Durban - Sierra Ranch near Mooi River is something of a blast from the past, remembered by many for infamous singles and biking weekends and now enjoyed for family weekends, weddings and conferences.
Make no mistake, the singles and biking weekends remain very popular – the 2014 Buzzard Rally took place at Sierra Ranch this month – but the tone, look and feel is very different.
eLan Hospitality recently leased the whole farm and hotel and plan to turn the property into Africa’s finest extreme sport resort.
Sierra Ranch dates back to 1900, when it was just a small single-storey building named The Grove. It was rebuilt in 1988 to become a pretty, convenient family getaway and event destination.
Accommodation is diverse and includes hotel rooms, chalets, rondavels, a honeymoon suite with Jacuzzi and the bunk house. The 16 en-suite rooms in the main building, some with verandas, have views of the resort and can accommodate between two and five people sharing.
The 22 chalets with en-suite facilities are ideal for families as they can sleep between four and six people. The eight cosy, self-catering rondavels sleep two people each.
The bunk house has 10 rooms, each with two single beds and a double bunk bed, plus three bathrooms with a bath and toilet.
If you are a high-flyer, there’s an airstrip for your plane and you will be able to see from the air that Sierra Ranch is close to Nottingham Road and the attractions of the Midlands Meander – though you won’t be short of things to do on the property.
Indoor activities include pool and snooker, table tennis and squash but most come for the outdoor beauty and fun.
There’s a large swimming pool and outside bar area, lawn bowls, a putt-putt and adventure golf course, tennis and volleyball courts, a playground, horse riding, paintball, an obstacle course and climbing wall and tubing down the Mooi River. Bass fishing on the three dams is a favourite.
There are mountain bike tracks, a 4x4 course and folks flock to Sierra Ranch with their off-road machines to test their skills on the motocross track which has some testing double jumps and a 30m table top.
It’s a must for trail riders with Alfie Cox’s enduro route and outrides across 798ha of breathtaking countryside with rocky hill climbs, river crossings, mud holes and some wide open grasslands. Youngsters will be able to practise on the five new quad bikes.
Conferencing and extreme activities go well together and Sierra Ranch is extending its team-building prowess.
The saloon bar lays on great parties with music to suit all tastes, encouraging old and young to let their hair down.
eLan’s refurbishment has seen changes to the saloon bar, so the kids can do their thing – on X-Box games, at the pool/snooker tables or other facilities while parents relax with a drink. Manager Carol Sulter is a warm people person, a qualified field guide, and arranges all the activities for kids.
There are fun-filled singles weekends on November 28 and December 5 from just R720 (dinner, bed and breakfast) a night as well as super specials in the December holidays (over Christmas too).
l Call 033 263 1073/76/77, visit www.sierraranch.co.za and check out the youtube clip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO7nEr-x3Yc
Adrian Rorvik, Sunday Tribune