Welcome to Sequoia Gardens!

Updated January 2013. Info for day visitors and how to find us,  followed by info on accommodation and booking follows below.  Booking forms, pictures of the cottages and the garden and maps can be found under other green tabs above the header image.

Day visitors:

Day visitors are always welcome – but what you see is what you get! For casual visits during the year there is no entrance fee – donations to our Rotary projects are welcome though and can be placed in the postbox at the information board at the entrance to the garden. 

Personalised guided tours are available. Please try to make arrangements in advance (Jack 083 659 1227) Cost: R100/half hour. Casual questions remain free – don’t avoid The Gardener!

Where to find us:

Co-ordinates:  23° 53’59.61″S    29°  56’57.34″E  If using a GPS do not follow instructions to leave tar until you have passed Haenertsburg and turn onto the Cheerio Road!

We are 400km from Johannesburg, north along the N1. From the N1 North on the Polokwane bypass, turn east onto the R71 towards Tzaneen. After about 65km there is a stop street at Haenertsburg. Follow the R71 to the top of the hill – about 3km – to the Cheerio Road or “L” road. It lies between Haenertsburg and Stanford Lake College.

The Cheerio Road or “L” road is a poor quality dirt road which in extreme weather might need a 4×4. Arrangements can be made to collect/meet you at a suitable place. After 1.6km on the L road, at the top of a hill, the M road goes straight and the L road turns slightly left. 300m further the entrance to Cheerio is straight ahead and the L road again turns slightly left. You go through an S-bend and are on a steep downhill. L5 (Croft Cottage) and next to it L6 (Sequoia) are on your right and L7 (Goedvertrouwen, Jurie and Beth Nel) is immediately opposite on your left. You’ve travelled 600m further, or 2.5km on the dirt. If you reach the bridge you’ve gone too far!

Turn in to L6, follow the drive along the contour and turn into the parking area. Follow the signs to find the day visitors parking and the entrance to the garden, or to find reception. Follow the barking of the dogs to find the front door of the Big House  which is where I stay to find me.

Staying over at Sequoia Gardens:

 There is varied accommodation at Sequoia Gardens. At a push we can provide over 20 beds, but then one is roughing it. Luxurious and serene visits are possible with 1-4 occupants in each of the three units. All accommodation is self-catering.

1   The House that Jack Built:

The House that Jack Built is my dream cottage, originally built as a holiday hide-away. It must be one of the most romantic spots in South Africa. I describe it as a stone cottage in a meadow on a lake in a valley on top of a mountain. When you are there the rest of the world – including the rest of Sequoia Gardens – ceases to exist. You wake up and look out on sunlit trees reflected in the still water. You watch the water birds come and go, and the busy little seed-eaters in the tall meadow grass. Sun and wind and rain on the water create an ever changing picture, and millions of leaves sigh and shimmer all around you.

The cottage is a beautiful space, with sequoia (American redwood) panelling and warm stone walls. Spaces are arranged around a tall central fireplace, and the sleeping loft is reached via a comfortable ladder.   The front part with its 3m high bay window is double volume. The bathroom contains a shower, toilet, bidet and basin.  The cottage is comfortably equipped to feed 8 and sleep 4 (or more by special arrangement), making it a lovely home base for parties using other accommodation on Sequoia as well.

2  Croft Cottage:

Converted from a stone farm building nearly 100 years old, Croft Cottage was for many years a labourer’s hut. Today the mix of history and loft living make this unique space amongst the trees a memorable destination. The word croft is used in the northern parts of the UK to describe the land, occupation and – when used with ‘cottage’ – the home of a smallholding farmer on land he does not own. There is a compact sleeping loft up a ladder and a bedroom area downstairs. The one-roomed cottage is equipped for four. There is a bathroom with shower, toilet and basin. Across from Croft Cottage is the Stone Barn, also from the early 20^th century, which still has its original weathered wooden doors behind more secure modern ones… I am investigating having this building declared a national monument as few agricultural buildings of the period have remained that intact.

3    The Plett:

 This caravan-home also serves as the Big House’s guest suite. It contains a bedroom with double bed, a caravan-style dinette/ double bed and the L-shaped lounge  can sleep two. There is a bathroom with shower, basin and toilet and an extensive outside  living area, partly roofed and partially covered by a new pergola into which the plants are yet to grow.

4  Rates and Booking:

Please contact Jack on jackholloway3@gmail.com or  text him on +27836591227 to make a booking. Booking forms may be found by clicking the green tab at the top of the home page. (request by email/phone if not found) They can be downloaded, completed and emailed back or faxed to 086 724 8744

RATES:

For detailed rates see the booking forms or contact Jack. Rates vary from R1200 plus for The House that Jack Built in season to R400 plus for The Plett midweek out of season. We also have special ‘conference rates’ if you are for instance attending a local wedding and just need a bed.