Lowveld Farmhouse in Magical Forest Garden

Kick back and relax in this calm, stylish space. Built in the late 1950's the renovated Lowveld farmhouse is the place to take it easy. The wide stoep looks into a lush, mostly indigenous subtropical garden. The nearby irrigation canal provides a peaceful backdrop of sound as the water gurgles past. Everything on the property, from the food we grow to how we live, work and generate electricity is based on being environmentally sustainable. We are completely off-grid, no power or water cuts! The space The lounge/kitchen and bedrooms all have double-door entrances that open onto the long shared stoep. All the rooms have artwork in them by the artists that we collaborate with at The Artists' Press. Two bedrooms have a double bed and the other bedroom has two single beds. All bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms and a dedicated work table and chair. The bedding is pure cotton linen, a feather duvet in winter and a light cotton quilt for summer. The generous windows and stoeps are ideal for birdwatching. Relax and watch kingfishers, paradise flycatchers and purple crested turacos in the branches. As the sun sets, you may be lucky to spot our resident bushbabies. At nighttime, the silence is occasionally broken by the calls of nightjars, wood owls and white-faced owls. The lounge has a six-seater table, two comfy art deco chairs, a wood-burning fireplace (free firewood provided), good books to read and puzzles to while away the time with. The well-equipped kitchen has a gas stove and oven, induction cooker plate, microwave oven, fridge/freezer, toaster and kettle. A wide variety of quality cooking pots, utensils and crockery are available. We take food prep seriously! Behind the farmhouse is a great outdoor braai area. The front stoep has a six-seater table and chairs on it, in addition to a coffee table and lounging chairs for lazing away the day with a book or binoculars to watch birds with. The back stoep has comfy lounging chairs. - Fast, stable wifi - dedicated worktable with a good chair - stable electricity 24/7 Guest access Guests can explore the four-hectare mostly indigenous sub-tropical food forest garden and have shared access to the secluded eco swimming pool (being eco, there are tadpoles in the pool, depending on the season). We established The Artists' Press in Johannesburg in 1991 and moved to the Lowveld in 2002. Mark Attwood is a master printer and has been printing since 1982. We print limited edition hand-printed prints (mostly lithographs) and collaborate with some of southern Africa's leading artists. Guests are welcome to pop into the studio to see what we do. If an artist is in residence, you will get to meet them, too. In addition to the Farmhouse House and studio, there is our house, the Artists' House, the Stone Cottage and our daughter's apartment on the property. Please be respectful of each residential building's privacy and need for quiet. Other things to note Our entire property is off-grid. Our electricity is provided by solar and our micro-hydro system. We have ample electricity, including enough to charge our fully electric vehicle. This means that we never have load-shedding. Our water is provided by our borehole, it is treated with UV and is perfectly safe to drink. The trees in the garden provide us with loads of firewood for fireplaces and braai areas. We have four beehives, so we are off-grid for honey too! All food waste is fed to our hens in their chicken tractor. We receive no municipal services; our trash is taken to a registered dump site by a private company. We ask you to help us by separating the recyclables from your trash. We have 24-hour security provided by a company that patrols the valley. No wheelchair access. No pets (including dogs). No children under the age of 10 years old. May not be suitable for infirm people or partially sighted people, due to the steps.