Far Hills Country Hotel sits on the old road between George and Wilderness, twenty rooms in gardens on a hillside with the Outeniqua mountains filling the view. It is a country hotel of the kind that has almost disappeared from the Garden Route: unhurried, family-owned in feel, and built around a bar and a lawn rather than a lobby.
Best for
Travellers who want a night between George Airport and the coast without staying in a town; couples who like a proper country hotel; small conferences and weddings.
It is not on the sea and it is not a boutique property. The setting and the quiet are what it sells.
Location
The hotel is on the N2 side of the ridge between George and Wilderness, roughly fifteen minutes from George Airport and ten from Wilderness beach. The site looks north across foothills to the Outeniqua range, and the gardens run down the slope in front of the rooms.
George town is about ten minutes west, and the Seven Passes Road and the Wilderness section of the national park are both close. Our George destination guide explains what the area is good for.
Rooms and style at Far Hills
There are twenty air-conditioned rooms across several categories: Standard, Superior, Deluxe, a Moroccan-themed room and a Deluxe Family room. All are en-suite, some have private balconies, and bed configurations run from twins to king.
The style is traditional South African country hotel rather than contemporary: patterned fabrics, dark wood, four-posters in some rooms and a good deal of individual character. Travellers expecting a uniform modern hotel room should look elsewhere; travellers who like a hotel with a past will enjoy it.
Facilities at Far Hills
There is an outdoor swimming pool on the terrace with the mountains beyond it, and Carriages Bar and Restaurant, run in an English pub style, with indoor seating and an outdoor deck under oak and yellowwood trees. The hotel also runs a café, and it has conference and function space and twenty-four-hour security.
There is no spa and no gym. The gardens, the pool and the bar are the facilities, and they suit the property.
Who should consider Far Hills
Consider it if you want somewhere restful between the airport and the coast, or a base for driving the passes without staying in George itself. It suits a two-night stop better than a one-night dash, because the point of it is sitting on the terrace.
Families who need the beach at the end of the garden should stay at Wilderness. Our Garden Route accommodation guide compares the options along the route.
Trade-offs, honestly
Four things to weigh:
- It is inland. The beach is ten to fifteen minutes away by car, and there is no sea view.
- The hotel takes weddings and conferences, so a quiet weekend is not guaranteed.
- Room categories differ considerably in size and decoration; the standard rooms are plain.
- The N2 runs below the property, and there is road noise on the lower side of the site.
Twenty rooms also means it fills quickly over South African holidays and around events in George.
Explore the area
The Seven Passes Road, the original wagon route between George and Knysna, starts a few minutes from the hotel and runs east through Hoekwil and past the Woodville Big Tree. The Montagu Pass, a gravel road built in 1847, climbs the Outeniquas beside the modern pass and is one of the finest short drives in the country.
South of the ridge, Wilderness has the Touw River lagoon and the Wilderness section of the Garden Route National Park, with the Half-Collared Kingfisher trail to a waterfall. Victoria Bay and Herolds Bay are small sheltered beaches within twenty minutes.
Getting there and getting around
George Airport is about fifteen minutes away and takes direct flights from Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. By road, George is roughly 430 kilometres from Cape Town on the N2, about five and a half hours before stops.
A car is essential. Wilderness is ten minutes east, Knysna about an hour, Mossel Bay forty-five minutes west and Oudtshoorn an hour north over the pass. Our seven-day Garden Route itinerary shows where this stretch fits.
How Far Hills compares
Against the large hotels in George you lose scale and gain a garden, a view and considerably more character. Against the beachfront properties at Wilderness, Far Hills trades the sea for quiet and costs less. Against a guesthouse, you gain a bar, a restaurant and a pool.
Practical notes for a stay at Far Hills
This stretch of the Garden Route gets rain in every season, which is why the hills around the hotel are green and forested. The mountain view changes constantly with the weather, and cloud on the Outeniquas is normal rather than a bad omen.
December to mid-January and the South African school holidays are the busy, expensive months. March, April, October and November give the best combination of weather, price and space. Carriages is popular with people from George as well as with guests, so the bar is livelier at weekends.
Before you book Far Hills
Ask which category you are being quoted and whether the room has a balcony and a mountain view, because the difference is real. Confirm whether breakfast is included, whether a wedding or conference is booked over your dates, and what the current cancellation window is at checkout. Ask for a room on the upper side of the site if road noise bothers you. More options across the province are in our Western Cape accommodation guide.
Current rates and availability
We do not publish rates for Far Hills, because they move constantly with season and demand. Use the availability button on this page to see what the property currently costs on your dates, what is included and what the cancellation terms are. The booking provider is the merchant of record; Cape Town Travel Guide does not set prices, hold inventory or take payment.