Gelukkie Accommodation & Venue, Paternoster

For our anniversary we decided we would skip the gifts and use the gift money for a vacay instead. After all, someone once said that the happiness from experiences outlasts the happiness from gifts (although both don’t hurt!).

We weren’t out looking for a beach holiday, we wanted an adventure – somewhere neither of us had been before. In the end, we were won over by romantic pictures of a self-catering accommodation called Gelukkie in Paternoster.  We used our go-to website (Booking.com), made a reservation and paid the deposit soon after.

And then the countdown began….

Watch the summary vid I put together here. It’s my first time talking so much in front of the camera – hope it came out okay!!

 

Klein Gelukkie

After a 2 hour drive up the R27, we arrived at our destination with the help of Google Maps. Gelukkie is a little bit out of the main village but let me be clear – Paternoster is tiny!

We were greeted by many little tortoises along the road leading up to Gelukkie (there is a tortoise sanctuary!). Cindy welcomed us and she showed us around our little piece of heaven for the next 2 days. The garden was gorgeous. The braai area had a bench which came in handy when roasting marshmallows and gazing at the stars at night. The bench was also a great place to relax while hubby was braaing. The table was a wonderful breakfast spot.

I loved the decor. The earthy and woody decor have an amazing calming effect. The beautiful chandeliers are made by their resident artist Ruth (owner). I also think that much of the wooden artwork was made by the other owner, Andrew, as he has a background in woodwork.

The bed was extremely comfortable and sleeping at Gelukkie was quite peaceful. Waking up to the sounds of birds and a little waterfall/stream rather than a blaring alarm was heavenly. Gelukkie was hosting morning yoga sessions when we were there but my usual Cape Town weekend life consists of running to gym in the early hours so I gave it a skip but in retrospect, I wish I hadn’t.

Gelukkie is actually a venue that hosts mindfulness retreats and weddings. Their weddings have been featured in magazines and other media outlets. Pretty cool.

 

The indoor fireplace was perfect for chilly evenings.

The kitchenette was well equipped (hello, a Bodum plunger?!) for a weekend away. We never attempted to cook anything complicated which was fine by me.

Guests are allowed to use the courtyard but we never tried the swinging bed as it was a bit chilly and we spent most of our days exploring Paternoster.

The owners had left us a beautiful gift for our anniversary which was a pleasant surprise. It was also a much needed surprise as we forgot to pack soap!

There was a little relaxation / reading room with a couple of interesting books. It was such a serene space that I found myself taking an afternoon nap there – something I rarely do at home.

Even the bathroom was an experience with a re-worked wooden shower door, chandeliers and lovely, thick towels.

Cindy left us with a couple of DVDs (and she said she had loads more). My first instinct was to go for the Hobbit but for some reason I chose to watch Dirty Dancing instead. Guilty pleasures!

Check out time was a little late which was nice and Cindy said we could even take our time to check out, no rush. We checked out, thanking Cindy and headed back into Paternoster village just to check out Oep Ver Koop. Luckily we did that as I got a call from Cindy saying we left our laptop bag next to the bed. Oops! Clearly, we didn’t do a proper check.

I am so glad we chose to stay at Gelukkie. I had a wonderful, relaxing time and I really can’t think of a better place to unwind. Gelukkie was built with a lot of thought and love – it is evident in the accommodation, the friendly owners and the creativity and thoughtfulness poured into every inch of the place. Do yourself a favour and book it today!

 

– Rif

http://www.gelukkie.co.za/

Ps – keep an eye out for my post on things to do in Paternoster