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You are here: Home / Travel / South Africa / Belvidere Manor, Knysna

Belvidere Manor, Knysna

by Jeanne Horak on June 21, 2010 13 Comments in South Africa, South Africa restaurants

BelvidereManor

 

South Africa’s Garden Route coastal road between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth is over-endowed with all sorts of things – natural beauty, exceptional beaches, outstanding restaurants, and a myriad of towns where visitors can stop, stay and find novel ways to occupy themselves.  I have recommended dozens of restaurants, B&Bs and other activities over the years to friends visiting this gorgeous part of the world, but there are two places that I tend to emphasise more than others.  The one is Plettenberg Bay (about which I wrote in my review of Fu.Shi last week); the other is Knysna.

 

Knysna (the K is silent – say nigh-z-nah) is a dramatically beautiful town situated about 300km west of my hometown of Port Elizabeth – two towering headlands protect the entrance to a large lagoon.  The unusual name probably comes from the indigenous Khoikhoi word meanins ferns as the area was covered in near-impenetrable indigenous forests. In 1804, George Rex (a Cape Town timber merchant rumoured to be the illegitimate son of King George III) bought the land around the lagoon from one Stefanus Terblans and founded the town.  Rex found that transporting timber by ox wagon to Cape Town was a near-impossibility and so set about investigating the possibility of building jetties and transporting the timber by sea through the treacherous Knysna Heads.  Although the first ship ran aground, eventually a fairly safe route was found and Knysna was put on the map as the heart of South Africa’s timber industry.  Despite many shipwrecks in the treacherous straits, timber exports from Knysna harbour continued until 1954 when the harbour was closed to cargo and became a small boat harbour, as it remains to this day. In 1830, George Rex’s son-in-law Thomas Duthie bought the farm Belvidere from him, nestled in a cove at the western end of the lagoon.  It was here that Duthie and his bride Caroline built a small cottage for their family and later in 1849, a larger house overlooking the lagoon.  The house is still standing and is now the main building of Belvidere Manor Hotel, one of the most beautiful and tranquil places to eat and stay along the entire length of the Garden Route.  Guests are accommodated in a series of luxury cottages leading down the gently sloping gardens from the manor house to the lagoon, with each cottage following the simple tin-roofed colonial style of the manor house.  The garden with its central pool and gazebo is home to dozens of species of indigenous birds (including rare Knysna loeries) and is a little piece of heaven.

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Although excellent dinners are served at Caroline’s Bistro in the manor house, and pub lunches and dinners are available in The Bell Tavern (a beautiful pub housed in the Duthie’s original cottage), the meal that I most enjoy at Belvidere Manor is a light lunch on the terrace, gazing over the lagoon and listening to the oriole singing in the gigantic and ancient eucalyptus tree.  In fact, I make a point of stopping for lunch whenever we drive the Garden Route.  Whether you are staying for a week or only coming by for lunch, staff are exceedingly friendly and welcome you like long-lost family.  Nobody that has visited Belvidere Manor will ever forget Jeffrey and his refrain of “Number one!” or “Too good to be true!” and his ever-present grin. The menu is a shorter version of the Bell Tavern menu and is full of crowd-pleasing light meals including excellent salads, sandwiches and burgers; plus there is a range of tempting cakes and baked goodies for dessert or afternoon tea. On my most recent visit, I had one of my favourite dishes: crab cakes with sweet chilli dipping sauce.  Unlike most crabcakes, these generous specimens contain more crab than potato, and are delightfully crisp without being oily.  As you can see, the side salad is more than generous – all in all, a perfect light meal.  Of course, I seldom stop there as the cakes are always too tempting.  On this occasion I had a cheesecake with berry coulis, which was a proper, dense, baked cheesecake rather then the gelatine-laced fridge tarts that are often passed off as cheesecakes. Together with its homemade berry coulis, it was a feast for the eyes as well as the tongue.

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  The meal, with a glass of wine and service charge came to about R100 per person which is a very reasonable price to be made to feel like an honoured guest and sit in a flower-filled garden feeling like visiting royalty for an hour or two.  Whether you choose to stay the night (prices start from R700 per person in a garden cottage, including generous breakfast), host a function, or simply stop for a meal, Belvidere Manor is one of the best-kept secrets on the Garden Route.  I should know – I got married there nearly ten years ago!

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If you enjoyed this review, you might like to see some of my other restaurant reviews.

 

Belvidere Manor Hotel

Duthie Drive

Belvidere Estate

Knysna

6570

South Africa

Tel: +27 (0)44 387 1055

Fax: +27 (0)44 387 1059

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: http://www.belvidere.co.za

 

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  1. Charlotte says

    June 22, 2010 at 5:47 am

    Can’t believe I’ve never been! Will have to add it to my itinerary for my next visit. I have friends who live in Belvidere and it seems like a dream life.

    Reply
  2. nina says

    June 22, 2010 at 6:02 am

    Aaaah, now you are in my valley!! Love that place! The whole of Belvedere is just so beautiful!!!

    Reply
  3. Firefly says

    June 22, 2010 at 8:19 am

    Belvidere Manor has the perfect location with an awesome view across the lagoon, specially at night. I haven’t stayed there, but stopped for tea and scones with a tour group once.

    Reply
  4. meeta says

    June 22, 2010 at 8:51 am

    OMG I want to be there NOW!!! maybe we can have a reunion there!

    Reply
  5. Stacey & Tash says

    June 22, 2010 at 7:40 pm

    Lovely post, makes me homesick for Michigan…looks a bit the same. Especially reminds me of Mackinac Island- http://www.mackinacisland.org/
    And, hey, I’m making crab cakes for dinner tonight! Small world!

    Reply
  6. Stacey & Tash says

    June 22, 2010 at 7:40 pm

    Lovely post, makes me homesick for Michigan…looks a bit the same. Especially reminds me of Mackinac Island- http://www.mackinacisland.org/
    And, hey, I’m making crab cakes for dinner tonight! Small world!

    Reply
  7. Stacey & Tash says

    June 22, 2010 at 7:40 pm

    Lovely post, makes me homesick for Michigan…looks a bit the same. Especially reminds me of Mackinac Island- http://www.mackinacisland.org/
    And, hey, I’m making crab cakes for dinner tonight! Small world!

    Reply
  8. valentina says

    June 22, 2010 at 10:02 pm

    I love this review. What a beautiful place. never mind the fabulous food. i would love to gaze at the lagoon.this image will haunt me – in a good way of course. I just love places with a beautiful view of the sea, beach, lagoon. You have such a lovely way to describe places. i am taking notes – seriously. I have never been to Africa.

    Reply
  9. Anita says

    June 23, 2010 at 12:13 pm

    What a gorgeous place and view! The food looks amazing too.

    Reply
  10. The Winesleuth says

    June 24, 2010 at 1:52 pm

    Great idea! Showcasing the best of SA. I’m (slowly) becoming a fan of their wines and with gorgeous scenery like this, I really do have to get there soon!

    Reply
  11. Rosemary says

    June 25, 2010 at 8:58 am

    We have so many little gems, thanks for sharing them with the world – you are truly a South African Food ambassador!

    Reply
  12. Edeth | Dinnerware says

    July 2, 2010 at 1:12 am

    It has made my “must visit” list! You chose a beautiful place for your wedding!

    Reply
  13. Jeanne @ CookSister! says

    July 9, 2010 at 4:48 pm

    @Charlotte – I agree, every time I visit Belvidere I think I really REALLY want to live there! Do yourself a favour and pop into the manor for lunch next time you visit. Heaven.
    @Nina – I love how Belvidere is so calm, even when Knysna is in frantic high season!
    @Firefly – it was a perfect wedding venue too, with the view down to the lagoon from the gazebo where we said our vows 🙂 And as you can imagine, loads of spots for gorgeous wedding pics!
    @Meeta – oh you have no idea… we had a girls’ weekend there once in a little chalet and it was the BEST!!
    @Stacey & Tash – that looks splendid – and OMG they have a fudge festival?! There is definitely a kind of American New-Englandy vibe going on there too…
    @Valentina – glad to hear I am making you yearn to visit South Africa! It’s such a fantastic place for a holiday – just ask me if you want tips!
    @Anita – not sure what I love more: the food or the view… or the super-friendly staff!
    @Denise – maybe Jo & WOSA can send us on a little fact-finding mission. I will obviously need to be there as your local fixer 😉
    @Rosemary – we try our best…! I love telling people abotu places a little off the beaten track 🙂
    @Edeth – if I had my life over again, I would choose the same place 🙂

    Reply
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Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

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