Ettioné Ferreira
A mere 8km out of the small town of Tulbagh, you will find a gem nestled among the mountains. Vrolikheid Landgoed is situated in the beautiful Tulbagh valley with a breath-taking view of the Winterhoek mountain range.
After a walk through a beautiful and well-kept garden, you pass the wedding venue, a modern-looking hall with a lovely archway with vines twirled around it. A natural, yet elegant setting for an event. As you pass a swimming pool parallel to the venue, just around the corner, you will find a door leading to a clean and tidy guest room. The room has a kitchenette equipped with the basic necessities and a large Queen sized bed. The room is tastefully decorated and stylishly furnished.
The bathroom is small but just enough for a one-person or two-person occupancy, with a clean and modern shower. There is luckily no television in the room to distract one from the glorious splendour outside.
“You can leave the door open – it’s very safe around here. Just close the gate so the dogs can’t go in,” Antoinette assures the guests. Coming from a city, this will leave you astonished and you might not believe doors can still be left unlocked in South Africa. She also encourages you to take a walk around the grounds and go visit the horses and horse riders. It becomes apparent that Vrolikheid is not only a farm and guesthouse but also a horse riding school.
Antoinette’s daughter, Anri, runs the riding school and teaches children from surrounding farms and towns. The riding school is well-known in the horse riding world with various riding competitions being attended by riders as well as competitive events taking place at Vrolikheid Horse Riding School. Anri is down-to-earth relaxed and will not hesitate to invite you to have a glass of wine with the family. She teaches children of various ages horse riding techniques, “You are welcome to come to ride anytime!” The farm also plays host to the ‘Tulbagh Horse Trails’ which offers an hour trail at a small fee. This is a lovely addition to the list of activities that are available in the area.
Should you like to explore the area if you have done a walk around the Vrolikheid farm and went on the horse trails, there are various wine and fruit farms to sight-see. There is also a chocolatier in Tulbagh which serves an interesting array of flavours for those with a sweet tooth. With a stunning view of a dam, green plains and of course the mountain backdrop and various sights to discover, it is hard not to be mesmerised by Vrolikheid.
Be sure to stop at Vrolikheid on your next journey through the Cape Winelands. They are available on Airbnb or if you would like to contact them directly, they are contactable through their Facebook page.
Ridiculously Insane 
Great post 😊