River Bend is a historic Graaff-Reinet national monument which has been tastefully renovated into 4 modern-day cottages.  It is situated in a quiet and leafy residential area and is a short 15-minute walk / 3-minute drive to local restaurants and shops. 

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Three of the cottages have a fully equipped kitchen, an air-conditioned en-suite bedroom and 1 or 2 sleeper couches in the lounge.  Each cottage has a private patio area on which to braai and enjoy the silence of our Karoo evenings.  There is secure off-street parking offered for all cottages.  

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For detailed rates and photos of each room please click on "Book Now". 

Room details and photos are also shown under "Rooms" and "Gallery". 

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Hillary Palme, a very talented & artistic close friend of the owners,  recently renovated this beautiful heritage building of hers into these modern, contemporary units.   Traditional Karoo homes were built to guard against the heat. They have shady verandas, corrugated iron rooves, thick walls, wooden shutters & centred front doors. Most were built onto the street with beautiful gardens behind the house which were fed by "lei water" in the furrows on certain days of the week.  

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Graaff-Reinet, the fourth oldest town in  South Africa, is known as the 'Gem of the Karoo'.  This pretty town was founded in 1786 by Governor Cornelius Jacob van de Graaff.  

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Before this time the Khoi & San people, hunter-gatherers and nomadic farmers inhabited these vast Karoo plains. They have a rich history in the area of Graaff-Reinet and many of the descendants of the Khoisan, San, Nama, Koranna, Griqua & Cape Khoi still live in the area. 

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We, the new owners of River Bend, are descendants of Dr Andrew Murray who, in 1822,  was sent as a minister from Scotland to South Africa.  He built the majestic Dutch Reform Church, which was modelled on the Salisbury Cathedral in England.  The Murray family lived in the parsonage, Reinet House, for over 80 years.

In 1870 Charles Murray planted the famous grape vine, the largest in the world, which still bears fruit today,   

Photos of the church & Reinet House are shown on our "To Do" page.

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Graaff-Reinet has 220 heritage sites, more so than any other town in South Africa.  Take a gentle stroll from River Bend along the tree-lined streets of the town, admire the Cape Dutch, Victorian and traditional Karoo homes & simply relax into the gentleness and peace of the Karoo. 

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We look forward to welcoming you.  

 

Soak up & enjoy the peace of our beautiful self-catering units in our charming town. 

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