• Jo-Anne Richards and Jo-Anne Hitchens running the Art of the Memoir workshops at the Karoo Art Hotel Barrydale
    The Hotel Blog

How we found the Karoo Art Hotel, Barrydale

Posted on Thu October 21, 2021.

How a chance visit during an offroad motorbike trip lead to a life changing purchase made on a whim

I arrived on a motorbike. Six months ago. I was with a group of friends on adventure bikes out of Capetown . Our focus being the Cederburg and the Tankwa Karoo. But on the way home we’d booked into a hotel I hadn’t heard of in a village I’d never visited; The Karoo Art Hotel, Barrydale. It was a Friday afternoon. As we drew up to the hotel my attention was drawn by a banner on the wall; ‘Hotel auction Wednesday’.

We never attended the auction but called Derek the Chef after it was over to find out what had happened.

"Nothing happened, no body came, no one called" came back the reply. It wasn't long before Sue and I plus Charlie, Zoe and Derek were sitting in the breakfast room. One thing lead to another and we're now the owners of The Karoo Art Hotel, Barrydale

 

Further Reading

24 hour hotel name change Sat February 8, 2025

After an iconic visit by Bobby Kennedy to Stellenbosch University's Simonsberg residence in 1966 they started calling themselves 'Die Withuis'. The name has stuck. When Die Withuis alumni (76-80) visited us we followed suite with our own name change.

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The Heidelburg cycle loop Mon February 3, 2025

Barrydale to Heidelburg and back via the Tradouw Pass (98km) is the perfect training ride to put miles in the legs while earning points with your non riding partner

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Reuben the Screwman returns with Life Before Barrydale.. Mon February 3, 2025

702 Talkshow host Reuben the Screwman returns with LBB2 (Life Before Barrydale 2).

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