Joburg is all about the WORK WORK WORK vibe, and to find a few moments to get away from it all can be a bit difficult. Enter the Joburg Staycation, a trip you can take within an hour of Joburg to just chill for a night or two.
We were fortunate enough to be invited on one such trip recently to the newly renovated The Quarters at White Light in Lanseria. This 5-bedroomed place nestled among the trees, was just a 20-minute drive for us from Randburg.
The Quarters has 5 spacious bedrooms, all with en-suite bathrooms, a small kitchenette, a lounge with a fireplace, a giant balcony and a fire pit.
Mainly intended for use by bridal parties during weddings, the bright white and grey interiors and carefully selected decorative items, make the place look like it belongs in the pages of a decor magazine.
We stayed in one of the rooms that weren’t connected to the main building. Our bathroom had a huge shower, but strangely, no toilet roll holder, or towel rails. There was a towel ladder in the main bedroom, and although it looked beautiful, it would have been more functional in the bathroom itself. The other room we looked at had proper towel rails, so I suppose it was just luck of the draw.
The bed was super comfy, and the big poofy duvet and pillows made it feel like you were enveloped by a cloud.
The fire pit was perfect for late night marshmallow roasting, and we indulged in homemade marshmallows with a variety of dipping sauces for dessert after our dinner at The White Light venue.
Speaking about The White Light wedding venue, the name describes it perfectly. White walls, white tables and windows all around, the 140 seater venue would be a lovely place to host a wedding. Combined with the huge clear roofed chapel in the gardens, the photos taken here would be sure to receive a couple hundred likes on facebook.
After a peaceful nights rest, we were treated to coffee and some deliciously fresh breakfast pastries. These pastries were more of a pre-breakfast, as we then went up to the newly renovated restaurant, nestled among what seems like 1000 fountains called, The Kitchen at L’Antico Giardino, for breakfast.
I opted for the sourdough crumpets served with ricotta, honey and wild rocket and my boyfriend had the frittata with sauteed potatoes, herbs, bacon and fresh tomato. The crumpets were a little undercooked, but the flavours worked well together. The potato frittata was definitely the clear winner. Soft potatoes, fresh rosemary, cheesy goodness. It was like a potato bake and an omelette had an affair in a herb garden and the result was this breakfast.
L’antico Giardino is open for breakfast and lunch on Saturdays and Sundays, and dinner the first Friday evening of every month. You can book a table by visiting their website – http://theforum.co.za/lantico-kitchen-booking/. Important to note that they only accept cards for payment, so bear that in mind if you prefer to pay cash.
The Quarters sleeps 10 people and can be booked for R9000 (excl VAT) a night including breakfast. You can find more details on their facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/whitelightvenue/
Disclaimer: We were invited to spend the night at The Quarters by The Forum Company for free. Be jealous. Ok bye.
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I live for staycations! Feeling like you’re thousands of kilometers away and yet you’re just a short drive from home for a quick recharge.
The best of both worlds.
This property looks so tranquil!
It really is, which is surprising for somewhere so close to Joburg