Health Spa Reviews - Kloppenheim Country Estate and Spa

  

Review by Christa van der Merwe

I don't know of many Spa's where you can sink into a bubbly Jacuzzi while overlooking expanses of hills, frolicking horses and fluffy white ducks splashing around in a trout dam. At Kloppenheim Country Estate this was the view as I settled into the Jacuzzi in the relaxation area of the Spa for a bit of unwinding, after a pleasant two-hour drive from Pretoria to Machadodorp.

It may be a long, winding and scenic route getting to the top of the 2000 meter high plateau where Kloppenheim keeps watch over 500 hectares of countryside, but once up there, I can testify from experience there is absolutely no reason whatsoever for leaving the estate again until check out time.

At Kloppenheim Spa treatments are done by hand only, keeping it as natural as the surrounding environment. With this in mind, two product ranges - Theravine and Lillian Terry - are used to compliment the natural treatments and achieve optimum results.

Although the Spa only has four treatments rooms, it more than makes up for size in ambience and professionalism of the therapists. Under Jolandi and Megan's capable hands I spent a delicious two hours experiencing their two Signature therapies.

After been shown to a treatment room decorated in soft earthy tones I settled onto the treatment bed, which was preheated - a welcome and thoughtful touch considering it was around 15 degrees outside. Megan and Jolandi worked their magic with the first treatment, which was a dual massage. As the name suggests, I had the luxury of two therapists massaging simultaneously, with Megan starting with a relaxing foot massage and Jolandi rubbing away all the cares in the world with a relaxing head massage. The full body massage, which takes about an hour, is performed with Lilian Terry oil, which is a combination of homeopathic remedies and essential oils.

The Therapack facial is a specialised facial, which hydrates and provides the skin with nutrition as the essential oil penetrates the skin deeply and works from within. This seems to be the weekend where things come in two as this facial also consists of two masks, of which one is quite a heavy mask consisting of crushed grape seeds and linseeds, which is applied over gauze and leaves the skin soft and supple. The facial consists of cleaning, toning, exfoliation, two masks and a wonderful shoulder massage while the mask is working from within.

The spa menu is comprehensive and a wide range of body and facial treatments are available. One can really be pampered from top to toe if you have enough time on your hands. At R500 for the Dual massage and R420 for the 75-minute Therapack facial I thought this was good value for money.

The Spa's relaxation area includes comfortable couches, lots of reading material, water, juices, coffees and teas and is cleverly capsulated in a glass bay window which provides fantastic views over the estate while at the same time keeping the winter chill out.

But the Spa is only part of the decadent pleasures Kloppenheim has on offer. Expect an opulent, regally decorated lounge with roaring fireplaces, a baby grand piano and a leather-clad library in the main building. Couches are deep and inviting and I was not the only one who opted sinking into a couch with a book for the whole day while attentive staff kept the tea and later the wine coming.

Dinner in Twigs Restaurant is an absolute treat, which started with Springbok Carpaccio, a tender beef fillet with pepper sauce and a beautifully presented crème brulee. Combine these culinary delights with super-attentive service, a roaring fire place which is perfect for the icy winter weather and fine wine, and it is a winning combination.

As can be expected from such an up-market estate, rooms are decorated on a grand scale in dark wood, gorgeous linen and comfy chairs and come standard with under-floor heating, heated towel racks, DSTV and real eiderdowns. The 14 Elegant Lakeside Suites have individual views of the trout dam and are very spacious with comfortable couches facing open fireplaces. The 20 Twin Estate Rooms are smaller than the Lakeside suites, but also beautifully decorated with all the luxuries. The ten Elegant Lodges are self-contained, fully equipped, sleep four or six people and proved to be very popular with family and friends over the weekend. Each unit has two bedrooms and an open plan kitchen overlooks the dining area and lounge. Each cottage has a veranda with garden furniture, gas 'braai' and a spectacular view overlooking the Highlands Meander.

At Kloppenheim one can be as lazy or active as you please. While I opted for the first, which included pampering of body, soul and mind, many guests choose the latter and kept themselves busy with horse riding, trout fishing, tennis and hiking. A number of activities like archery, hot air ballooning and rock climbing can be arranged by prior request.

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