Irene Country Hotel

You stay at Irene Country Hotel on a working dairy farm in Irene, just outside Pretoria. The rooms look out over the farm — some face the lake, others the forest — and the grounds have walking trails through the trees. The hotel has a spa with treatment rooms, a pool, and a gym. Families often walk down to the farm to see the cows and donkeys.

The rooms are furnished with mahogany wood and cotton linens, each with a balcony or terrace. Some have sofa beds for families. You can order meals to your room or eat at the restaurant overlooking the lake. The hotel is cashless, accepting only cards.

The farm is the reason the hotel is here. It has been running since the late 19th century, and the hotel was built to let guests stay in the middle of it. You wake to the sound of birds in the trees, and the cows are milked daily in the barns nearby.