The R1000 Challenge

Annica Marincowitz loves the chalets but breaks the bank for a dismal lunch

REASON TO GET AWAY:

Much as I love Jozi, I need to get out of the city sometimes. It becomes a physical urge, the need for the bush: silence, open spaces and tall grass.

Pardner and I went to the Forest Camp at The Cradle Nature Reserve for a 24-hour break. The reserve, housed in the Cradle of Humankind, has always been better known to me for the restaurant formerly called Cornuti in the Cradle - a favourite for celebrating special occasions and treating visitors.

ALL ABOUT IT:

We left, as usual, behind schedule. We took Beyers Naude Drive and traffic was heavier than I'd hoped for a Sunday. Thanks to my superior navigating skills, we took a little detour before we arrived at the gates well after our midday aim.

There was also a tortoise-like 20-minute, dirt-road drive to the Forest Camp: less excruciating for 4x4 drivers than the Yarises.

During a visit last November, the veld was green and lush. This time it was dry, with large areas of black, burnt veld. But we were pleasantly surprised that our chalet - there are eight - was on the bank of the Motsetse stream, surrounded by the cool green of many trees.

The three bundles of wood we had ordered were piled at the paved braai area next to our chalet.

The wooden and thatched chalets are perched on stilts and set a civilised distance apart, so you need not see too much of your neighbours. Nonetheless, I hoped out loud that all the other chalets were unoccupied so we could have the entire place to ourselves.

My misanthropic soul was satisfied on that account - the only other person we saw was the cleaning lady, who waited discreetly under a tree as we left the next morning.

FOOD:

The chalets, equipped with a tiny kitchen in addition to the tiny bathroom, are self-catering, but we had booked for Sunday lunch at The Cradle restaurant. Pushing our budget to its limit at R225 a person, I reckoned a four-course meal (as described to me by the booking office) in the stylish-but-bundu restaurant was worth it.

The restaurant was cutting edge when it opened almost 10 years ago, but now it is looking a little the worse for wear.

I'm sorry to say the view of the bush and hills on the horizon, watching weaver birds (there are about 250 bird species in the reserve) build a nest while sipping Chardonnay, was the best part of the experience. The food was average: prawns and gazpacho for starters, fillet and salmon for main.

It wasn't dire, but it had a mass-produced, conveyer-belt feel to it, and certainly not worth the price.

The "first course" of bread and salad was minus the salad, and the dessert buffet pretty much the same as it has been since the first time I went there.

With three beers, a glass of wine, a cappuccino, a bottle of sparkling water and a tip between Pardner and me, we bust the budget by R163.

Back "home" Pardner made a fire and we sat next to it for hours, listening to birds bed down for the night and looking at stars. One of the weird noises, Pardner assured me, was a snoring guinea fowl.

Morning came too soon, and at check-out time at 10, I felt as if I'd been evicted from paradise.

DID IT MEET EXPECTATIONS?

Yes, and I'll go back in a heartbeat, this time skipping the restaurant and staying for another night.

WHAT ELSE TO DO:

Game drives and guided nature walks. Bird viewing walks are hosted on the last Sunday of each month.

DIRECTIONS:

Take Beyers Naude Drive, which becomes the M5. Go through Honeydew, past Diepsloot, cross over the Pretoria/Krugersdorp highway (N14) and then cross over the Crocodile River. At the big traffic circle, turn left into Kromdraai Road. The Cradle is on the right.

Bookings: enquiries@thecradle. co.za

Telephone: 011-659-1622

Details: www.thecradle. co.za