0.3 business
Address:
66 sixth ave, Melville
, Johannesburg 2092, South africa
Show on map
Lonely Planet Review
- Alistair Simmonds
- Lonely Planet author
Oozing 'old' Melville grace, this colonial-era villa has lashings of comfy class, with Oregon pine flooring, a sun terrace and plenty of old-school bric-a-brac for décor.Attempts to recreate country living within city limits often err on the side of contrived charm, but the authenticity of this property means the experience is no more or less what you'd get from a visit to South Africa's heartland… with none of the effort. The tin-roofed manor, old windpump and beautifully converted former workers' cottages definitely help, and owner Jannie du Toit, a theatre-lover and musician, has put it all together with immense care and magnanimity. Rooms are warm and cosy, and the main house's ambience - aided by an open fire, charming tiled kitchen, wooden floors and broekie lace wrought-iron filigree - is as welcoming as the inn at the end of the wagon ride. It's this combination that helps Agterplaas live up to its name, an Afrikaans term that today means 'the backyard' but once meant 'the back of the farm'.
