• Jo-Anne Richards and Jo-Anne Hitchens running the Art of the Memoir workshops at the Karoo Art Hotel Barrydale
    The Hotel Blog

How we found the Karoo Art Hotel, Barrydale

Posted on Thu October 21, 2021.

How a chance visit during an offroad motorbike trip lead to a life changing purchase made on a whim

I arrived on a motorbike. Six months ago. I was with a group of friends on adventure bikes out of Capetown . Our focus being the Cederburg and the Tankwa Karoo. But on the way home we’d booked into a hotel I hadn’t heard of in a village I’d never visited; The Karoo Art Hotel, Barrydale. It was a Friday afternoon. As we drew up to the hotel my attention was drawn by a banner on the wall; ‘Hotel auction Wednesday’.

We never attended the auction but called Derek the Chef after it was over to find out what had happened.

"Nothing happened, no body came, no one called" came back the reply. It wasn't long before Sue and I plus Charlie, Zoe and Derek were sitting in the breakfast room. One thing lead to another and we're now the owners of The Karoo Art Hotel, Barrydale

 

Further Reading

Road tripping on Route 62
The winter promotion brings in the magic of the To Do List Wed June 17, 2026

As it is more and more travelers are opting for a two night, or more, stay. The winter promotion (15% off for a one nighter, 20% off for two, 30% off for three opens you to the full possibility of the hotel's Barrydale To Do list.

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Winter time is AGA time Thu June 11, 2026

Here the AGA maestro Bjorn Vai gives an overview of our AGA. A long term companion on Sue and Rick Melvill's journey: From the design department at the Blue Moon Company. To the Prynnsberg Estate on the founding of Melvill & Moon, to the Karoo Art Hotel.

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Route 62 sports car road tripping Wed June 10, 2026

Photographer Ian Fairley captured the sheer joy of driving the passes and distant horizons of Route 62 in a car that you're passionate about while on the Giulia Jaunt. The hotel with it's ideal midway position between Cape Town and the Garden Route has become a favourite stop over for the sportscar crowd.

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