A hidden valley, a high hill, and a sky full of stars

Tucked away at the top of the Banghoek Private Nature Reserve, on the hill closest to Redelinghuys, Orion Cottage is a private luxury retreat built for people who want to properly switch off. The cottage sits on its own camp of just over 1.8 hectares, surrounded by fynbos, with craggy mountain peaks all around and nothing but bush between you and the view.

Banghoek is one of the last relatively untouched pockets of fynbos on the West Coast. It’s a declared private nature reserve, run by its owners with one simple aim: to keep the valley wild. There are no through roads, no streetlights and no neighbours on top of you. Just wide open space, birdsong in the morning, and at night the kind of dark sky that makes the Milky Way look close enough to touch. It’s the reason the cottage is named after Orion.

The story of the site

For years, the best spot on this hill held the ruins of a cottage lost to a fire in 2001. Rather than clear new ground, Orion will be built on exactly the same footprint, giving the site a second life and leaving the surrounding fynbos as nature intended.

Every detail has been designed around one idea: a place where you arrive, exhale and forget about the world for a while. Wake to birdsong and mountain light, spend lazy afternoons between the pool and the deck, and end each day with a sundowner as the valley turns gold and the stars come out.

The cottage

Orion is a two bedroom cottage designed around the view. A wall of stacking glass doors folds away across the front, so the living area and both bedrooms open straight onto a wraparound deck raised on stilts above the fynbos.

Inside, the feel is calm and natural: high double volume ceilings, warm oak accents and a pared back style inspired by Japanese and Scandinavian design. Every detail has been chosen so the outside does the talking.

What you’ll find:

• Two bedrooms, each with its own en suite and walk in shower

• A heated splash pool set into the wooden deck, warmed by its own dedicated solar power so you can swim well beyond summer

• An outdoor bath under the stars, with gas heated water

• Air conditioning for hot West Coast summer days

• An indoor wood fireplace with a glass door for cosy winter nights

• A fully equipped kitchen with gas cooking

• WiFi, and a TV for the big games

• A private sundowner deck, a short stroll from the cottage, perched for the best evening light over the valley

Luxury that treads lightly

Orion runs on the sun. A full solar system with battery storage powers the cottage day and night, and a separate solar array heats the pool. Water is stored on site in a large reserve tank, waste is handled through an eco friendly septic system.

Days in Banghoek

Many guests never leave the valley on their first visit, and it’s easy to see why.

• Hike the reserve’s network of trails, from gentle walks to proper climbs with sweeping views across the Swartland

• Natural rock pools filled with the reserve’s crystal clear spring water, perfect for cooling off and exploring.

• Watch for wildlife including baboons, small mammals and a huge variety of birds

• See the flowers from late winter into spring, when the whole region bursts into colour

• Stargaze from the deck or the outdoor bath, far from any city lights

• Do nothing at all, with a book, a glass of wine and the pool

Further afield

• The West Coast, with fishing villages, Elands Bay and the famous seafood feasts at Muisbosskerm

• The Swartland Wine Route and the farm stalls around Piketberg

• Verlorenvlei, one of the West Coast’s great wetlands, for birding

• Postberg in the West Coast National Park during flower season

• The Cederberg, for rock art, rock pools and serious hiking

Getting here

Banghoek is under two hours from Cape Town (N7), turn off just before Piketberg and take the Veldriff (R399) turnoff, and then make a right on Kapteins Kloof Pass (Approx 22km) that leads to the Reserve along farm roads lined with citrus orchards and blueberry farms. The last stretch is part of the adventure, and the moment you arrive is when the real escape begins.