Family escape: Discovering a hidden gem in McGregor

Just over two months ago, the Lewis family grew by one with the arrival of our first born daughter, Olivia. As avid local travellers, my wife and I never wanted to stop exploring despite the new addition to the family, but needless to say, a few weeks of adjustment to a different way of life was needed.

Eventually, though, we decided to ‘rip the bandaid’, pack our bags and head off on our first getaway – along with a couple of friends and fellow ‘new parents’.

To start with, suddenly packing for an extra little person – and ensuring all the extra bits and bobs were not forgotten – provided a whole new experience, as well as a little less car space and a typically delayed getaway that most parents will undoubtedly appreciate.

Fortunately, while searching for accommodation, we’d stumbled across Lucky Crane Villas, just two hours from Cape Town, and along a route that presented numerous places for a pit stop.

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The McGregor village itself is set in a sweeping valley, surrounded by mountains and completely off the beaten track, which certainly held plenty of appeal. Upon arrival, we settled into one of the four Lucky Crane country villas – The Red Bishop – which are all named after the region’s 250-plus bird species.

One of the big drawcards, especially in the current South African climate was the fact that the villas are all solar powered, and so for a rare weekend we could completely forget about load shedding.

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The villas themselves are all beautifully designed and fitted with deluxe details and impressive architectural touches. For us, the indoor and outdoor fireplaces immediately lit up our eyes for a mid-winter getaway, although the natural pool with a stunning mountain view would undoubtedly have been the hot spot in summer.

Two of the villas sleep six people – all with en-suite bedrooms – while there is also a four sleeper and another one-bedroom ‘sanctuary’ designed for a couple, and which has an outdoor bath.

The Lucky Crane Villas aim to be family and pet friendly, which fits in with the country feel of the historic McGregor village that has lots of quirky pubs, restaurants and shops worth exploring.

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Our weekend was filled with braais and banter – as well as an early morning viewing of the Springboks-All Blacks game – but there were no shortage of options in an area surrounded by wine estates, hiking trails, nature reserves and even a nearby donkey sanctuary.

For a first family getaway, Lucky Crane Villas ticked every box, with this being one of the few places where the incredible advertising images actually lived up to expectations.

You can read more about Lucky Crane Villas here.

CHECK OUT SOME IMAGES OF THIS HIDDEN GEM IN MCGREGOR BELOW: