Lord Milner Hotel

Guests arrive by rail or the N1 highway to Matjiesfontein, a village founded in 1884 by Scottish railwayman James Douglas Logan at the fringe of the Grand Karoo. The three-star hotel was built by Logan in 1899 as a health spa and served as Cape Command headquarters during the South African War; the central turret held a machine-gun lookout. The entire village gained National Heritage Site protection in 1975. Forty-nine rooms occupy the main hotel, Reston Villa, historic cottages on Logan Street, and suites beside the Monument River. The main hotel holds 15 classically furnished luxury, standard, and single rooms fitted with en-suite bath or shower, heater, and fan. Reston Villa, set in a private garden near the hotel, offers four suites opening onto a terrace shaded by palm and bougainvillea. The Olive Schreiner Cottage, named for the author who lived in the village, provides a two-person en-suite bedroom with both bath and shower. The Old Marie Rawdon Museum Suite sleeps six across three bedrooms and two bathrooms on Logan Street beside the Laird's Arms. The Swimming Pool Suite comprises two bedrooms opening onto a courtyard patio with access to a stone-basin pool and wooden terrace overlooking the river. Historic Douglas Cottages line the hotel's back garden, each with a shared veranda. The Hotel Dining Room has served guests for 120 years in a Victorian setting of period antiques. The Laird's Arms bar occupies the building next door. A Transport Museum on the village edge houses vintage cars from the 1930s to 1960s, including two Royal Daimlers from King George VI's 1947 tour. An old London bus runs evening tours Monday to Saturday. The hotel provides mountain bikes for veld rides and hikes, a tennis court, and a residents-only pool.