We have rated Olifantskrans River Cabins a 3 out of 5 for pet safety. Although the cabins are fantastic, and each cabin is enclosed, the beautiful lawn and river area is shared space. If other guests have dogs, they are able to come right up to your cabin and engage with your dogs. Be that barking or trying to get into the yard. If you do not have social dogs, this will not be a relaxing stay if there are other dogs present. Even though we stayed as a mid-week break, the cabins were fully booked and 2 other cabins had dogs too! Sadly we had to ask the other guests to take turns to go to the river area with our dogs so they could stretch their legs a bit.
Grounds: Cottage has own, private space and there is room enough for dogs to roam, but the flooring is on sharp stones mixed with apricot pips which does not make it nice for them to play on. The grounds are stunning though - large river area and beautiful lush green, rolling lawns, but this area is open and shared.
Enclosed: Yes. Surrounded by a wooden fence. Larger dogs may be able to jump over the wooden gates.
Other dogs: Yes. There are 7 cottages in total, 5 of which allow dogs. There are also dogs at the main house (reception area), one of which (a Jack Russel) likes to run down to the river and play with the other dogs there.
Walking dogs on property: The Breede River is just 20m away from each cottage and it's so clean. If your pup loves water, or even likes to be on the water (kayaks) you're going to have a blast! Cottages are close to each other though and the river area is shared space. Unless you have social dogs, we do not recommend it.
Would we leave our dogs alone and go to the shop? No, unless inside the cabin, but it is quite a small space.
Lowest fence height: 1.2m
Highest fence height: 1.5m
Fence material: Wooden poles.
Olifantskrans River Cabins
Olifantskrans is a popular riverside holiday destination and it is only 2 hours from Cape Town, making it a great option for a weekend getaway or weekday stay.
Olifantskrans River Cabins comprise of 4x single bedroom cabins (ideal for couples) and 3x family cabins (sleeps up to 6, but 4 comfortably). The cabins are idyllic wooden cabins, and give the feeling of staying in a tree-house on the river. Each cottage has been carefully kitted out for comfort, and to provide that peaceful and relaxing getaway busy city folk need.
The Single Bedroom Cabins (4): We stayed in one of the single bedroom cabins (Cabin 3), but all the singles have pretty much the same feel, just a slightly different layout in each. It consists of a bedroom with a double bed, ensuite bathroom with shower and toilet, kitchenette and open plan living area with a small coffee table, single chair and couch that also doubles as a sleeper couch. (Great to open up for cooler evenings, or if you just want to relax and watch a bit of TV.) The living room opens up onto the terrace with lovely view of the river. The terrace has a built in jetmaster which is also under cover. Also, we loved that there is mosquito netting on all the windows! Being next to the river, there are loads of mozzies, but at least you have some extra protection from the mozzie-protected windows.
The sleeper couch in the living room doubles as extra double bed, should you have young children with you, but we don't recommend a third adult as the space could feel quite cramped - rather get the family cabin.
The Family Cottages (x3) - sleeps up to 6 people: 1 bedroom with double bed and en-suite bathroom, 1 bedroom with 2 single beds and en-suite bathroom and double sleeper couch in living area. So we guess 4 people comfortably and maybe 2 kids :)
All cottages beds comes with its own electric blanket - great for cozy winter nights.
Each cabin is enclosed, has a lapa with firepit if you want to enjoy the warmer summer evenings and an outdoor, undercover braai area on the terrace. There is an outside table with chairs as well as camp chairs made available should you wish to use the downstairs lapa area instead.
There is a DsTV decoder with limited holiday channels. The kitchenette is equipped with fridge/freezer, little stove with cooking plates and microwave. There is ample pots and pans, and even a plunger - always the first thing we look for! There is also sunlight liquid and washing up utensils as well as cleaning utensils such as dustpan and broom.
If you're staying during the week, the rooms are serviced (cleaned) on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Each cabin has it's own kayak which is chained and locked-up. If you want to kayak - and believe us you're going to want to! Book it in advance and you'll receive a key for it.
If you have limited space in your car for packing, another great little benefit is that each cabin has a "honesty jar" for bags of wood which are kept below the cottage. Bring cash along and pay for what you use.
The cottages are all set at the back of the vineyards and each is quite private. Cabin 3 which we stayed in had a larger parking area, which was not shared with Cabin 4 so it definitely felt more private than the others. All cottages are positioned in such a way that you do feel quite private, with lush trees surrounding them so you don't feel like a third-wheel on someone else's holiday. Cabin 1 and 7 are family cabins and 7 definitely looks great to stay in! Cabin 1 has a big outside yard with a really nice enclosed inside terrace too, but it's set a bit further away from the river. As it is a working farm, during the week there were plenty of tractors and people working in the vineyards.
We must also mention that the cottages are set beneath the most amazing cliff-face, but it is below the main road (R317) and you can hear cars and trucks driving past. This didn't really bother us, and it's mostly during business hours, but it was unexpected as we didn't know about it.
Of all the places we have stayed alongside rivers, this has to be the cleanest stretch of river we have been to. The water is so clear, the sand so soft - it's amazing for swimming or kayaking as you can see almost to the bottom!
Olifantskrans is a fantastic discovery, but we recommend a stay here only if you have social dogs.
Children and extra beds
The 2-person cabins have a sleeper bed as well, should you have kids accompanying you. If you're a larger family, inquire about the family cabin :)
Pets
Pet-Friendly up to two dogs. Enquire should you have more.
Availability & Rates
Check availability for your dates of travel or book it immediately. Olifantskrans has 7 cottages to choose from.
Book a Cabin - Sleeps 2 comfortably, plus 2 kids on sleeper couch in lounge.
Or Book a Cottage - Sleeps 4 comfortably, plus 2 kids on sleeper couch in lounge. Instant Book here
We are sorry, this accommodation is not available to book at the moment
Rates
From R1,000 per night. Seasonal Rates may apply.
Cancellation / Prepayment
Weekend bookings are only considered from Friday-Sunday. Please note that no bookings will be taken in on a Saturday and Sunday and you will need to take the booking from the Friday.
50% deposit to secure booking. Failure to pay the deposit on the given date will result in the cancellation of your booking without further correspondence or notification.
No deposit will be paid back if cancellation is not done within 1 month before your arrival.
Bookings and deposits will not be transferable. It will be expected of you to make a new reservation.
If you want to reduce the number of nights, you need to cancel 3 weeks in advance, otherwise you will have to pay full outstanding amount.
Check-in time
14:00
Check-out time
09:00
Facilities
Braai
Coffee Plunger
DsTV
Kitchen
Linen
Toiletries
Towels
TV
Winelands – WC
The Western Cape winelands is possibly the most famous of this region’s attractions. And it is such a bonus that many wine estates, accommodations and nature reserves in the area are also dog-friendly. Many wine estates are located in beautiful regions which frequently not only offer great wine tasting for the pet-parents, but also great hiking routes and accommodations within the estates, or vineyards themselves. If you do stay in a vineyard, just watch out for snakes within the vineyards and keep an eye on your furkid.
Some of our favourite destinations include: Stellenbosch, Paarl, Franschhoek, Robertson and Tulbagh.
At Olifantskrans you can enjoy the river to cool down or kayak. If you have lots of energy to burn you can cycle on the farm or hike. Bird-watching is also popular.
Enjoy fresh water fishing such as Blackbass and Carp and experience the magnificent views along the river bank.
Cycling the circle route from the cabins to Bonnievale and back (35km).
Wine tasting, golfing and horse-riding close-by as well.
We have rated Olifantskrans River Cabins a 3 out of 5 for pet safety. Although the cabins are fantastic, and each cabin is enclosed, the beautiful lawn and river area is shared space. If other guests have dogs, they are able to come right up to your cabin and engage with your dogs. Be that barking or trying to get into the yard. If you do not have social dogs, this will not be a relaxing stay if there are other dogs present. Even though we stayed as a mid-week break, the cabins were fully booked and 2 other cabins had dogs too! Sadly we had to ask the other guests to take turns to go to the river area with our dogs so they could stretch their legs a bit.