Your recent reviews of The Old Mushroom Farm

11 minutes ago

6 min read

According to these reviews, you’ve been paying attention 😉

One of the best things about running a lifestyle destination on the Midlands Meander, like The Old Mushroom Farm, is seeing what other people notice. Because we're here every day, we forget how special this destination is. The things you point out in your reviews of The Old Mushroom Farm help us appreciate what's around us, like the interesting old buildings, the view of horses in the neighbour's field, a particularly good loaf of sourdough, and a bookshop of dreams.

Here are a few recent reviews of The Old Mushroom Farm that we've appreciated

Starting with this gusher from Booking.com: We love a guest "who gets it"

"On the spur of the moment, I needed time out and found The Old Mushroom Farm (TOMF) online and on paper, it fitted my requirements. In reality, it exploded my expectations - so far beyond my anticipations and the perfect environment for a reset.

The property redesign was faithful to its origins. My one-bedroom apartment assumedly included the original toilet block with two cubicles and basins; a detail honouring the generations who passed through those office doors. The doors are the originals with the metal screw-in numbers still attached, while the walk-in shower occupied the whole space of what was likely the cleaning equipment storeroom. The industrial rustic feel is retained in the bare cement walls and industrial piping. Everything fits its purpose and environment.

The original mushroom sheds now house a selection of small businesses – Midlands Books and Collectables, a second-hand bookstore with a collection that belies any concept of a shop operating in this sphere. This one houses a rare-book selection where their beauty is humbling and where the pages don't reflect history, but are history from countries that no longer exist (Northern Rhodesia, Rhodesia, South West Africa, Nyasaland). There’s Margaret-Anne Handcrafted Candles where simply walking through the glass doors wraps you in warmth and luxury as the indulgence of handmade aromatherapy candles grips your soul. Margaret-Anne's personality is obvious in what she lovingly manufactures as was spending only a few minutes in her presence revealed. Another that settles the soul without trying is Home Slice Cafe featuring a casual cafe sit-down section serving home-inspired breakfasts, lunches and teas alongside a deli and bakery.

The property includes a community garden growing fruit, vegetables and various herbs with free harvesting to TOMF guests. Day visitors can harvest for a fee."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Lovely scenic coffee stop”

Jane Wyndham stopped in for a coffee and a wander and summed it up rather nicely:

“Lovely scenic coffee stop for us with some lovely shops to look ‘round.”

We’ll take that. This sounds like a fabulous morning outing.

Photos by Kay Nine

⭐⭐⭐⭐ A fireplace + plenty of wood= a cozy cottage

Laurence Bean stayed in one of our cottages and appreciated a few of the details that make a stay here feel homey, rather than simply somewhere to sleep:

“The room was well sorted, with tea, filter coffee and fresh milk... nice touch 😋”

The fireplace was another highlight given the chilly weather outside:

“Loved the fireplace and there was more than enough wood to burn for the entire day.”

And, happily, he’s already planning a return visit.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Views, horses, veggies and a good breakfast spot

Lara Crawford visited The Old Mushroom Farm with family and gave us full marks in her review for rooms, service and location, highlighting the views, romantic setting and child-friendly atmosphere.

Her verdict?

“Lovely - would visit again.”

What stood out for Miranda van Rensburg were the views, horses and veggie patch, as well as the breakfast spot and surroundings.

☞ Did you know you can go horse riding during your visit to The Old Mushroom Farm? Our neighbours, Karkloof Horse Adventures, offer beautiful group out-rides in our picturesque valley.

Lauren Krossynski had similar thoughts:

“It is such a lovely location. Great food at Bite Society. And the scenery was perfect.”

It seems the KZN Midlands landscape is doing a fair amount of the work around here.

Photos by Hester Stroud and Donald Woodburn

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The bookshop has fans

Midlands Books and Collectables, AKA “The bookshop”, has been getting some love lately.

Suthea van der Westhuizen was particularly enthusiastic:

“The bookstore is absolutely incredible!!”

Karen Da Rosa described it as:

“a book shop to swoon over!”

And Donald Woodburn called it an:

“extraordinary bookshop”

We’re starting to think it may need a more esteemed title, like The Highly Esteemed Literary Attraction.

Photos by Donald Woodburn and Hester Stroud

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Sourdough, making friends (or not), and a music-filled evening

Hester Stroud came for a music event featuring Robin Auld with Ant Cawthorn-Blazeby and had a wonderful time:

“Amazing. Enjoyed by everyone.”

We have incredible local and international artists coming through to perform at The Old Mushroom Farm regularly.

☞ If you’re planning a visit around a show, keep an eye on what’s coming up at Playhouse 5, the theatre in Tunnel 5, one of The Old Mushroom Farm's event venues. You'll find upcoming events including live music, theatre, creative workshops, to name a few.

☞ Check upcoming events ☞

Photos by Donald Woodburn and Kay Nine

Hester also had lovely things to say about the bakery, with particularly fond remarks about the sourdough and the friendly, helpful team at Home Slice. She did, however, have a less positive experience with the person working at the bookshop. Let's just say they’re not destined to be lifelong choms.

We’re all for honesty. Reviews aren't much use if everyone says everything was perfect. We're always interested in hearing where an experience could be better.

Unfortunately for Hester, the crystal shop was closed during her visit, so there’s another reason to come back.

☞ If you’re coming specifically to visit one of the shops, we recommend checking their opening times before you make the trip. We love the artisans and small businesses here for being free, independent thinkers, after all! They do things a little differently, which may include not necessarily keeping the same hours.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ You noticed the architecture

Kay Nine loved the architecture in particular:

“Loved the architecture especially, everything else, scenery, apartments, friendliness, all top-notch!”

The repurposed agricultural buildings and their transformative architecture are a fundamental part of what makes The Old Mushroom Farm interesting and unique, so we’re very glad you noticed.

Photos by Donald Woodburn and Kay Nine

Donald Woodburn also picked up on the buildings, shops and setting, declaring:

“What a great spot!” "...this venue has so much on offer. Beautiful buildings..."

Donald kindly points out that the entrance off the main road could do with some upgrading. Fair point, the peeling paint does give our grand pillars a bit of a (what we like to call) 'derelict-chic' look, but if they were sparkly white and glistening, you might arrive expecting something rather different from The Old Mushroom Farm and ask us: 'Where’s the mansion?'

☞ For now, we’re maintaining an ode to low expectations. Plus, we quite like things slightly rough-around-the-edges. It keeps things interesting.

Photos by Kay Nine, 2broke2fixarover, TOMF

The Old Mushroom Farm may not be your type.

And that's OK. The Old Mushroom Farm is not for everyone.

It gets muddy when it rains, the signal is not great (we're working on that!), there are wide-open spaces, and the occasional ladybug might make itself at home on your pillow. There are no funfairs, no neon lights, and we hate to break it to you, but there are no longer any mushrooms grown on the premises. For some visitors, this feels like there’s simply:

⭐⭐ “nothing much to see”

So if you prefer flat-screen TVs, air conditioning, and silver platters, perhaps The Old Mushroom Farm is not the place for you.

But for the curious, sights can be plentiful. We invite you to poke your nose around corners and discover something for yourself, like an artisan creating handmade wares, a restored stream and indigenous forest, the taste of a strawberry freshly picked, the smell of wood-fired pizza, or waking up to birdsong.

Photos by Lindo Hlophe, TOMF, and Enroute Foodie

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thank you for the love

A big thank you to Logen Pillay, Anna Haarmann, Anil Jelal, Gina Chiesman, Aseza, Angelene Ferreira, Lindo Hlophe and many others who took the time to leave us a great review.

Whether you came for a weekend away, stopped in for coffee, visited for the day or attended a show, we’re grateful you took the time to tell us about it.

💯 We received a 100-star review in our accommodation’s guest booklet

“Hello there. Thank you for an amazing stay ♡

Firstly, I love how simple yet fascinating the buildings are and how minimalistic your furniture is. I love how cute the milk jar is and the milk inside tastes just as amazing - or is it because I’m on holiday! Don't even get me started on the FIREPLACE. Ugh, I adore it. If I were to put one in my room, my kids won’t see me EVER. I also love that we can go pick veggies and flowers from the food garden. Don’t worry, I did not go overboard. Thank you for having us! ♡ 100 Stars ♡"