Reviews of Oulap Country House
(92%) From 12 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Highly recommended
A lovely place to stay.
Full of interesting things to see and very welcoming hosts.
Ou lap in the mountains..
A memorable highlight of our visit.
Our hosts were a joy to meet and excelled in every aspect of out two days with them. I have been communicating with Jans since our return and would certainly return to visit them and stay if they are still taking paying guests.
They were terrific!!!
A great experience
We thought that the stay at Oulap was just an overnight pause on the way back to Cape Town. We were wrong - it proved to be the most interesting evening and morning of the trip!
We loved meeting Jans and Almeri and felt privileged to share their home for a night. The drive from Storms River passed through some beautiful red rock hills sparsely covered in low scrub, interspersed with fruit farms. Oulap is on a hill with great views, gardens littered with fantastic sculptures and a sizeable and refreshing pool.
Our room was large and had a door leading the the pool terrace. The en-suite bathroom didn't have a shower but there was a separate shower next to the room.
We were the only guests and dinner provided a great insight into the fascinating history of the country and the personal experiences of people who have lived through extraordinary times and view the future with such optimism.
After watching the sun rise the following morning we joined Almeri on the 5.30 walk to the source of the spring water we'd enjoyed the previous evening.
Quirky and memorable
After the opulence of Ecca Lodge our room here came as a bit of a shock - edwardian museum with reclamation features!
This will not be to everyones taste, but Tracy was absolutely right in thinking that we would love the quirkiness and the family themselves. A real experience, dining with this fascinating couple (and assorted family members). Food was wholesome and liberal in amount as was the wine!
Their hospitality and wonderful stories made this a stay to remember.
Oulap Country House review
Jans and Almeri made us feel very welcome at Oulap. We had a great evening chatting to them an the other guests whilst enjoying Almeri's excellent home cooking.
Jans suggested a wonderful drive through the mountains en-route to our next accomodation.
Oulap Country House review
marvellpous quirky questhouse in amazing location.we were the only guests. cooked us a great meal and as you are aware the owners are a main part of the experience.loved it
Read more about the whole tripOulap Country House review
Fascinating hosts and location. Really different accommodation, and allowed us to visit a part of the country that we might not otherwise have got to.
Jens suggested a great trip for a day out, and the food was great - home cooked, and a welcome change from "restaurant" fare!
A special family atmosphere
We were treated like honoured guests and really enjoyed ourselves - again (lucky perhaps?) only guests for these 2 nights.
Jans and Almeri made excellent hosts.
Enjoyed seeing the country and the school initiative.
Had a great walk here too.
A unique experience
Oulap gave us a completely different experience from the rest of our trip. The place, the location, the owners were very different to other locations. Meeting Jans Rautenbach was fascinating and we thoroughly enjoyed and learned from the conversations over dinner. Both Jans and his wife were wonderful hosts and you really felt that you were house guests in a private house.
Read more about the whole trip
Oulap Country House review
An interesting experience but not one that we would want to repeat.
The location was not good for us as part of our return journey to Capetown and the house really is miles from anywhere.
The house was full of the owners memorabilia and our room was a little shabby with unsatisfactory shower facility and rather poor towels. We found the owner amiable but rather prone to drone on about himself, his past and his achievements.
Expert Africa comments
Oulap is a quirky little lodge filled with lots of antiques and nick-nacks. It is run by its owners, Jans and Almerie, who are both strong characters. Staying at Oulap is to be a guest in their home – it’s far from the relatively anonymous experience of a hotel. However, clearly the experience at Oulap doesn’t appeal to everyone’s taste, so we are sorry that it wasn’t right for these travellers.
To put this in perspective, most of our previous travellers have really enjoyed their stay at Oulap – as have our team when we have visited it. Jans is very knowledgeable about the local area, and he is often praised for his helpful advice. That said, after reading this report we will monitor comments from future travellers most carefully.
We have always believed that acting responsibly is the only way to approach tourism and we're one of
the few companies to hold AITO's original coveted 5-star status for responsible tourism. It's a lead
that others are now following.
