Bethlehem: O little town of steaks and cats

02 August 2015 - 02:00 By Andrew Unsworth

There's a lot of meat in Bethlehem, just don't let your own rump appear on the menu, advises Andrew Unsworth I had wanted to stay in Bethlehem on the way to the coast but there was no room at the inn.You can wait a very long time to write an opening line as bad as that, but it is true, and irresistible.Usually people dash from Johannesburg to Durban, but if you have time, and two bored boys on the back seat, it's a great idea to break the journey.It makes both halves more fun, so I did stop over on the way home.story_article_left1Bethlehem is not too far off the N3 and the drive there from Harrismith on the N5 takes you into the beautiful and gentle scenery of the Eastern Free State which is still, for me, home.After your overnight stop, you drive due north on the R26 and rejoin the N3 at Villiers, thereby avoiding the truck-run through the Free State and one tollgate.We stayed at the Frontier Inn, a small Peermont hotel with a little casino attached, or maybe it's the other way round. It has just 21 rooms, which explains why I could not get in the week before.I immediately approved of its golden, sandstone-gabled exterior with Lombardy poplars: if only more modern Free State buildings would continue that solid tradition.The rooms were on the small side for more than one person, but the extra bodies were my fault and the hotel had provided a mattress on the floor.It's not exactly a family hotel but the kids were very quickly packed off into the playroom of games machines while I enjoyed a long scotch on a deck while the orange sun sank into a very orange Free State sky.story_article_right2On a clear day, you can probably see the Maluti mountains in Lesotho, but it was not a clear day and the view was mainly of the nearby Dihlabeng shopping mall. It made me long for more Free State. So did the staff at the inn, all friendly Basotho, always charming and helpful. Again I felt at home.The only dining option was the Spur steakhouse, but kids love them as much as play zones, and both chose a chicken leg and chips with milkshakes while I had crumbed mushrooms and calamari and a drop of wine.In the morning, I tried a lie-in with CNN News from the limited DStv selection but, leaving bathroom bedecked with wet towels as only kids can, we were soon back in the Spur for breakfast.The hotel's PR officer had advised me to visit the Cheetau Game Lodge, about 13km out of town. "Tau" is Sesotho for lion, and the place is home to an impressive collection of breeding lions, leopards and even tigers.Owners Marie and Bok van Zyl were out but Heinrich Henning, a student from Pretoria on practical assignment, showed us around, walking between the camps where the cats were in various stages of lazy indifference. They all looked in excellent condition but then they get 90kg of meat a week, so they should.Henning had only been there for three weeks, which made me a little nervous when he took us into two enclosures to pet lion cubs. The 3-month-olds were cute and cuddly, the 5-month-olds almost the size of the kids.full_story_image_vleft1"Never let a lion approach you from behind," he explained as we gingerly patted big pussy cats."Like that one?" I asked as one approached a kid from behind. He calmly got us out of the camp.The Van Zyls also breed boerbuls, in a camp in front of the house, and pitbulls somewhere behind it, so Cheetau must be the safest lodge to stay at in the country. Still, I think I'll stick to roadside inns with a Spur, where I can choose from the menu with less chance of being on it.We listened to Nina Simone all the way through the Free State. Despite a few potholes, it was a far more pleasant drive than the N3.sub_head_start IF YOU GO sub_head_endWHERE TO STAY: The Frontier Inn's standard rate (best available rate) is R745 per person sharing, including breakfast. It currently has a "Lazy Weekends" offer of R293 per person sharing per night, including breakfast. This rate is applicable only over weekends. Their "Winter Funstay" package is R350 per person per night sharing, including breakfast, and is applicable during the week and weekends. Visit Frontier Inn, phone 058-307-6000 or e-mail info@frontierinn.co.za.WHAT TO DO: Cheetau Lodge is on the Fouriesburg road (R26). Day visits cost R80 for adults, R40 for kids. Visit Cheetau Lodge or call 082-804-4166 or 082-473-7559.Unsworth was a guest at Frontier Inn..

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