Meaningful travel is a beautiful experience at the Drostdy Hotel, as MAGRIET KRUGER discovers.
“For me, the most beautiful time in Graaff-Reinet is when the vine leaves on our pergola change colour,” says Kristal Meintjies, a full-time server at the Drostdy Hotel since 2021. She knows what she is talking about. In autumn, the light is soft and the days warm but not too hot; just right for wandering around this historic Karoo town.
The Drostdy Hotel puts visitors at the heart of it. From its location on Church Street, it’s a short stroll to the grand Dutch Reformed church, built from grey sandstone in Victorian Gothic style. The magnificently renovated hotel faces the old parsonage from 1812, which today houses the Graaff-Reinet Museum. On the corner opposite the hotel sits Karoo Origins, a world-class fossil centre due to open in April 2025. Cradock Street, one road over, is the street with the most national monuments in the country, while nearby Bourke and Somerset streets are lined with shops that sell local treasures such as leather goods, mohair products, antiques and jewellery.
The hotel is a jewel in its own right and has been carefully restored to reflect its rich history. Built in 1805 as a residence for the landdrost, the magistrate for the region, it eventually entered into private hands before becoming a hotel in 1878. In the Victorian era, additions changed the facade, but the original Cape Dutch gable and thatched roof were reinstated under Historical Homes SA in the 1970s and the Drostdy Hotel was declared a National Monument in 1987.
Its current incarnation as five-star country hotel came about through the Rupert family’s ties with the SA College for Tourism (SACT) and the Peace Parks Foundation. In 2001, Dr Anton Rupert, then chairman of Peace Parks, established the college to train young people from rural communities for the tourism industry. With limited employment opportunities in these wild landscapes, careers in ecotourism offer the best chance at prosperity.
SACT therefore trains young adults from rural areas in South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe to work as trackers, front-of-house staff, assistant chefs, table servers, housekeepers and wellness therapists.
But, explains Mariette Ferreira, SACT’s executive director, new hospitality graduates initially faced a substantial hurdle: they didn’t have the work experience that luxury lodges demand. That is when an innovative partnership came about. In 2012, the Rupert Family Foundation acquired the hotel and donated it to SACT so that students could gain hands-on experience.
A two-year and R100-million renovation turned the Drostdy Hotel into a 48-room luxury establishment with a fine dining restaurant, its own wine shop and art gallery, an Africology Spa and three swimming pools. The hotel reopened in 2014 with interiors by Stephen Falcke that create a luxurious feel while staying true to the hotel’s Karoo character.
In the main building, a cigar lounge, formal lounge, ladies’ bar and vinotheque match the elegance of the Old Drostdy’s sash windows and yellowwood floors. Historical photos, botanical prints and antelope horns adorn the walls and plush leather couches invite guests to linger. Most of the rooms are in the former slave cottages that line Stretch’s Court, where trees shade a pedestrian avenue running between the white cottages with their colourful doors and shutters.
The hotel complex also includes Kromm’s Court, which has 10 rooms, the four-bedroom Ferreira House and the self-catering Kleinje Ferreira House. Courtyards and walkways with water features, benches and sculptures connect the different areas to create a village feel.
Even more beautiful than the Drostdy’s rooms and landscaped complex is the way the hotel opens up opportunities for marginalised young people. Students at the college shadow experienced staff to learn the finer points of hospitality from day one, rotating across various departments before specialising in their second semester.
Krystal, a 2018 SACT trainee, says she always knew she “wanted to be part of hospitality” and has found her niche in the hotel’s food and beverage department.
Although she hails from Graaff-Reinet, most of the students come from remote settlements bordering protected areas. They are young adults who have never been to a restaurant but will be expected to provide sterling service to sophisticated travellers. At the Drostdy Hotel they develop the skills and insights to delight discriminating guests.
Each year, the hotel offers 30 internships to new graduates and its profits are ploughed back into the college’s training programme. “It is the most meaningful work I’ve done. You truly impact other people’s lives,” says the hotel’s general manager, Tebello Polisane-Casper. Since 2001, 1 418 students have been trained for careers in tourism.
Guests may come face to face with an example of the programme’s success when they check in. Monique Soulse, a 2015 SACT graduate, was among the first trainees to intern at the Drostdy Hotel. She was initially hired as a receptionist but worked her way up to front-of-house manager. Since the start of 2025, she is the front office trainer at the SA College for Tourism.
There’s no doubt that a stay at the Drostdy Hotel is a feel-good experience, which is only enhanced by what the hotel offers. Chef George Jardine, culinary director of Valor Hospitality, has worked with the Drosty’s executive chef, Vivian Solomon, to reimagine the restaurant menu. It now showcases the tastes of the Karoo in dishes like springbok carpaccio served with spekboom aioli and decadent milk-tart crème brûlée. A visit to the spa is sure to set the tone for relaxation, while the wine shop offers personalised wine tastings.
A trip to Graaff-Reinet wouldn’t be complete without an outing to the Valley of Desolation. Karoo Connections offers guided tours to Camdeboo National Park, a name that means ‘green hollow’. It is a reference to the verdant valleys fed by the Sundays River, making this area a place of hope for hunter-gatherers and early farmers. Thanks to the Drostdy Hotel, this corner of South Africa is still a spot where promise is nurtured.
WING YOUR WAY TO GRAAFF-REINET
The launch of Air du Cap, which operates from the Cape Winelands Airport, puts the Karoo town within easy reach.
A charter flight cuts the seven-hour journey by car to less than two hours, making Graaff-Reinet a feasible weekend destination. For a longer stay, the Drostdy Hotel offers special packages in conjunction with Samara Karoo Reserve..
The airline’s five-seater Beechcraft Baron is a picture of comfort with leather seating, Bose noise-cancelling headphones, Wi-Fi and air conditioning.
Air du Cap offers flights throughout the Western, Northern and Eastern Cape, as well as beyond; essentially to any town or game reserve with a landing strip. Fancy a quick getaway to Augrabies Falls, Prince Albert or Port St Johns? As the first regional charter that you can book online, Air du Cap provides a list of destinations with pricing and availability.
Visit airducap.com for more.