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Sign in with FacebookLatest Clarens hotel reviews
Pro
Scenery; tranquil; art; crafts;
Con
It's cold in the winter
In a nutshell
Clarens stole my heart
mvtouring Says: The Clarens Brewery was another place that was closed on Tuesdays. Apparantly they brews fine hand crafted beers and cider . They claim to be the first and only microbrewery in the Free State and have been since December 2006. Their brewer, Stephan Meyer, has a passion for...
mvtouring Says: At this little shop you can buy lovely home made preserves, koeksisters and many other south african specialites. Unfortunately they were also closed when we were there.
mvtouring Says: I am not sure if this would be called the town square or just the patch of ground in the middle of town. Hopefully they use it for something good during summer months.
mvtouring Says: Unfortunately it was closed, but peeking through the window it showed some very interesting pieces on display.
mvtouring Says: We discovered the Basotho Cultural Village en-route to Clarens. It is situated 10km from Phuthaditjhaba on the R712 to Golden Gate. This is a replication of a Basotho village and shows how the homes have changed over the past 2 centuries. You get to speak to the chief,...
mvtouring Says: Driving to Clarens from Qwantani resort, we had to pass the Golden Gate reserve with its magnificent mountains and scenery. Clarens is part of the scenic Highlands Route and is surrounded by mountainous splendour. The Rooiberge is the range encompassing the village, whilst...
Jules_28 Says: The hiking around Clarens is amazing. You just walk to the edge of town and go adventuring! The sights are incredible, especially the rock formations, and its a wonderful way to unwind. They are not too challenging but be sure to take along some water and sun screen!
Jules_28 Says: I went on an amazing 2 hour horse ride on the lovely farm Bokpoort, just outside of Clarens. Bookings can be made via the tourist office in Clarens or you can phone Bokpoort directly. The ride caters for everyone from novice to experienced. The horses look well and the tack...
cleocat Says: Clarens is small town in the Free State.It started out with a few artists moving there.It claims to be the town with the most trees in the Free State. The well known SA artist Frans Claerhout lived in the area and you will find some of his works in the numerous galleries. He...
35 Opinions
30 Opinions
The Posthouse: Good food, reasonable prices, homely atmosphere
hayesstw Says: Good food, reasonably priced. We had steaks, well cooked, and lemon meringue pie. It was a chilly autumn evening, and there was a welcoming fire in the grate. Rump steak. It was as good as rump steak can be.
mvtouring Says: We had a light lunch at Artist Cafe. The food was freshly prepared, great tasting and the presentation was also good. Unfortunately they offered rooster koek, which was heated up in the microwave and turned out to be rock hard. But they were good about it and did not charge...
The Highlander: The best food in town!
Jules_28 Says: This is the best place to eat in Clarens. The Highlander is a wonderful little restaurant with amazing views from the balcony and great food and atmosphere. The pizza is delicious. It has a bar area where you can catch the latest sport on a Sunday afternoon and at night it...
Can't remember: Harty breakfast for the early birds
cmdb Says: The food is excellent and the portion are big. You can see the mountains from the one side and the shops and main street from the other side. Very informal. Pub down stairs. Staff were very helpful and friendly. The pancakes and breakfast were outstanding
The Posthouse: Great atmosphere
cleocat Says: It is part of a small complex of art and craft shops. The patio of the restaurant links all the shops. While having your wine and starters you can do some shopping. It is not always open for dinners and you have to enquire before the time if it will be open.You have to sit...
One of the best places to go, we were told
Its a bar with dancing area and they also do great food and also have many tv's so its got everything you need
Seating area outside too for summer nights and a pool room
food is great, huge portions, 100rand for a steak and veg, chips and couple of beers!
open til late
located on the corner of the main square
Written Jul 9, 2010
mvtouring Says: they import most of the stuff they sell mostly from India & Indonesia. Interesting shop to browse around.
Cherry company: Cherry company
mvtouring Says: Visiting this place, you will be able to buy anything that you could possibly make from cherries or about cherries. They have some cherry liquer, vinaigrette, preserves and even art work on sale.
Country bumpkin: Country bumpkin
mvtouring Says: A lovely little shop where you can browse for gifts back home. they sold fantastic cotton knitted tops both short sleeve and long sleeve.
Helpfulness
Luggage and bags: Luggage with wheels is always a good idea, wherever you are travelling.
Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Some ideas:
Light coloured clothing that doesnt absorb the sun as much as dark clothing. If you're going on safari, pack comfortable walking shoes and khaki, brown or beige casual clothes.
Long-sleeved shirts and trousers will help protect you against the sun and insect bites.
Take a warm jacket for game drives; and, if you're going in summer, make sure it's water-proof.
A cap/hat that covers your head and neck.
Long socks if you are going hiking (extra protection against snakes if you come across one).
Sunglasses.
Comfortable sandals and tackies/trainers/sneakers.
Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Sun screen (Factor 35), headache tablets (from being in the car during the sun all day, may bring on a headache), and usual little things like some plasters for blisters, Tabard for the mossies (mosquitos), cotton wool, germolene etc.
Photo Equipment: Your camera, with charger, and a SOUTH AFRICAN plug extension.
Bring along the best lens you can - a zoom lens will be needed as the animals are often in the distance and may only look like tiny specks in your photos when they are developed.
Miscellaneous: Have a map of the area handy, plus a local bird, flower and tree book. For this you also need a pair of good quality binoculars
This is so that you don’t get lost, plus can appreciate all that’s around you that much more.
It is not just a place to sight-see, but a place to learn from too.
Written Mar 24, 2009
Helpfulness
These beautiful little flowers are all over SA during autumn. Everywhere you go next to roads in the fields you will find it. Some years they are more impressive than others.
They come in a light pink, dark pink and white. My husband drove passed the nice ones before I could stop him so the picture is not as impressive as they are in real life.
Written Jun 28, 2005
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