Kurland

From the moment you step through the doors at Kurland you will feel like you’re visiting a friend’s cosy country house. A member of Relais & Chateaux, this historic Cape Dutch homestead is blessed with a fabulous setting of 'rural perfection'. Set on extensive grounds at the foot of the Outeniqua Mountains, the estate is surrounded by emerald green pastures, immaculate polo fields, stables and paddocks. Established by the Baroness Dianne Behr on the age-old Behr family estate, 20 minutes from Plettenberg Bay, Kurland is a country hotel with a relaxed and welcoming family feel.

Scented candles, open fires, fragrent fresh roses, embroidered bed linen, piles of books and mohair throws create an inviting country environment which you'll undoubtedly wish was your own! Throughout the house, furniture and objects sourced from Paris, Provence and Delhi mingle comfortably with grand, inherited Cape Dutch pieces.

Most of the accommodation is housed in delightful two-storey ‘Cape Dutch-style’ cottages, which are serenely clustered close to the estate's paddock or the rose garden. There are just 12 suites in total – eight with private plunge pools – all with relaxing living areas and indulgent bathrooms. Ten of the suites boast a master bedroom downstairs and an exclusive, loft-bedroom upstairs, especially designed for ‘little grown-ups’. Connected by either an internal or external staircase, the loft rooms are simple and playful with low slanting ceilings, bright pictures, miniature dressing gowns, toys and Cath Kidston prints as well as a 'round-the-corner' bathroom. Downstairs, parents can look forward to a heavenly boudoir of decadent fabrics, antique wooden dressers, objets d’art and a variety of chaise longues, depending on the style of the room.

The Victorian Room enjoys a plush, golden-brown ambience with silk curtains and an embroidered carpet, whilst the African Room combines earthy tones with animal-skin rugs, leopard-spotted lampshades and wicker clothes chests at the foot of the cane-woven bedstead. Located in Kurland’s ‘age old’ rose gardens, the Rose Garden cottage boasts two large suites, each with a four-poster bed and a huge open-plan bathroom. These suites are inter-connecting via a 'secret door' hidden within the bookcase, making the cottage perfect for a family or group of friends.

Dinner is served in an elegant candlelit room in the main house, whilst in the mornings, a sumptuous breakfast feast is often laid out on a table (blooming with bowls of fresh flowers plucked from the gardens) in the courtyard next to the fountain.

Guests are encouraged to relax in the elegant drawing room, sip cocktails on the sun-warmed verandah or simply luxuriate in the tranquil Spa. The more adventurous may prefer to enjoy a game of polo or tennis, borrow a quad bike or take a leisurely wander into the nearby hills. Kurland is also a fabulous base for exploring the beaches of Plettenberg Bay, the hiking trails of the nearby Tsitsikamma Forest and Nature's Valley – and even the ostrich farms of Oudtshoorn.

Baby-sitting facilities are available – and Kurland's several small ponies, a separate kids' pool, vast climbing frame and huge playroom will keep children entertained for hours on end.

PRICES Prices from £94 per person per night twin share in an Elegant Suite including breakfast. Flights from the UK from £589 (including £120 tax) with South African Airways