Waterford Manor

Having spent a lot of time on the main part of the Midlands Meander (Howick through to Nottingham Road) I was excited to be able to spend some time in Rosetta. I had used the R103 – Rosetta road as a through road to Mooi River on more than one occasion, but this would be my first time to stop and spend the night. I was joined on this Midlands adventure by 3 ladies : Siobhan (Sugar & Spice), Teri (Choose a Row) and Verushka (Spice Goddess).

 

Waterford Manor
Entrance into main building

 

Waterford Manor is situated on a 10-hectare property on the Mooi River and they are 8kms from Nottingham Road and 12kms from the town of Mooi River. The property has 700 metres of Mooi River frontage and guests can fly fish, enjoy a picnic or go for a walk. They have magnificent trees and wildlife that wander through and we did see a small buck on the Saturday morning.

 

Waterford Manor
1. Courtyard and Jasmine cottage on the right 2. Front of the main building 3. Edge of Jasmine cottage

 

Waterford Manor
1. Covered patio of main building 2. Saturday morning coffee in the courtyard 3. Main building

 

There is a large swimming pool with a wooden deck, braai area and a wonderful view of the river. I especially enjoyed seeing the sunset from the deck. A perfect area to have a Summer braai and swim but unfortunately the water was far too chilly in May. I’m sure that would not stop any children that wanted to swim since KZN days can be very warm.

 

Waterford Manor

 

It is an easy walk down to the river but your legs will feel the strain when you walk back up. Next to the river there is a bench, a table and chair so you can sit and enjoy a sundowner or two. There is also abundant bird life and we heard and saw the noisy Egyptian Geese – surprisingly not the Hadedas.

The first thing I thought about when seeing the steep hill was sliding down on a piece of cardboard like I used to do when I was a child. It would also be fun to roll down – but I was definitely not doing either of those!

 

Waterford Manor

 

Waterford Manor has three premium bed and breakfast suites – Protea is the Honeymoon suite with a king size bed – Tamarind has a queen size bed and Hibiscus has a double bed. All the suites have on-suite bathrooms, DSTV and tea/coffee making facilities.

Jasmine is a bed and breakfast thatched cottage with two bedrooms, a bathroom and a separate toilet. The main bedroom has a king sized bed and the 2nd bedroom has two 3/4 beds. The cottage also has DSTV, tea/coffee making facilities, a small fridge and a microwave. This is the cottage that I spent the night in and I stayed in the 2nd bedroom with the two 3/4 beds. It was a very comfortable night at Waterford Manor and my bed had lovely crisp sheets and an electric blanket. Nights can be very chilly in the Midlands but my room was warm as I had switched on the heater wall panel.

Towels are supplied and there are lovely products in the bathrooms (soap, body wash, shampoo, conditioner and bath salts). Tea, instant coffee sachets, sugar and milk are also supplied so that you are able to make a warm drink.

 

Waterford Manor
Jasmine Cottage

 

Waterford Manor
Jasmine Cottage

 

There are two self-catering cottages – Sunflower with two bedrooms (double bed and 2 single beds) and Rose which also has two bedrooms (double bed and two single beds).

 

The main section of Waterford Manor consists of the entrance, dining area and a lounge. They also have a large covered patio area that overlooks the swimming pool, volley ball net and the Mooi River in the distance. The property is fenced and has an electric gate. They are in the process of slowly renovating and upgrading the property.

 

Breakfast

The fireplace had a cheerful fire burning on Saturday morning and this was so appreciated as it was quite a chilly start to the day. We had a delicious starter of fresh fruit, muesli and yoghurt that was beautifully presented in a cocktail glass. Hot breakfast was mushrooms, tomato, pork sausages, crisply fried bacon and scrambled eggs. To drink there was a choice of teas, filter coffee and a jug of orange juice was on the table.

 

Waterford Manor
1. Beautifully layed table 2. Warm breakfast 3. Starter and a view of the fireplace

 

We had a wonderful and comfortable stay at Waterford Manor. It is such a beautiful property with the big trees covered in their Autumn foliage and a carpet of fallen leaves underneath. Sitting by the Mooi River was peaceful and relaxing and I loved seeing the mist down there in the early morning.

Even though Waterford Manor is at the top end of the Midlands meander it does not take long to reach Nottingham Road and then drive up or down to see places of interest. The whole of the meander is very easily accessible.

 

Thank you to Waterford Manor and Nicholas for hosting us.

 

Please see the WEBSITE for more details and to make a booking.

Social media : Facebook and Instagram

 

Friday Night

We spoke to Nicholas about restaurants in the immediate area of Waterford Manor and he recommended a new pizza place that had opened this year – The Grindstone. We had already had a very foodie day but decided that we had to go and see this place, even if we just shared a pizza. This is not your typical pizza place – there are no red checked tablecloths. It is housed in a converted farm building and we descended stairs, past the pizza oven and into a partly covered courtyard. There was a warm glow from lanterns on the tables and a fire was burning in a chiminea set against the back wall. The Grindstone serves thin based wood fired pizzas and they come in standard and large sizes. These are gourmet pizzas covered in toppings and it was so difficult to decide what to have. I decided on No 20 which has bacon, banana, feta and garlic. Three of us also ordered a G & T made with Rawdons Original London Dry Gin. The pizzas were incredible and so delicious. Very, very recommended. Find them at 3 Kamberg Road, Rosetta. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram to see opening days and times and to look at the menu.

 

Waterford Manor
1. The entrance stairs and the pizza oven 2. Menu 3. This doorway framed a beautiful view of the moon

 

Waterford Manor
1. Pot plants 2. Bacon, banana, feta and garlic pizza 3. Rawdons Original G&T

Author: Nicola Meyer

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