Montagu, an oasis in the rough landscape of the Little Karoo, is on the scenic Route 62, connecting Cape Town and the Winelands with the Garden Route.
The semi-desert climate guarantees 360 days of sunshine, a fantastic spring season with flowers and blossoms everywhere and a mild winter with dry sunny days, ideal for hiking. Travelling time from Cape Town is about 2 hours, travel to the Wilderness and Garden Route about 4 hours.
MontEco Nature Reserve is about 26 km out of Montagu. It is an 11,000 hectare property, well-worth a visit for its undulating nature of the terrain, with mountains, dry riverbeds, trees and its 350 million years old fossils.
The Robertson wine route, just a stone throw away from Montagu offers a variety of award winning wines. The edges of the wine yards are filled with cannas or roses in full bloom in summer, making this a very pretty wine route to drive through.
Mimosa Lodge offers 11 classic bedrooms and 11 suites in the heart of Montagu. The classic rooms combine old world charm with modern en-suite facilities. Decorated with original art deco time pieces, some dating back to the 1920s, some of the rooms open into the beautiful garden, others are on the first floor level and have access the Victorian veranda.
The 11 suites are situated in the garden, each with a private patio or balcony. The Orchard suite is in a single building and offers a mountain panorama combined with luxury and space.
Directions For Drivers
From Cape Town via Paarl: This is the fastest route from Cape Town if coming from the City, Northern Suburbs and follows via Paarl, Du Toitskloof Pass, either by Toll Tunnel (fastest) or by scenic drive over the pass, onto Worcester.
On approaching Worcester, take 2nd turn-off to the right into Worcester (Roux Road/Riebeeck Street) as one avoids all the traffic lights in the Main Road. Follow this road over the train bridge, 1 traffic light and turn left into High Street at the 2nd Traffic light. Bearing right as the next traffic light it’s the turn-off to the right for the Robertson/Ashton/Montagu road and follow the road through these towns to Montagu. Once in Montagu take the 3rd turn-off to the left which is Church Street and the lodge is half-way up the road. Mimosa Lodge does have a sign on that corner.
From Stellenbosch via Franschhoek: A beautiful and scenic drive: leave Stellenbosch in direction Franschhoek, traveling over Hellshoogte pass. Drive over Franschhoek pass on the R45 to Villiersdorp and on the R43 to Worcester. Take the R60 to Robertson, Ashton and Montagu.Follow the directions as above.
From Cape Town via Sir Lowry's Pass along the N2: This route is advisable when guests drive from the Cape Town International Airport directly as it is easier to get onto the N2 than the N1 from there. Also if guests stay anywhere from Southern Suburbs to False Bay Coast it is the quickest.
The first major town along this route is, Somerset West, which you by-pass and carry on over the Sir Lowry’s Pass through Elgin/Grabouw over the Houw Hoek Pass taking the Caledon turn-off and following through to Caledon, Riviersonderend, and then at a small place called Stormsvlei. Turn left and take the route through Bonnievale which eventually joins up with the road that comes from Swellendam, turn left and follow till another T-junction faces you and turn right to Montagu. Same procedure as above via Ashton.
From Port Elizabeth and the Garden Route: This route takes you from Port Elizabeth throught Jeffrey’s Bay, Plettenberg Bay via the Toll Road (fastest)or Nature’s Valley (scenic) to Knysna, Wilderness and George.
It is recommend to use the N12 via the Outeniqua Pass to Oudtshoorn and the scenic Route 62 from there through Calitzdorp, Ladismith, Barrydale to Montagu.
Once in Montagu, take the 5th road, Church Street, to your right and you will see the big white Church at the top of the road and Mimosa Lodge is half way up the road on the left hand side.
Alternatively, you can take the N2 from Wilderness via Mossel Bay, Albertinia, Riversdale, Heidelberg and turn off at Swellendam, except that parts of this road are under construction and there is a lot of heavy traffic making it a slow process – following the R60 to Ashton, Montagu and taking the 3rd road to the left which is Church Street and and the lodge is situated half way up the road on the left hand side.
Another scenic route would be to take the road from Heidelberg, turning off the N2 following the signs to Suurbraak, Barrydale, via the Tradouw Pass which is one of the prettiest passes in our area, joining the scenic Route 62 at Barrydale again and once in Montagu taking the 5th road to the right and you are in Church Street where Mimosa Lodge is situated on the left hand side.
From the N1 North: Follow the N1 down to Beaufort West, Laingsburg, Touws River. Approx.20km outside Touws River, there is a turn-off to the left (R318) that will lead you over the Koo Valley and Burgers Pass to Montagu.
Arriving in Montagu, just follow the main road (Bath Street) until you are next to the big white Church. The next road to the left is Church Street where Mimosa Lodge is situated on the right hand side.
General Information For Guests
The rooms all have ceiling fans, heaters and hair dryers, complimentary Muscadel, a speciality of the area, mineral water, fresh fruit and flowers.
The Garden Suites are en-suite with a separate bath and shower. They each have their own patio, Hi-Fi and spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.
The Classic Rooms are situated in the main building and individually decorated, combining old world charm with today’s modern luxuries. The rooms are en-suite with either a shower or a bath with a hand shower.
The Orchard Suite has its own private champagne pool, balcony, tea & coffee making facilities and a Hi-Fi. The bathroom has a corner bath and a double head shower.
The lodge has a restaurant, swimming pool, garden, stylish Art Deco lounges and complimentary internet access.
The restaurant has a fixed 4 Course fine dining menu every day that changes on a daily basis. You can also opt for the pairing option where each course is carefully paired with a Mimosa Boutique Wine or other wines from the area. Special dietary needs are catered for and booking is essential.
Enjoy the local sites such as relaxing at the hot springs, lumbering along the numerous nature trails, or meet the locals at the Saturday Farmer's Market. For the more adventurous, there is also rock climbing, mountain biking, quad biking or 4x4 routes.
A laundry service is available (additional cost).
Credit cards are accepted.
