This is Ben.
Ben is a guard dog.
What Ben is ACTUALLY guarding is a closely guarded secret.
He tends to welcome guests with a wagging tail and an inquisitive nature.
Ben is not a real guard dog…
This lamp lights up the old-style reception area. When I say ‘old-style my thoughts turn to the days when one dressed to travel, and the luggage was normally leather and you could have possibly arrived in a horse-drawn carriage.
All part of the charm and elegance of this unique establishment.
in 2006 Lydenburg was renamed Mashishing, meaning “Long green grass”.
There is not much long green grass to be seen in the neatly trimmed garden. The gazebo has played a part in many celebrations, some happy and some sad. As such it has become the focal point of this space and often features in posts that I have published about this guest house.
This pool looked SO inviting, however given the ambient air temperature and well as the toe-test temperature of the water, I was NOT prepared to take the plunge.
Even for research purposes!
The passage to the renovated room that I stayed in on this particular trip. I have never stayed in the same room twice and the guest house, like an amoeba, is in a state of flux as new rooms are being planned and changes are being made almost constantly.
Not that incumbent guests are ever inconvenienced by the alterations or the renovations.
When two become one. This is the recently converted and renovated Roccoco Room.
It used to be two separate rooms but has been beautifully and seamlessly combined into one excellent space.
When was the Rococo period?
Rococo flourished in English design between 1740 and 1770.
It first appeared in England in silver engravings of ornaments in the 1730s, with immigrant artists and craftspeople, including Huguenot refugees from France, such as Paul de Lamerie, playing a key role in its dissemination.
In the second half of the 18th century, a reaction against the Rococo style occurred, primarily against its perceived overuse of ornamentation and decoration.
Led by Christoph Willibald Gluck, this reaction ushered in the Classical era.
There is an intimate seating area at the foot of the bed that includes gold and velvet seating and a flat-screen TV for those in search of entertainment rather than work.
A modern microwave and kettle contrast with the Rococo-style decoration in the seating area.
Today, as can be seen here, the Rococo style is still influential in interior design.
Part of the bathroom will make guests feel they are in a Roman Bathhouse.
All gold and marble, this space is a joyous celebration to the gods of interior design.
The Rococo style began to be criticized in the mid-18th century, with the rise of the Enlightenment, neoclassical and bourgeois ideals, surviving until the French Revolution, when it fell into complete disrepute.
Given this jacuzzi bath that has not one but two shower heads, I can understand why the style was considered superficial, frivolous, immoral and purely decorative.
Did you know? In the 1700s, most people in the upper class seldom, if ever, bathed.
They occasionally washed their face and hands and kept themselves “clean” by changing the white linens under their clothing.
“The idea about cleanliness focused on their clothing, especially the clothes worn next to the skin,”
The interior of the Fickle Fox Bar.
This delightful English-styled pub is a great place to meet other guests or have a pre or post-dinner drink.
Filled with quirky trinkets, many guests spend time having a look at what can be found on the walls.
The exterior of De Ark Guest House at night.
Nothing quite like a roaring log fire to keep the cold at bay on a chilly winter night.
Dinner is served.
The chef at De Ark does not do small portions, so be prepared. The food is delicious and more than sufficient to feed even the hungriest of guests.
And there was a dessert as well, but that vanished BEFORE I remembered that I had not taken a picture of it.
Breakfast is served. And if this is not sufficient, there is a hot breakfast on offer as well.
The name Lydenburg means Town of Suffering and given the vast number of dangerous and deep potholes on the road both into the town from Dullestroom and out towards Origstad, the name is still as valid today as it was when the town was founded in 1850!
But, as mentioned in TV adverts, that is not all.
When I drove through the town in mid-July, the council was digging up the main road. This has been ongoing for some time while certain contractual aspects are being ‘ironed out’. In the meantime, both the residents as well as travellers are inconvenienced.
Seeing that this is a MAJOR tourist route to the Lowveld and the various game reserves, I am always stunned by the lack of foresight from those in tourism.
BTW, did you know that the collective noun for potholes is a Slalom?
Well, now you do!
To find out more about what this iconic and quirky guesthouse has to offer, click on the logo above.
Travel is the proud winner of this prestigious award from the digital British lifestyle magazine Luxlife. The award is in the category Best Travel & Experiences Blog 2024 – South Africa.
Check out the archived and current interviews… click on the image above.
“Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?”
Edgar Bergen
All images are the copyright property of
and may not be used without permission.
All images used in Travel & Things posts are edited using Ribbet software. To learn more about the product and what it offers both amateur and professional photographers, click on the logo above.
