A piece of heaven on Groenvlei Lake

The only occasion when the peace and tranquility of the five-star Lake Pleasant Hotel outside Sedgefield was disturbed was when President Thabo Mbeki chaired an international ICT conference held there. For a week helicopters circled the airspace, marksmen hid in the surrounding fynbos and security guards stalked the hotel corridors.
As a conference setting the Lake Pleasant Hotel has few equals in the country. Set on the Groenvlei Lake, the hotel’s luxurious suites all open on to the water from private patios or balconies. The Lake’s indigenous bird life can be seen from the dining and outdoor areas. The hotel adjoins the Goukamma Nature and Marine Reserve. The Lake Pleasant Hotel, originally built in 1840 as a hunting lodge, is part of the internationally renowned Mantis Collection of hotels and conference centres and has all the luxury finishes a connoisseur could wish for. The collection of historical photographs that line the walls is alone worth a visit.
Rooms range from the opulent honeymoon suite to sumptuous duplex and manor suites. The hotel is replete with outside activities, including swimming, lake and beach walks, bird spotting, boating and sailing, tennis, mountain biking and unforgettable sunset cruises. A major feature is a fully-equipped Wellness Centre offering hydro, skin and body treatments as well as therapies ranging from Swedish tissue massage to the more exotic and revitalising Bali Spa and the Volcanic Earth Rituals.
The fully-wired and equipped conference room can take up to 80 delegates, and the rates are surprisingly competitive for a five-star establishment.