Monsoon Gallery
Twenty-eight kilometers from Hoedspruit on the R527 (the Lydenburg road) you will come across the Monsoon Gallery, the Mad Dogz Cafe and the Blue Cottages Country House and and loved for the past twenty years by John and Calli Williams. Pieter and Maria now take their place. These landmark establishments have become synonymous with style and hospitality. The venue is a must-visit for anyone travelling through the region.
The Gallery offers an impressive selection of African art, artifacts, crafts and gifts for sale,from the traditional to the contemporary. It houses a large museum collection of traditional hunting artifacts, Africana and memorabilia.
Also at this location is the Mad Dogz Café, a 70 seater restaurant situated in charming thatched buildings and patios. It is set against the backdrop of the escarpment, and is a relaxing place to stop with chic décor, music from the African continent, tropical gardens and water features. Mad Dogz serves a blend of Afro, Asian, and continental cuisine, wholesome delicious farm style breakfasts and continental teas, coffee and cakes. The UK based Footprints Guide to South Africa, says that "there are very few places in South Africa which serve meals such as here, even if you are just passing through, make time to stop".
The name, Mad Dogz, is derived from a Noel Coward song written in the 50’s and it serves "fusion" cuisine, developed around the concept of the monsoon trade winds, linking in this case, Asia with Africa. The restaurant is attached to the Monsoon Gallery and here you will discover South African, Creole, Cape Malay and Thai classics, like the aromatic, caramelized Creole Chicken, and the Rare Thai Beef Salad, a Natal regional Lamb Curry and a Cape Bobotie. It is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch or light snacks, from 07:30 until 10:30.
A convivial new Bar themed around the Seychelles completes the evening ambience.
The Blue Cottages Country Guest House is an enchanting overnight stop en route to the Kruger Park and the Blyde River Canyon. Situated in a splendid four-acre tropical garden, the guest house comprises the original farm managers cottage built in 1948 on the pioneering Olifants River Estates. This enchanting guest house is home to a superb collection of Africana and memorabilia belonging to the owners of the Monsoon Gallery and is steeped in the history of the Lowveld.
The accommodation consists of the Blue Crane Suites, a delightful cluster of cottages nestling under enormous trees and can sleep up to six people if requested. This cluster of cottages has a separate lounge, barbeque patio, and fully equipped kitchen for six as an option for self-catering accommodation requests.
The Weavers Nest Family Suite is found in the original farm house and sleeps four, with a separate lounge area which has air conditioning, TV and has bathroom en suite. A beautiful Garden Suite with lounge, TV and air-conditioning and bathroom en-suite is also found in a secluded part of this wonderful wooded garden Delicious home-cooked three-course dinners are served in the evenings by lamp light on the farmhouse veranda. Stay over when you next pass by at this tranquil and thoughtfully created hideaway.
To book your stay at Blue Cottages click here, or contact Pieter & Maria on +27 (0)15 795 5114 or + 27 (0)15 795 5750.
