The 3-star Rivierbos Guest House is a homely retreat tucked away at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac in Stellenbosch. Set on the northern bank of the fast flowing Eerste River, Rivierbos forces you to stop, relax, and absorb the natural white noise of this Stellenbosch sanctuary.

Rivierbos is the kind of place where you feel completely at home. From the ready-to-help reception, to the casual beauty of the bedrooms which invite you to flop down and do a “comfort test” of the bed – making leaving the room to explore Stellenbosch a rather tough choice in comparison!

As the guest house is nestled down a side street, there is no traffic noise. Any potential noise is drowned out by the rushing sound of the river, tweeting birdlife, and happily chatting guests in the lounge below.

Welcomed by Jennilee into our cosy corner room on the first floor, we were greeted by a light and airy room with two walls of windows, a calming mint green colour scheme, freshly rolled towels, and a slab of Lindt chocolate winking at us from the bed. The room enjoys a view of the leafy garden and welcomes you to fall asleep to the mesmeric sound of the river at night. Further exploration of the room revealed two separate side rooms – a dressing room with a desk, wardrobe, and mirror; and a grey and white tiled en-suite bathroom with a toilet, shower, and complimentary toiletries.

I love…

What I love most about Rivierbos is its central location. Set in Hamman Street, branching off Dorp Street, Rivierbos is central enough to explore the town on foot. You can leave your car safely in the gated parking lot and swap the use of costly petrol for the freedom of your own feet. Each guest is given a remote and a key to the pedestrian gate in Hamman Street – and if you ask nicely, Jennilee will also give you a key to the side gate which leads up parallel Krige Street and a lovely bridge along the river. This is a fantastic walk especially in the mornings when the sun filters through the trees and the birds provide a peaceful soundtrack to the start of your day.

Before you explore on foot, make sure to have a chat with reception for advice on the best places to go, and how to get there. After all, who better to ask than the locals? Rivierbos reception has a fantastic map of Stellenbosch with a comprehensive list of the wineries in the region to make your choice a lot easier (or harder, once you see the endless list of activities to choose from). Whether you’re looking for cheese and chocolate tasting, a champagne experience, or non-alcoholic grape juice tasting for the kids, your map will have it all!

After a short chat with Jennilee, who was more than happy to point us in the direction of the best place for late-afternoon tea and scones, we headed to Melissa’s. Our short walk along Dorp Street revealed plenty of museums, art galleries, sculptures, and coffee and curio shops within walking distance. The beauty of Stellenbosch is that it is so safe, it seems silly NOT to walk, and who knows, you may just make a friend while you’re at it!

With a belly full of tea and scones, we headed back to Rivierbos to get ready for our evening shenanigans – a South African township experience at AmaZink that is very “Madam Zingara”, but much more engaging. We enjoyed an evening of belly-aching laughter, booty shaking, and singing along to Mango Groove, Miriam Makeba, and other South African melodies.

The next morning, we spent a good 5 minutes seriously debating our sleep. Do we call it “slept like a baby?” No, that seems inappropriate as babies don’t sleep through the night. A log. Yes, we slept like logs. Even though there was a party happening across the road, the comfy twin beds, eventful entertainment, hot shower, and thick curtains ensured that we succumbed to sleep almost instantaneously.

Early the next morning, we headed downstairs to the breakfast room and picked a beige chequered table in the sunshine. The buffet table was already laden with continental cold options like cereals, yoghurt, fruit juice, toast, croissants, muffins, cheese, and fruit. A flask of hot water, a selection of teabags, and a pot of steaming coffee completed the self-help station. Once we had sat down with our plate of sweet selections, we were offered the option of ordering a hot breakfast. Who could say no to scrambled eggs, tomatoes, bacon, and mushrooms? It was time to begin our day!

A bit about Rivierbos

• Rivierbos offers an informal and relaxed alternative to hotel stays in the area.
• There are 12 value-for-money guest rooms, with a choice of standard and classic rooms.
• Each room has an en-suite bathroom, air conditioning, heating panels, wall mounted televisions with DStv, bottled water, tea and coffee supplies, and FREE Wi-Fi.
• There is an intimate, albeit small, guest lounge next to reception with newspapers, magazines, and brochures detailing information about the Stellenbosch area.
• A Continental breakfast is served from 08h00 – 10h00 in the breakfast room (hot breakfast to order). Red and white chequered tables spill out into the garden in the summer time.
• The garden has a small fenced-in swimming pool with sun loungers.
• A laundry service is available.
• Rivierbos is within walking distance of restaurants, coffee shops, and attractions. A great base for Cape Winelands tours (reception will assist).

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Have you been here? Tweet your thoughts to @Rivierbos  and @TravelGround

Address 1 Hamman Street, Stellenbosch. GPS Coordinates: -33.941127, 18.857394

Plan a weekend at Rivierbos Guest House and enjoy a much-needed escape from the city!