The Bend Country House

This well established country house dating from the 1930s is situated on a magnificent Nature Estate of 1400 hectares. It nestles in a secluded amphitheatre in the foothills of the majestic Drakensberg and is a sanctuary for all who visit.

The Nature Reserve features five eco-systems, including indigenous forest, grassland, riverine, mountain and pine forest, showcasing the area's rich diversity of flowers, animals, and bird life. The nurturing environment has attracted the return of many of the species that once roamed the region, including oribi, rietbuck, bushbuck, bush pig, leopard, serval, caracal, baboon and eland.

This stretch of the Mooi River is highly regarded by fly-fishermen who enjoy challenging the Wild Brown Trout that have been here since the 1870s, and there are also six well-stocked still water dams for the fishermans further enjoyment. Other activities include walking, mountain biking, and bird watching. The evenings are a time to relax on the terrace overlooking the river or in front of a roaring log fire in the cosy Ingwenya Pub. This can be followed with the enjoyment of fine country dining in our gracious dining room.

The climate of The Bend has year round attraction with distinct differences between the four seasons - the fresh green of spring, followed by lush summer, then mellow autumn with its rich colours, and finally the crisp winter days with the occasional excitement of snow.

The Bend Country House has welcomed guests since 1994 and has provided the setting for many memorable weddings and celebrations. We look forward to welcoming you soon.

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Reviews

"Basic"

13 August 2018

"Far from a 4 star.. no tvs in rooms...meals are set menu no...rooms very basic. I been too 4 star places needs a hairdryer in each rooms too"
"Spending time with my husband."

30 April 2018

"Definitely not a 4 star hotel. The staff is very friendly, but The Bend needs a lot of help. No Reception (table, room etc - had to walk into kitchen to ask for help on our arrival) The pipe underneath the toilet is dirty. Blood on the linen. No toilet paper. Headboard torn. Tea is old in the little glass container or its a very cheap tea. No fridge to keep milk cold. No Television in room therefor no DSTV in room - however in the lounge is a TV with a ironing board in front of it with a broken remote. For breakfast no bowls available. If one expects nothing its good but, if it you expect a 4 star hotel as advertised it is a huge disappointment. Road to The Bend is a gravel road - and we had a puncture due to the rocky road. Again the staff is friendly and they try hard, but need serious help and unfortunately its not what we expected and for the money I paid it was a disappointment. The food we received was okey, but again no menu. We were told its a butternut soup, however were given a fish soup. The Main meal was tasty and the desert too."
"Delightful stay"

27 March 2018

"We arrived Friday night, after much rain, coming on a slippery road. Shiela offered us a complimentary dinner as we arrived quite late and in very wet conditions. This was very kind of her.The accomodation was neat and clean. We stayed in the River Cottage which could easily have 6 people stay in it. It was a great weekend for relaxing and enjoying the great outdoors. Thank you Shiela"
"Beautiful."

11 February 2018

"Absolutely amazing place. Service was great."
"Cosy hideaway in a gorgeous setting"

04 May 2017

"The front of house and staff were amazing - so friendly and welcoming. The dinner and breakfast were delicious and the crumpets as a breakfast 'starter' were a lovely touch. The location was exactly what we wanted - in a gorgeous setting with quiet surroundings.The only downside was that the wooden floors meant we could hear our neighbours upstairs, and a few areas could use some upgrades, such as the carpets and some aspects of the bathrooms.Overall a great weekend getaway."
"The Bend - nice views"

04 May 2015

"The Bend has fabulous views. Unfortunately the room (we stayed in) has seen better days; mold grows in the bathroom; couches are dirty and marked with cigarette burns; the closet doesn't have any shelves - so you are forced to hang your clothes on the rail (but can't do so, as there are no hangers); the couches in the pub area have nice, fat spider-webs in its corners (i.e. not a spider web that the engineering spider started after the morning dust-off, but rather something he/ she has been working on for quite a while). The staff are very warm and friendly. We booked the cottage for 3 nights - as I could not find any photo's of the cottage, I phoned "management" and asked if they could send me some, so that I can see what it looks like and what (if anything) we need to bring with us. They said that they "may have 1 photo somewhere", which they will email to me - I never received the photo. Upon our arrival, Sheila told my husband that they have plenty of rooms still available in the main "hotel" area, and that we are welcome to take a room if we are not comfortable in the cottage. The cottage was nice - if you planned a "backpackers" weekend, where you pay R150 (or less) per night. We asked whether we could rather stay in one of the hotel rooms that she so graciously offered. The last day/ night of our stay, a wedding party arrived - and Sheila promptly and very loudly told everyone that the room she had set aside for one of the wedding guests have now been taken up by us, as we were not happy with the accommodation arranged; this story was repeated a couple of times during the course of the evening. The poor guest (whose room we now occupied) had to make do with the "backpackers" cottage. So, I am sure that The Bend must have been a great place a few years ago, but it will, unfortunately, not see us again."
"Expected a bit more"

08 April 2015

"The stay at Bend Country House was pleasant, but not without its faults. The surrounding beauty of nature is definitely a plus. On arrival, do not expect someone to greet, you. I had to go search for someone to book us in and direct us to our room. The operational staff is always friendly and willing to assist or direct you if help is needed. There is definite maintenance that needs to be performed. During our stay, the roof leaked, with the result that the carpet next to the bed was wet and started smelling and I had to prop up the multi-plug to ensure that no one got electrocuted. The toilet did not stop running during the night, this resulted in us having to get up and having to manoeuvre the ball valve so that the water would stop running, so no sleep right through the night. The pillows provided needs replacement and the towels although nice and big has also known better days. The room has a kettle in cups, but unfortunately the tea bags were not topped up and for half our stay we could not have tea further in the room. I must say I expected more for the four stars rating shown on the website and the price you pay. My rating 4/10."
"Fantastic retreat to the country"

31 March 2015

"Absolutely fantastic, we stayed here for four nights and if we could have stayed for longer we would have. It is so peaceful and relaxing. Five days here is as relaxing as three weeks somewhere else. Staff are friendly and helpful and will go out of their way to make your time unforgettable.Thanks to the team we will definitely be back!"
"Peaceful and quiet"

02 December 2013

"Peaceful and quiet. Nice stop-over in the country."
"Brilliant stay"

13 June 2011

"This is our second stay at The Bend and it never disappoints. The best value for money in the Nottingham Road area."