Mount Grace Country House & Spa
Magaliesburg, South Africa
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THE MOUNT GRACE COUNTRY
HOUSE & SPA
 Only
an hour's drive from Johannesburg and Pretoria, set high in the Magaliesburg
Mountains in 10 acres of exquisite gardens,
this gem of country house hotel has been a haven of tranquility
and beauty for over 15 years, offering the best of South African
rural life. Mount Grace Country House & Spa is ideal for the getaway
couple.
The original hotel in the Grace Collection, Mount Grace is the foundation
stone of a proud family tradition of hospitality excellence. |
Rooms  For
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Thatchstone Village
These
rooms are closest to the main hotel and they are the original part of
the hotel and are therefore
older and decorated
in a more "country
style". They are close to all the amenities and facilities and overlook
very pretty garden pathways.
Grace Village
These
rooms are on either side of the pool and consist of 4 rooms per unit,
two upstairs with thatched
roofs and two below.
They all have patios
with lovely garden views. Their décor is warm and inviting and
these rooms feel as if each room has been individually decorated. They
are not too far from the main hotel, but tend to offer more privacy than
Thatchstone Village.
Mountain Village
Comprises
of Upper and Lower Mountain rooms which have recently been re-done
to become part of the superior
room type with
Treetops. They
are the most private of all the villages. They have exceptional views
of the gardens and in some instances, the surrounding hills and Magliesburg
countryside. Each unit is totally separate and consists of a spacious
bedroom en suite with a separate shower as well as a sunken bath. All
14 rooms are uniform in décor and are equipped with mini bars,
heated towel racks and other amenities. Although a leisurely walk from
the hotel, they are favored by many for their privacy.
Treetops Village
The
latest addition is the ultimate in luxury! Situated a fair distance
from the hotel they nestle in
a ravine filled with
bird life and forestry.
Accessible on foot or by golf carts, there are 15 rooms in total, each
with a balcony/patio and a living area within the bedroom. The bathrooms
are generously proportioned with heated floors and towel racks, a window
the length of the bath with wooden blinds, separate shower and many extra
luxuries as well as a walk-in dressing room and mini bar. The décor
is exquisitely stylish, yet in keeping with the relaxed country feel
of the rest of Mount Grace.
Hotel facilities
• Gift shop
• Library
• Hartleys bar and billiard room
• Café Complet
• Daily newspapers
• Monthly classic music concerts
• Family Fun
• Copperfield Grill - seats 140 guests, buffet style restaurant
• The Stoep - seats 35 guests, sophisticated a la carte restaurant
Spa
and Wellness Sanctuary
Mount Grace in Magaliesburg includes a Spa and Wellness
Sanctuary opened in August 2002. Conceived for the renewal of body,
mind and spirit, the Spa complements the unique peace and beauty
of
Mount
Grace and its natural environment, providing a total de-stressing
experience.
The Grace offers a range
of luxurious health and spa treatments, including hydrotherapy, massage,
body wraps, and skin care treatments.
Allow the therapists to spend time with you to create an individualized
program that ensures total wellness of body, mind and soul.
Book an
individual treatment or choose one of our specialized spa packages,
ranging in duration from two hours of bliss to seven days of pure indulgence. The Spa at Mount Grace
The
thatch-roofed, natural stone spa complex has been built away from the
main hotel in Mountain Village
to ensure peace
and tranquility.
Surrounded by Mount Grace’s magnificent gardens and natural bush,
this is truly a destination spa experience.
Hydrotherapy Spa Garden
Take time to enjoy the healing and relaxing benefits of water
therapy in the outdoor Hydrotherapy Spa Garden, featuring a heated jacuzzi
pool,
a refreshing waterfall and the Elixir Liquid Sound Flotation Pool designed
for floating.
Spa Café
Located
on the veranda, the Spa Café is open
during spa hours for refreshments and light meals. Kindly inform the
staff in advance if you
wish to follow a detoxifying diet.
Dining
and Cuisine
For almost two decades,
Mount Grace has been known for its generous, country style buffets,
epitomized by its
famous Sunday
lunches which are served in "Copperfield Grill" and outside
on the Sundeck.
The Stoep is Mount Grace's newest restaurant.
An a la Carte restaurant set in an enclosed portion of the farm style
veranda,
it is an elegant restaurant that offers an uncompromisingly sophisticated
menu, in an intimate atmosphere. The Stoep breathes romance, elegance
and consummate care in its every detail, making it the perfect venue
for a special occasion.
The Stoep was created to complement the
hotel's original restaurant, Copperfield Grill, which will continue
to serve its generous, country
style buffets, epitomized by its famous Sunday lunches for which Mount
Grace has been known for almost two decades.
Sports and Recreation
• 3 Swimming pools - conventional, rock pools
and heated outdoor pool
• Mountain biking
• Croquet lawn
• Bowling green
• Fly fishing
• Bird watching and walks
• Tennis
• Picnics
• Golf (Pecanwood is about 30min away)
• Horse riding, squash and hot air ballooning
by arrangement
• Volleyball,
mountain biking, fly fishing and a host of other activities
Bill Harrops Original Balloon
Safaris
Bookings are essential for this
unique experience, which is an elegant, eccentric adventure in space
and time, hovering at tree top height while you wave to local farmers
below. Your pilot will also take you soaring high among the clouds and
whilst you drift along slowly, your "720" degree wrap-around
panoramic view of the Magalies River Valley will leave you breathless.
Magalies Barbus Haven "Quality
Fly Fishing"
The eco-friendly fly-fishing venue.
Experience quality fly-fishing in a peaceful and private environment. "Wild" small
and large scale yellowfish are abundant in six kilometres of pristine
Magalies River. They also offer Bass and Carp in their dam. Situated
close to Magalies Village, 45 minutes from JHB and Pretoria. Equipment
and experienced guides available.
Pecanwood Golf Estate
The golf course, designed by Jack
Nicklaus, forms the perfect backdrop for the luxurious homes.
Magalies Gliding Club
The club has around 200 members
and offers introductory rides to casual visitors and potential new members.
Weekday flying can be arranged, including corporate "Team Building" groups.
Microlight Flights
The Davies Aircraft Corporation manufactures, operates
and does flying training of Thunderbird Aero planes. It is an exhilarating
and rewarding experience to be in control of your own aircraft.
History
Mount Grace started its life as The Thatchstone Inn in the early thirties
and was reputed to have been one of the first country resorts in South
Africa. At tariffs of R3.05 per person per day or R17 per person per
week (excluding bath) or an extra 50 cents for a bath, The Thatchstone
Inn was a very popular resort, especially for honeymooners, many of whom
still return to Mount Grace for nostalgic reasons.
From 1977, the hotel embarked on a rather seedy phase of life as The
Rockberg Hotel, which was used mainly as a drinking hole and retreat
for illicit love affairs. The hotel buildings fell into disrepair, and
in 1980 the hotel was closed down by decree of the Liquor board.
In 1981, the property was taken over
by a Christian group and operated as a Church camp site known as El
Hanan (Hebrew for 'graciousness of
God'). One of its shareholders was Chippy Brand, who purchased the property
in 1982 and after doing some basic renovations, decided to convert it
back to a hotel rather than lose everything in a bottomless pit. He renamed
it 'Mount Grace' (literally meaning 'mountain of undeserved favour').
This marked the 'accidental' conception of a Country House Hotel, which
would one-day spawn two ultra luxury city hotels, Cape Grace in the Waterfront
and The Grace in Rosebank.
Mount Grace was born in 1983, a 3 star country hotel with twenty thatched
cottages and one restaurant, becoming an overnight success. Chippy and
his wife Cynthia managed the hotel personally, although they had no formal
training in the hospitality industry. Chippy remembers Mount Grace as
Fawlty Towers in those early years, and soon, what started out as an
expensive hobby, became an all consuming vocation for the Brand family,
forcing Chippy to sell his engineering business and embrace what he still
regards as 'the crazy hospitality business.'
Ten years after starting Mount
Grace, Chippy and Cynthia were joined by their two sons, Charles
and Stuart, and their son-in-law
Peter Moore,
with the object of upgrading Mount Grace and exploring potential sites
for further Grace Hotels. Mount Grace soon gained a four-star rating
and was expanded to a 65 bedroom hotel which thrived as a weekend retreat,
conference venue and a home for classical music concerts, one of Chippy's
passions. Despite the developments, the raison d'être of the hotel
was always to provide a haven of peace and beauty which reflects God's
grace.
In the early hours of June 21st 1996, (less than 4 months before the
scheduled opening of The Grace in Rosebank), a fire swept through the
entire public areas of Mount Grace, destroying the hotel's 2 restaurants,
2 lounges, 2 kitchens, reception, wine cellar and pub. Despite this ill-timed
setback, the redesigning and rebuilding process was completed in eight
months and Mount Grace emerged from the ashes on Valentine's Day 1997,
making it the third Grace hotel to be opened within 18 months.
In October 2000, a further 15 Treetops Village rooms were added (bringing
the total number of rooms to 80) as well as a new a la carte restaurant
known as 'The Stoep', and a heated pool. In 2001 the luxurious Mountain
Village suites were refurbished.
Awards
• Best
Conference Venue in 1999 (Country Hotels Category)
• Winner of accommodation Award for "Best Country Hotel in SA
1999"
• Best Country Hotel Conference Venue of the year Award 2001
• Best Housekeeper
of the year for South Africa 2001 as voted by HASA
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