At the flick of a switch Cape Town artist Helen Van Stolk filled the entire hotel with a group of top artists and sculptors with no agenda beyond just a shared time of inspiration and talent, fulfilling a long held dream that we'd become a home from home for people of this ilk.

When you read our Trip Advisor reviews there's still many a client wishing they'd made more of a stay of it. But it's less and less as case or a one night stand these days thanks to a bulging village To Do list

Two journalists had checked in the night before. It was a our Christmas party. We were closed for the day. But at breakfast they were so full of questions that Wayne never boarded the party bus to Warm Waterberg and committed the morning to showing them the dorp. Only later did we find out why they were in town. The things he showed them are why the town is changing from a...

If you've got his sell out cookbook or you follow him in the Daily Maverick you'll appreciate what a great experience too solid days with Tony Jackman as cook, raconteur and coach is going to be.

We're blessed by an ongoing parade of extraordinary cars but there's something about the passion of the Art of the Passes participants that sets them and their cars apart.

If the hotel is the hub what are the spokes that surround us ?

Check into the hotel on Friday afternoon and kick off a Barrydale weekend in the company of this legendary Blues Rock musician

It's a brilliant weekend to be booked into the hotel if you're a theatre lover. Leading writer Mike van Graan will present three plays. John Maytham and Luc Green Thompson will feature as performers.

Not every fine artist is a fine teacher too. Cathy nails it both ways.

As it is more and more travelers are opting for a two night, or more, stay. The winter promotion (15% off for a one nighter, 20% off for two, 30% off for three opens you to the full possibility of the hotel's Barrydale To Do list.

Here the AGA maestro Bjorn Vai gives an overview of our AGA. A long term companion on Sue and Rick Melvill's journey: From the design department at the Blue Moon Company. To the Prynnsberg Estate on the founding of Melvill & Moon, to the Karoo Art Hotel.

Photographer Ian Fairley captured the sheer joy of driving the passes and distant horizons of Route 62 in a car that you're passionate about while on the Giulia Jaunt. The hotel with it's ideal midway position between Cape Town and the Garden Route has become a favourite stop over for the sportscar crowd.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.. Yes, the pictures from Karoo Ink do tell a story. But it's the comments of the participants that paint their own picture of what a gifted teacher and spirit builder Tee Hardman is. It was the best of times . Standby. There's smudge on the distant horizon (Oct) called charcoal.

This will be the fourth of the annual hotel take overs where the inspirational Stormers coach and Renaissance man John Dobson takes the conductors baton of the Karoo Art Hotel for a rugby and entertainment weekend of note combined with a powerful development agenda for Barrydale rugby

It promises to be as hot as our AGA

We're headed for the 4th fabulous year of this great writing workshop experience. The workshop will run from 8-10 May The retreat from 11-15 May

We're hugely excited to be hosting the wonderful Donna McKellar for a landscape workshop.

Heidi Ansley is a gifted glass mosaic coach. We've seen living proof of it. She sends examples of the work of her mosaic school students to the hotel and they sell like hotcakes. Particularly to foreign visitors. But there's something more here. She's suggesting you bring your pet to the workshop. Dogs we are good for: We're dog friendly . And gold fish too. Cats, being cats, are little more challenging -...

Cathy Milners workshops at the hotel sell out for good reason, she's an extraordinarily gifted art teacher. She limits the class to around 18 participants. Claim a space at the 20-23 August workshop now as there are not many spaces left

It was a month of celebration that included the SA Small Town of the Year award and ended with a street party where we could give a nod to a great year now past and the real promise of 2026.

A working AGA in the dining room = an A for authenticity Bartro’s Christmas pudding’s out of the AGA = an A+. A ++’s for story driven year ahead