Dennehof Karoo Guest House

General information

Ria and Lindsay, are your hosts. “We know that your visit to Prince Albert will be a memorable one and we are delighted that you have chosen to stay with us at our historic farmstead.”

Well on its way to a double century, Dennehof Karoo Guest House is the oldest surviving building in Prince Albert. Built in 1835 on part of the fertile Kweekvallei farm for old Zacharias de Beer's granddaughter on the occasion of her marriage, this sturdy two-roomed farmhouse (as it was then) conformed to a style popular in this part of the country in those early pioneering days. In its original guise it had a thatch roof and whitewashed walls and the exposed timbers were painted green. Near the main house were a barn, some sheds, several smaller outbuildings and a dairy, but set apart from the main cluster of buildings was another barn whose purpose was reserved for the production of vinegar and brandy – and of witblits, an extremely potent raw spirit not to be recommended for anyone but the most seasoned of drinkers. Perhaps this is why the barn was built a respectable distance from the family home…