Upmarket guest house in Piketberg

When Nola and George Fletcher bought the building formerly known as the Commercial Hotel and received the keys four years ago, this grand old landmark was extremely tired and dilapidated. The rooms were pokey and were suffering from years of neglect. Like a grand dame of the theatre, she looked passable from a distance but, up close, the signs of age and neglect were clearly evident.

The couple completely remodelled the interior of the old building, joining floors and removing corridors to create seven distinctive apartments, each completely self-contained. In a spirit of conservation, what could be restored was and reclaimed wood from decking, ceilings and floorboards was used to create the bespoke kitchen cabinets.

Themed suites

The surname Fletcher refers to someone who made feathers for arrows, George and Nola have cleverly played on this meaning throughout Feathers Inn. Each unit is named after a bird, but in a typically tasteful way; the rooms are decorated in the style of the country from which each bird hails. Thus, for example, a night in the Egyptian Goose suite will leave you feeling like a Pharoah; Le Poulet is decorated in a French country style; the Mandarin Duck is typically Asian fusion.

Carrying on the theme is Archer's Bistro, the onsite restaurant where George and his assistants will be showing off their cooking skills, using herbs, vegetables, olives and figs organically grown in the facilities remodelled gardens.

The tranquil garden with its Victorian bandstand is the ideal venue for musical soirées, weddings or garden parties and the converted barn comfortably seats up to 40 guests or conference delegates.

Piketberg is located on the N7, 130km north of Cape Town past Morreesberg.

For more information call +27 (0) 22 913 3651 or go to www.feathersinn.co.za.