Pet-friendly family accommodation in Gauteng

Escape the daily stresses of life in this peaceful environment embedded in nature, where hiking trails, a picnic spot on the hill and much more are available to guests Riaan Hattingh.

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The six family cottages can host between four and eight guests each.

All units offer the amenities that one would find at home, making this the ideal accommodation for a weekend break or a longer vacation. Less than two hours from Johannesburg, guests will find Burkei Guest Cottages, located in the far eastern part of Gauteng. It is 35km from Bronkhorstspruit.

Joe de Wet, manager at the property, tells Farmer's Weekly that people from a trust fund purchased it in 2010. Development on the 130ha farm with the Wilge River as its southern boundary only started in 2014.

Cottages 1 and 2 were established in 2014, along with the residence, and cottages 3, 4 and 5 in 2016. Cottage 6 followed in 2022.

“COVID-19 put us on the map,” says De Wet. After government lifted some restrictions and allowed travel within provincial borders, people from all over Gauteng discovered Burkei Guest Cottages in 2020. Today, a significant percentage of visitors are returning guests, many of whom are guest house owners themselves taking a break during the low season.

Burkei Guest Cottages provide a peaceful environment embedded in nature, where guests can escape the daily stresses of life, recharge, and sleep in if they want, as farm life only starts at 9am.

FAMILY ACCOMMODATION

All the self-catering cottages are equipped with the items and essentials you will find at home. “It is like home away from home,” says De Wet.

Each of the six cottages has a private swimming pool, braai area, and a patio with a garden. A dishwasher and washing machine are standard in all cottages, and guests will also find some unexpected items not often available at other places of accommodation, for example ironing boards, irons, and clothes drying racks.