ECCA LODGE AT &BEYOND KWANDWE PRIVATE GAME RESERVE, SOUTH AFRICA
Innovative, stylish and intimate, Ecca Lodge at &Beyond Kwandwe embodies a “funk meets futuristic farmhouse” ambience. Emblazoned with giant Warhol-like prints, retro light fittings, and shades of olive, rust and burnt orange, it is witty, welcoming and skilfully appointed.
Situated on rolling slopes overlooking a beautiful spekboom, acacia and aloe-studded valley with a backdrop of steep shale cliffs, the views are breathtaking, particularly when the spekboom trees are in bloom. Six suites of inventive architecture feature walls of wood panelling interspersed with mesh-covered stone gabion, and pagoda-style corrugated iron roofs. The suites are extremely spacious, with generously proportioned living rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms. Glass doors slide back, leaving gauze doors to admit the cool inviting breezes and fragrances of the bushveld. Wraparound wooden decks lead out from the sitting rooms and bedrooms, to private plunge pools and outdoor showers.
Highlights of the guest area are the open interactive kitchen, a gorgeous rim-flow lap pool lined with shaded decks and teak loungers, and the nearby interpretive library. Ecca Lodge is a 15-minute drive from the historic Heatherton Towers, which houses the well-stocked Safari Shop.
Why Stay at Ecca Lodge
- Set in a malaria-free Big Five game reserve in the Eastern Cape, the perfect safari ending to a journey along the Garden Route
- Cultural and historical tours, as well as the carnivore research programme
- Vibrant and funky, modern safari lodge
- Interactive kitchen for mealtime fun
Breathtaking views
Set in thick vegetation overlooking a dense valley, Ecca Lodge offers a breathtaking view onto an escarpment of steep shale cliffs. Expansive wooden viewing decks provide the ideal setting to soak up the bushveld atmosphere with a leisurely lunch or a sundowner drink. The Lodge’s pagoda-style corrugated iron roofs and walls of wood panelling blend seamlessly into the magnificent landscape. Rooms are airy and open, with barely a barrier between the indoors and the African bush.
Retro chic
Minimalist chic is the order of the day in modern, spacious bedrooms that share wraparound wooden decks with the suite’s private sitting rooms. Retro light fittings and polished concrete floors combine with shades of olive and burnt orange for a warm yet modern look. The ultra-modern bathroom, with its mosaic mirrors and glassed shower, refreshes and delights. An outdoor shower with a shiny tin tub tips a broad wink at safari tradition.
Funky fun
Funky touches in décor and fittings surprise and delight at every step, while life sized animal photographs re-tinted in psychedelic colours add a touch of fun and fantasy. Plunge pools with solar heating create a dash of colour on each suite’s wooden decks. A play centre for children keeps little hands busy for hours and a shared lodge pool provides the perfect place for a communal splash. An interactive kitchen tempts and tantalises with colours and aromas, while the deep chairs in the open dining areas invite you to linger over flavours and textures.
Banish all thoughts of moustached men in safari suits, cork hats and knee-high socks - a safari lodge with an attitude, Ecca Lodge is seriously modern and trendy. Shut all the doors and draw all the drapes, and you could be in a funky cosmopolitan penthouse, except that night noises at Kwandwe aren’t traffic and sirens but yipping jackals and the crazy chorus of frogs in the reed beds along the Great Fish River.
This cheerful lodge with a youthful, relaxed vibe is the perfect place for a wildlife experience for the young at heart.
