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Somerset Lodge

Somerset West Cape Town - South Africa

Email Somerset Lodge Reservations: booksa@madbookings.com

Choose from our choice of single, twin, double or family rooms. Also available are the popular honeymoon suite and the private twin apartment chalet leading onto the rose garden.

Somerset Lodge is rated as a 3 star hotel by the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa and is on the AA Travel recommended accommodation list.
It is a full service hotel and guest house with restaurant and is noted for its' colonial style traditional menu.

All Rooms Have:
· Direct Dial Telephone
· Satellite Television
· En-Suite Bathrooms

Guests can enjoy one of our daily lunch specials in either the dining area or under a canopy of vines in the court yard.

Relax in our local, the "Arksey Village Pub" where you can sip a long refreshing drink or splash out and sample some of the fine Scotch, Irish and single malt whiskies from Simon's magnificent collection.

Your Hosts:
Simon and Andrea Dunne are the owners of Somerset Lodge. They have three children, Conor, Ciara and Andrew ages 10, 9 and 6 respectively.

Andrea grew up in Somerset West going to school at Hottentots Holland High School and later worked at Appletiser in Grabouw . As an active housewife, Andrea manages to look after the three children, an Irish Wolfhound, Irish Setter and three cats. On top of this, Andrea ensures that the office and kitchen at Somerset Lodge run smoothly as well as making sure the hotel rooms are always comfortable.

Simon was born in Ireland and went to St. Gerards School in Bray, Co. Wicklow. He studied Commerce and later completed his MBA through Bond University in Australia. He worked in the corporate world in Germany and the United States before moving to South Africa where he ran a successful advertising company.

Somerset Lodge is managed by Antoinette Gladwin who is assisted by Ashley Campbell, one of whom is always on hand to attend to your needs.

Somerset Lodge History:
The land on which Somerset Lodge now stands was originally known as the Arksey Farm, which was utilized primarily as apple and pear orchards.
The farm was originally named "Arksey" in 1784 after the village of the same name in Yorkshire. The legendary "Still" on the old farm has long been demolished but its memory and purpose lives on to this day in what has to be described as South Africa's quaintest pub- the " Arksey Village Pub" located on the property of Somerset Lodge.

The property at that time ran from what is now Somerset House School which is located on the old Cloetenberg farm right down to what is now the Somerset West Country Club and consisted of many hundreds of acres.

Before its first sub-division a dirt track ran through the middle of the farm. That little dirt track has since developed and is now Main Road. Sir Lowry Cole, engineer and architect of the British Empire would have crossed the farm when grading what has subsequently become Sir Lowry's Pass, gateway to the Overberg.

In 1820, Lord Charles Somerset graciously allowed the thriving little community in the area to be named after himself. Thirty years later, the farmhouse which is now Somerset Lodge was built and has served as the resting spot for travellers passing through the area ever since. The building is of Cape Dutch design and the original Oregon pine and 18 inch thick walls can still be viewed.

In the 1940's the Arksey Farm guesthouse, as it was known, was the geographical centre of the village of Somerset West. It became a boarding house, or doss house, for the returning soldiers of World War Two. Upgraded in the 1960's it became a popular Lodge for international visitors and locals alike.

Situated on 4874 sq. metres of land Somerset Lodge is the last piece of privately owned property on Main Road Somerset West with undeveloped open space and gardens.
Although barren, two of the original fruit trees still claim their place in the garden. Ownership has changed hands three times since the 1960's and Simon and Andrea intend keeping the spirit of Somerset Lodge going for many years to come.

Email Somerset Lodge Reservations: booksa@madbookings.com