Marijke and Lefras enjoy the interaction with guests of all ages from all over the world. We love sharing the beauty of our surroundings and the rich heritage of our South African culture. Our goal is to create a real home from home experience for our guests and to make the stay comfortable with for instance items like a dishwashing machine. We have created a garden for the production of vegetables and different varieties of fruits which should eventually be in production throughout the year. Guests will over time have the experience of picking fresh produce for their own use during their stay! Lefras is a retired farmer who is very knowledgeable about Regenerative Agriculture which is a farming system whereby global agriculture can move from being a substantial contributor to Carbon Dioxide emissions to being a net absorber of this greenhouse gas. He is only too happy to share his knowledge and insights into this system at the hand of the regenerative plantings around Neels Cottage.

Neels Cottage caters for the bouldering community and for guests who want a stay in a peaceful and restful rural environment. The Cottage is perfectly situated to serve as a base for guests who want to visit during the yearly flower season in July-September as all the major flower areas are within easy driving distance. The drive from Clanwilliam to Neels over the Pakhuis Pass offers spectacular vistas both on the Eastern and Western sides of the pass. We have created many walking/biking trails starting at Neels which offer unspoiled nature as well as spectacular views of vegetation, mountains, and game like Eland. These walks range from 1.64 km around a nearby lake to a 21 km walk to a remote part of the farm Lorraine. Guests have access to a 6.5 ha lake where they can row on our canoe and kayak as well as fish and swim in clean water from the Cederberg mountains. The hosts live on the premises and are always available to help with information and advice related to the full enjoyment of our area. Guests are completely private as the hosts use a separate entrance. The level of interaction with guests is determined by the needs and wishes of individual guests. The property can be booked as separate rooms (Piet's Room or the Blue Room) in which case you might have to share common areas such as the kitchen. Alternatively you can book the whole place as the Two Bedroomed Apartment if you do not want to share and you are willing to pay the higher rate to ensure privacy.

Neels is situated on a working farm which means that guests will have access to some interesting farming activities. The cottage is in the Rocklands area which is one of the top three bouldering areas in the world. During the bouldering season which peaks from June to August guests have the opportunity to see the world's top boulderers do amazing climbs. We are also within 16 km of the Cederberg Wilderness area with its spectacular walking trials and rock formations. The world renowned Travellers Rest Rock Art Trial and restaurant is is only 4.5 km away. The area has a very pleasant climate in winter with little wind and low rainfall. A typical day would be sunshine with 20 degrees Celsius maximum and 8 degrees minimum. The annual rainfall of some 240 millimeters occurs mainly in the period May to August. Our summers are hot but with very low humidity which makes the heat bearable. Expected averages would be maximum 32 and minimum 17 degrees Celsius. Neels Cottage is fully airconditioned and guests can cool down with a swim in Lake Neels which is only some 300 meters away.