De Hoop Opstal

The Opstal is the heart of De Hoop Nature Reserve, CapeNature's flagship reserve on the Overberg coast between Bredasdorp and Swellendam. The whitewashed, thatched buildings of the old farmstead sit beside the De Hoop Vlei, a 19 km wetland on the Ramsar list, with bontebok, eland and Cape mountain zebra grazing close by and more than 260 bird species recorded in the reserve.

The De Hoop Collection runs the accommodation and activities here in partnership with CapeNature, and rooms range from catered suites to self-catering houses and simple rondawels.

The suites are sold on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis, with meals in The Fig Tree Restaurant. The Dassie Suite and Opstal Vlei Suite face the vlei; the Figtree and Stable Suites sit on the fig tree courtyard; the Cloete Cottage and the four Cloete Suites look over the grasslands or the old fig trees; and the three Otter Suites are closest to the water. The restored Opstal Manor House has two large suites and a small room for children, and can be booked room by room or as a whole house.

For self-catering there are four three-bedroom Opstal Houses among the milkwoods, three thatched Vlei Cottages, seven Equipped Cottages including the three-bedroom Eland, nine three-bedroom De Hoop Village cottages, and five Campsite Rondawels that share outdoor showers and toilets. Every unit is serviced daily with linen and towels supplied, and breakfast and dinner can be added at the restaurant.

The Fig Tree Restaurant is open daily from 08h00 to 21h00 for breakfast, lunch, dinner and picnic baskets, with William's Wine Cellar in the old silo behind it; book dinner ahead in high season. There is a swimming pool, a tennis court, a boules court and a curio shop at reception.

Guided activities leave from the meeting tree beside reception: bird walks, eco boat cruises on the vlei, marine walks along the rock pools, guided mountain bike rides, sunset nature drives and the Potberg vulture experience. The Origins of Early Southern Sapiens Behaviour exhibition, curated by Craig Foster and archaeologist Petro Keene, is also at the Opstal. The coast at Koppie Alleen is about 13 km away, and Southern Right whales calve in the bay from June to November.