WELCOME TO
DE KELDERS PRIVATE VILLA

travellers to the de kelders PRIVATE villa are well looked after | guest rooms have high ceilings, ample light and ventilation and offer complete privacy | the house is a gem for the magazine, movie, book and music fundi | the large and spacious garden is a ten year creation of overberg flora, planted with privacy being the keyword | the salt water pool a welcome escape from the summer heat | the open terrace is secluded and offers the perfect hideaway for reading, drinks and a south african braai | the ocean is 200 steps away | at the beach you can meander on trails and watch the spectacular sunsets over walker bay and talk with the whales [ june - december ] , before you return for dinner | simple courses prepared by your hosts , washed down with local boutique estate wines | and then to the comfort of bed made with egyptian white percale cotton, sleeping with the sounds of the whales to awaken refreshed to the smell of a country breakfast of home baked confectionery, home made jams and preserves , fresh fruit juices and the smell of roasting bacon and brewed coffee

elle decoration autumn 2008
the de kelders private retreat, near gansbaai, has a spirit of quiet kindness, thoughtful generosity and relaxed ease where there is space for both lively conversation and rejuvenating silence

elle decoration winter 2009
designer neil stemmet of koncept design and architecture designed the home to complement the laid-back yet incredibly sophisticated style of this beach home in de kelders

neil stemmet’s uncompromising green philosophy makes you sit up and notice . ” the idea behind the construction of de kelders private house was to celebrate creativity, both natural and human. so often amazing things in life is overlooked. it’s about taking time out from modern life and looking at a tree trunk to remind yourself of the dual functions of beauty and sustainability
conde nast house and garden SA september 2009

objects tell stories and enrich our interiors and our lives. at de kelders PRIVATE villa you will be inspired by the people, places and ideas that make this home a personal memory map of the owners the house and indigenous gardens are custom designed by the owners and have received international acclaim for the sublime interior vignettes and eco-friendly building ethos: natural cross ventilation air flow, large windows that capture heat in winter, a single large hearth to heat the house, solar heated water heats the myriad of pipes under the floors, natural paint pigments were used and where possible the vertebrae of the old house were recycled into the new home

” our favourite time is from autumn to spring, the days are crisper and shorter, you can see the weather moving over walker bay, the sunsets are even more spectacular than in summer, there is a gentle quietness in the area, few people, champagne days filled with soft, glorious sunshine, schools of dolphins cut through the sea that display the colours of mother of pearl, the succulent-aloes cover themselves with vibrant flower cloaks, the whales arrive mid-june and our days are spent reading, walking the cliffs, exploring new bays and flora whilst at supper time enjoying feasts of simple produce of the overberg…”

capturing the spirit of the house

composition | music | quiet | sleep | gentle | timelessness | enriching | self time | art | literature | nature | inspiring | rest | being | simple feasts | pärt | preisner | ando | mies | kundera | matthee | kieslowski | mahler | preserves | slow | battiss | skotness | national geographic | world of interiors | elle decoration | cats | piano | sugar birds | light | breath

 

cnr 35 main / guthrie road
de kelders
gansbaai
overberg
south africa

neil stemmet + 27 + 82 373 3837

david patrick + 27 + 76 337 8791

neil@dekeldersprivateretreat.com

www.dekeldersprivateretreat.com

GPS COORDINATES
34°33’25.54″ S
19°21’55.57″ E

excursions
we will arrange all excursions prior to your arrival

massage | aromatherapy | in your room or at the pool or in platbos forest
land based southern right whale watching – may until december | 200 m
swimming in protected coves and bays | 200 m
the caves of de kelders | 200 m
coastal klipgat trail 7 km to gansbaai | 200 m
walker bay nature reserve 17 km hike from de kelders to hermanus | 200 m
die plaat – long walks , swim and sun bathing | 2 km
klipgat cave – one of the six oldest remains of modern man | 2 km
excellent fishing – die plaat | 2 km
strandveld museum at franskraal | 12 km
birding – overberg 330 species – guided trips
kayaking from stanfords cove to the caves at de kelders | 3 km
horse riding outrides on the beach and trails on a fynbos farm  12 km
fynbos – 1500 species – guided tours | 12 km
platbos southern africa’s most ancient indigenous sandwoud forest | 12 km
marine eco tours at dyer island, home to 1000′s of african penguins and other species | 12 km board point
geyser island cape fur seal tours | 12 km board point kleinbaai
great white shark cage diving – best viewing june until september | 12 km board point
danger point light house | 14 km
wine tasting elim | agulhas | stanford | hermanus | hemel en aarde valley | 20 km plus
lunch destinations stanford | napier | 20 km plus
river cruise stanford | 20 km
explore the endless empty, unspoilt and people less beaches of pearly beach | 23km
baardskeerderbos valley and artists’ hamlet | 30 km
elim heritage site – oldest cultural historic village and moravian museum | 39 km
cape agulhas / arniston – southern most point of the african continent | 120 km

or

in winter you can snuggle up in bed or in front of the fire with a must read book, after you have had along walk on the beach. dinner could be a wonderful regional stew, washed down with delectable wines of the area

or

in summer you can take a walk to a private cove and bronze up your body – the beaches are private and most of the time you will see no one on the beach – that is what i call the ultimate luxury – privacy

 

cameron ewart-smith; getaway magazine march 2003

“..this little town is able to offer some of the world’s best boat- and shore-based whale watching and unquestionably the world’s best white-shark diving. the sensational marine tourist attractions should not be the only things to lure you, however. some of the cape’s best-conserved fynbos adorns the mountains in the area and numerous walks and trails criss-cross it. the lighthouse at danger point is open to tourists, and you can climb the stairs to the revolving light and peer out at the restless waters that cover the remains of the famous birkenhead wreck. after a week spent wandering the streets of gansbaai and its surroundings, we can comfortably say that this, truly, is the gem of the overberg.”

de kelders is 161 km from cape town, on the south eastern coast of south africa, 40 km from hermanus, 20 km from stanford, 7 km from grootbos nature reserve and 7 km from gansbaai

directions

closest airport | cape town international
de kelders is 161 km from cape town on the east coast of south africa, 40 km from hermanus, 20 km from stanford, 7 km from grootbos and 7 km from gansbaai

from cape town
travel on the N2 from cape town [ 161 km ] , continue over sir lowry’s pass, take the R43 turnoff to hermanus at botriver, travel through hermanus and stanford, turn right at 1st exit to de kelders, 1st house on your left – welcome !

from garden route
travel on the N2 towards cape town, 10 km before riviersonderend turn left towards hermanus, after 50 km at the T junction at standford turn left towards gansbaai, turn right at the 1st exit to de kelders, 1st house on your left – welcome !

GPS COORDINATES
34°33’25.54″ S
19°21’55.57″ E

Google Maps
Lattitude -34.578952
Longitude 19.379883