The Royal Coach

The Royal Coach

Kaapsehoop, Mpumalanga, South Africa
Backpacker from R 320 (family units from R 1,680)
R 320

The Royal Coach is situated in the historic gold mining village of Kaapschehoop and is the original coach that Queen Elizabeth II travelled in on her visit to South Africa in 1947. The Royal Coach is ideal for visitors looking simply to get away and relax and for wanderers seeking new viewpoints. The Coach is very old and quaint and a nostalgic and unique destination, . Due to the need for restoration the rates have been kept as low as possible.

The coach consists of three wood-panelled comfortable bedrooms furnished with double beds. One of the rooms has an en-suite bathroom while the other two rooms share a bathroom; they both have baths. There is a small fridge, a microwave and a kettle. linen, towels, coffee mugs, and teaspoons are supplied. Meals are available at the Salvador Bistro which is open from 07:30. The bistro is famous for wood-fire pizzas and a cosy fireplace in cold weather.

There are a number of alternative village restaurants. All offer good meals at reasonable prices.

Kaapschehoop is a fantastic venue for photographers, birdwatchers and nature lovers, and is the ideal romantic setting as proven by the frequency of weddings in the town chapel. Birdwatching can be done at the Blue Swallow Nature Reserve and guests can book a guided tour to seek out the endangered birds. Various other animals can also be seen including a vast selection of flora and fascinating rock formations. There are a variety of nature walks, a waterfall and mountain bike trails within walking distance, as well as a horse trail facility located 8 km from the village. The town provides a convenient stopover for travellers making their way to the Kruger National Park or Mozambique.

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THE ROYAL COACH PHOTO GALLERY
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THE ROYAL COACH RATES
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The rates table below is a guide and is subject to change. Please confirm rates and availability by requesting a quote.
RATES: SingleSharingPer Unit
MinimumR 320R 320R 1,680
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THE ROYAL COACH FACILITIES
Available Next Weekend Available This Weekend No Credit Card Facilities September School Holidays
THE ROYAL COACH REVIEWS (57%)
Our second visit, as good as the first by

This was our second visit to the Royal Coach. Good value for money in the perfect location. Some improvements have been made since our last visit (new geyser, improved kitchenette arrangement, old bathroom curtains removed). The bed is super comfortable, and we had no neighbors during our stay so total privacy. I would highly recommend it for a unique, cosy getaway. In bad weather, the lack of an inside lounge might be frustrating, so just keep that in mind, but Kaapsehoop to me is all about hiking then having a bite to eat somewhere and early to bed!

While lying in bed; drinking coffee; thinking of the historical events around the coach by

We enjoyed having the whole coach to ourselves. The coach is in great condition. The coffee and fridge facilities great. Wonderful experience, as well as at Salvador pub. Great barman and staff.

Historic Stay by

What an awesome experience to stay in the royal coach that was used by the King and his family during their RSA Tour of 1947 from CT to Salisbury return. We slept in "Princess Elizabeth's room" now the Queen Mum (2018). The bee nest in the one room was a bit of a concern, the kitchenette a bit better stocked for self-catering and the floors of the bathroom needed a good scrub, but otherwise awesome people to meet and places to eat out in this quaint little village up in the misty hills of Kaapschehoop.

Something different by

As if Kaapsche Hoop is not a different enough destination in itself, a little detour off of the N4 between Watervall Boven and Nelspruit, I looked for somewhere to stay in order to break up a drive back to Johannesburg from Kruger Park. Having visited the town a few times before I recognised the old train that I had seen sitting under the canopy and decided that it was unusual enough to give my children something to talk about and remember. It was reasonably cheap, the host was responsive, and the booking was facilitated easily. Staying in a train is unusual especially if all you are used to is the Gautrain commuter train. The beds are comfortable and fortunately since we booked two rooms and there were no other bookings we had the carriage to ourselves. There are three rooms with double beds in total. The train however quaint is in need of some basic touch ups to the paint inside, bathrooms and toilet seats, if not a full refurb at some point again - I don't think much has been dine since it's refurb some years ago. As an overnight stay it was great and it served its purpose. Its central location makes parking and walking around Kaapsche Hoop a breeze. There is, however, no TV, a very limited, cramped tea/coffee making facilities and no real way to cater for yourself if you plan on staying longer than a day. The rooms basically contain a bed due the cramped nature of the train carriage so its not necessarily going to a place to retire to, to sit and read a book, which means you're encouraged to spend your time at the local pubs and eateries. I am not sure how this will pan out in bad weather? The kids enjoyed the novelty and we had a good night's rest.

Disappointed by

There are a small fridge without any shells, door doesn't stay closed. There are 2 kettles on the floor in front of the fridge. Not even a shell to work on. Maintenance does not exist! You need to clean your dishes in the washbasin in one of the bathrooms. Cutlery and plates have old greasy food on them. No chairs or table to sit outside or inside. Self catering unit but no braai, hotplate or anything to make something. Microwave are rusted and I think a health risk.

Kaapsehoop is amazing by

The town is gorgeous and really good places to eat. The Royal Coach is quaint, but in serious need of some maintenance. The general appearance is rather neglected, which is a shame as it could be a really awesome tourist attraction.

Establishments response:

Hi Elbet thanks so much for your kind review - I just felt I needed to explain the ?neglect' of the coach - the coach is literally a museum piece and therefore cannot be repaired in a manner not consisitant with original materials, design etc. For this reason it is only available until the middle of November as it is going to be moved to be restored correctly to original condition and very likely won't be used for accommodation after that considering the financial input required for the refurbishment . It'll be very sad on that front, but wonderful in the sense that it will receive the attention it requires in the correct manner and with the correct materials . It has taken many years to get to the point that it can be moved to be able to do this because of the expense of such a move, and the project itself . I'm really happy that you got to experience it while it is still available and I hope you understand the situation and one day we will all get to see this old lady coach restored to its formal glory!

Kind regards


THe whole town and everything we saw by

We like trains - the fact that we had the train for ourselves was nice - as we are private people and like to be alone.
that made it ideal for us. Its sad to see there is not maintenance on the outside and the rust will kill it slowly.

Establishments response:

Hi Ananina

Thanks so much for your review. We would just like to put your mind at rest concerning the rust and outside decay of the coach. The coach is going to be moved to a restoration facility in the middle of November where it can be correctly restored to its original condition as it deserves . We have not done any interim maintainable on the coach as doing so with materials that are not original would simply add to the job of proper restoration as it would involve removing all paint etc. unfortunately there is no certainty that, when restored, the coach will be made available for accommodation again as it will then be certainly a museum status piece. I'm so glad you were able to stay in the coach before it becomes unavailable and I'm delighted that you enjoyed your stay.

Kind regards

THE ROYAL COACH LOCATION

Location of The Royal Coach

Latitude: -25.59246   Longitude: 30.77253


Map of The Royal Coach in Kaapsehoop





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