Huizen Living Accommodation Review
Our stay in Verloren Cabin in the Breede Valley
Who doesn’t love a sneaky getaway? When Jan Hendrik Oosthuizen from Huizen Living approached me asking if I could assist with creating some recipes to include in the cabins, so that guests would be able to use the well-stocked kitchen to re-create my dishes, I was all ears!
And so one weekend in September, my wife Lianne and our youngest son Harvey* drove to their beautiful remote location in the Overberg mountains. two and a half hours from Cape Town.
Sustainable Cabins
The vision behind the unobtrusive cabins is clear from the get-go: Huizen is founded on the ethos that the planet comes first and people second. The modular homes are therefore created with a minimal environmental impact. No heavy machinery or environmentally harmful products are used when constructing the home. Only recycled and eco-friendly materials are used in the building and construction. They are eco-friendly, sustainable homes that are designed to blend in with nature.
The cabins built by Huizen Living are located in the Breede Valley, between Montagu and Touws River (2 hours 30 minutes from Cape Town).
In realising this turnkey solution, Huizen has partnered up with van Slabb architects.
The cabins are all fitted with the best Smeg appliances, and they have partnered with Donkey Long Tong, the 80 cm long premium-built braai tong - what more could a MasterChef want?
We stayed at Verloren Cabin, which is suitable for one couple*, but there is also Yellowstone Cabin which can take two couples.
*Whilst we took Harvey with as he was still being breastfed at the time, and couldn’t be left behind, the cabins are not child-friendly due to the lack of fences around the deck. Whilst this allows for uninterrupted views of the beautiful scenery, this is not safe for children.
“After a trip to the Overberg, I fell in love with the idea of living in and amongst nature. So, I began working on a turnkey solution to develop modular homes with minimal environmental impact.”
Fully Kitted Out with all the Luxuries
Verloren cabin, like the other cabins, is modernly furnished with a full kitchen, wood-fired hot tub, outside bath, shower, and indoor fireplace. The cabin we stayed at has one bedroom (with an extra-length king-size bed) but the other cabins have two bedrooms so that you can stay with another couple.
The open-plan living area has a fully equipped kitchen with a Smeg gas stove, fridge-freezer, Smeg bean-to-cup coffee machine, air fryer, and of course all the essential cutlery and crockery. The glass pane doors (which opens onto a wooden deck) and open living design allow for beautiful mountain views from all areas in the cabin: from the kitchen, the couch, the dining room table and from the bedroom you can enjoy the views of the mountains…
The Perfect Accommodation for the Aspiring Home Cook!
Verloren and Yellowstone offer free wifi and are entirely off the grid.
It was the perfect getaway as I had a two-night restaurant takeover at Sela Vie, Val de Vie Estate the weekend thereafter, and so this provided me with a great opportunity to trial all my dishes!
We gathered the sticks to braai our own stokbroodjies (stick bread), made braai broodjies on the Everdure Cube™ 360 (which I brought with myself - not available in the cabins), and a starter which made it on the menu at the Sela Vie restaurant takeover. If there is anything I have learned about food over the last few years: the fewer the ingredients, the harder it is to execute the dish and still make it really special, but the more rewarding when it all comes together!
Huizen Living Cabin Options
The different cabins are close in distance, but positioned in such a way that you cannot see one from the other, allowing for a true serene and private experience.
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- sleeps two people
- R3 000 - R 3 100 per night
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- sleeps four people
- R3100 - R3200 per night
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- sleeps four people
- R4 000 - R4 100 per night
James and Kirsty from Cabin Fever stayed at Verloren Cabin just before us, and they created some beautiful footage during their stay. What do you think of our tongue-in-cheek comparison?
If you also want to stay here, you can book your own Huizen Living Cabin through Lifetree Collection.
*Whilst we took Harvey with as he was still being breastfed at the time, and couldn’t be left behind, the cabins are not child-friendly due to the lack of fences around the deck. Whilst this allows for uninterrupted views of the beautiful scenery, this accommodation not suitable for children under the age of 17. If you’re looking for a family-friendly accommodation, I’d strongly recommend 360 on 62 Farm Cottages.
About Shawn Godfrey
Photo credit: Niki M Photography
Shawn Godfrey is an entrepreneur based in Cape Town, South Africa. After the Covid-19 lockdown saw his business in financial distress, cooking was the creative outlet that helped to keep him sane. To keep track of his recipes, and encourage friends and families to join him, he starts his instagram account The Roasted Dad.
Fast-forward to late 2021 - on a whim Shawn (encouraged by his wife Lianne) enters MasterChef South Africa. It is a crazy time of life: running a 200 people business and struggling to keep it profitable, two small children with a third on the way, and about to move into a new house. But when Shawn gets selected to be one of the 20 contestants participating in the fourth season of MasterChef South Africa, he decides to go all in. Leaving his 7-month-pregnant wife to look after their then three and one-year-old children, he battles it out and comes back home five weeks later with the trophy and a million rand prize money in his pocket.
It all started with an Instagram account, but The Roasted Dad is so much more now. Shawn has stayed his entrepreneurial self and whilst he hosts Private Dinner Parties and Cook-with-Me Demos, does Restaurant Take-Overs, he still runs the lighting company and several other businesses.
On his blog, Shawn shares Restaurant Reviews and Accommodation Reviews, and gives an insight into the wild and wonderful life he leads together with his wife Lianne, and their three children Aiden (6), Olivia (4) and Harvey (2).
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