Although we had slept 10 hours, we still managed to sneak in a nap before we started the second evening meal on an open fire. The discussion that evening was how we wished we had booked another night, and that we are going to have to make this an annual trip. We ended the evening with some more reading and then falling asleep for only 9 hours this time.
The second morning, our last morning, we did another short walk through the forest to say good bye. Cleaning and packing up took up the remainder of the morning. We left at 10am, again without seeing anyone. We felt refreshed, reconnected with nature and each other.
Can strongly recommend this as a venue for those wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle of every day life. I had initially felt guilty about leaving my husband behind, although I don’t think he was too concerned. His latest requirement for weekend away venues is electricity.
Looking forward to my sister and I re-visiting Platbos in the coming year.