24 hour hotel name change

Posted on Sat February 8, 2025.

After an iconic visit by Bobby Kennedy to Stellenbosch University's Simonsberg residence in 1966 they started calling themselves 'Die Withuis'. The name has stuck. When Die Withuis alumni (76-80) visited us we followed suite with our own name change.

The 1966 SA  visit of US presidential hopeful Bobby Kennedy to South Africa and the way it was ignored by the Nationalist government at the time almost reached a tipping point with the invitation of the house committee of Stellenbosch University's Simonsberg residence for him to address the res. Threatened with expulsion by the university authorities if 'anything went wrong' the res committee under the leadership of Willem van Drimmelin 

The story is well told via the link below. Well worth a view. 

Click here for the doccie on Bobby Kennedy's visit Simonsberg

For our part Barrydale's very own  Dominee Ollie is a product of Simonsberg residence and it's thanks to him that three years ago he organised the first Withuis  Barrydale reunion with the Karoo Art Hotel as party central. 

It's become a much looked forward event for the hotel and is a great example of one of favourite forms of booking - a hotel take over. 

Further Reading

Helen Van Stolk took our ideal of the hotel as a creative salon and made it a reality Tue August 4, 2026

At the flick of a switch Cape Town artist Helen Van Stolk filled the entire hotel with a group of top artists and sculptors with no agenda beyond just a shared time of inspiration and talent, fulfilling a long held dream that we'd become a home from home for people of this ilk.

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A reason to book into Barrydale, The Karoo art hotel's early morning swim club in the Tradauw Pass
The Karoo Art's Barrydale To Do list is leading to longer stays Tue August 4, 2026

When you read our Trip Advisor reviews there's still many a client wishing they'd made more of a stay of it. But it's less and less as case or a one night stand these days thanks to a bulging village To Do list

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The town of the year is worth more than just a one night stop Mon August 3, 2026

Two journalists had checked in the night before. It was a our Christmas party. We were closed for the day. But at breakfast they were so full of questions that Wayne never boarded the party bus to Warm Waterberg and committed the morning to showing them the dorp. Only later did we find out why they were in town. The things he showed them are why the town is changing from a...

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