Barrydale Karoo Hotel: look beyond the surface

By Roxanne Reid
When we arrived in the tiny Karoo town of Barrydale to stay at the Barrydale Karoo Hotel, the early afternoon sunlight was not kind. The hotel looked as though its glory days were long past, its present faded and faintly sad. But when we stepped inside and took time to look beyond the surface, its quirkiness crept into our hearts.

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The date on the pediment is 1937, so a little fadedness isn’t unreasonable. But the exterior paint-job – an odd mauve-tinged shade of brown – isn’t really helping. Happily, I hear that a facelift by way of a kinder colour is on the to-do list.

Gurshwin Farao (left) with some of the hotel's eclectic collection of objects and art

The vivacious Gurshwin Farao was our first contact inside the hotel, a welcoming smile and chirpy repartee at the ready. Things suddenly looked very different. The black-and-white tiled entrance, the bright walls from lime green to oxblood red, the idiosyncratic collection of paintings and objects d’art were starting to work their magic. A banana yellow art deco-style couch, a mauve chaise lounge, a mirror mosaic torso and slipper, a gold inlaid cabinet that oozed bling, a soft chair shaped like a hand, fingers spread as you sit in the palm. Such things made every space intriguing. We wanted to stare but felt it might be rude, like staring at an old lady who’s made-up to the nines and dressed way too young for her age.

The bedrooms all display a sense of style, this one a dramatic red, ours a theatrical purple

Our room, one of the Great Karoo suites, had an en suite bathroom big enough to waltz in. Back in the old days it was probably a room itself. In the bedroom there was crisp white bed linen but the most noticeable colour was a theatrical purple. The accent cushions were purple. The bed-head was purple. The wall opposite the bed – where a huge portrait of two male nudes took centre stage – yes, you guessed it, it was purple.

A door opened onto the stoep, burnished to a brown shine I hadn’t seen in many years, even in the platteland. Two cane chairs and a wooden bench were perfect for looking up into the mountains, spying on a baboon walking across a vineyard in the early morning sunlight, or watching the world go by along the street.

It gave us pound seats for watching some late-afternoon Karoo Cop action too. Brought to the balcony by the sound of shouting, we saw five policemen handcuffing three men lying flat on their stomachs on the tarmac. Two cops went searching in the bushes of the plot opposite. Later in the hotel’s bar we heard the story from barman Chris Ruiters: there’d been a tip about drugs and one of the men, rather than be collared with tik and mandrax in his possession, had made what he thought was a cunning plan to throw it into the bushes. Foiled!

A peaceful courtyard off the dining room

Looking down from the balcony, we could see oil drips in the parking bays in front of the hotel. I like to think of the fun times that might have been had by visitors to the hotel in old cars. We saw an MG club having breakfast in Barrydale on their way to a classic car festival in Knysna. Although they didn’t stop at the hotel this time, I’m sure its bar has been the venue for many a passionate conversation about classic cars.

The bar was a dim place despite its multi-coloured lights. It had red velveteen chairs, an upright piano in one corner painted in the German folk art style, a fireplace in another. A small stage is the scene of live entertainment on Saturday nights. Next to a notice advertising the appearance of singer Wendy Oldfield, a sign proclaimed Barrydale ‘almost the friendliest town in the Western Cape’ as voted by radio Kfm’s listeners. An illustration of a woman on a comic-book bench underneath had a speech bubble proclaiming: ‘Blah-blah Barrydale yah yah.’

At the pool

There are lots of attractive nooks in the garden to lose yourself in

We found alluring spaces in the grounds of the hotel: a few benches in a shady courtyard near the pool; wicker tables and chairs on the grass, with bright yellow or orange cloths; blue-and-white concrete classical Greek busts wobbling like drunks; the gentle wabi-sabi of pinkish-mauve walls. Wabi-sabi, a Japanese philosophy that accepts imperfection and transience, might have been invented especially to appreciate this place.

The Magpie Room

We asked manager Jason Beningfield if we could see the Magpie Room, decorated by the Magpie Art Collective whose showroom is across the road from the hotel. They’re big into light fittings and lamp shades, often using recycled materials. (Two of their chandeliers grace the White house in Washington, USA.) We found a refreshingly calm space of blues and greens applied with artistic flair, a bed-head made of tree branches, and bird-like lights.

An unusual bathroom in one of the suites

We also sneaked a peek into some of the other unoccupied rooms. Each had its own unique design and charm, whether elegant or quirky or tipping dangerously close to wacky; certainly none of that City Lodge sameness here in Barrydale.

In the evening, a log fire was spitting and hissing in the dining room to ward off the chill. We chose comfort food from chef Derek Lowrie’s Karoo-inspired menu – vegetarian bobotie and the lamb shank. Both were delicious and filling. We shared a lavender crème brûlée, a sophisticated touch we hadn’t expected from a three-star platteland hotel. 

Bright colours, warmth, art and good food in the dining room

If you’re buttoned up and prim, don’t come to the Barrydale Karoo Hotel; if you like uniformity and conformity, don’t come. But if you relish a touch of imagination and things that are quirky, unconventional, even a little off the wall, then you’ll fit right in.

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