Yvonne Fontyn | Thursday, 2 Jun 2011

Everything about Lethabo is elegant yet comfortable, a testimony to its spirited and intrepid owner.

Two deck chairs under the trees beside a fast-flowing river, picnic baskets packed with delectable goodies, a bottle of chilled white wine — this is what Sundays were made for.

Best of all, when you go to Lethabo, Lise Essberger’s haven on the Klein Krokodil part of the Crocodile River, you don’t have to lift a finger. You simply phone and order either a gourmet picnic (R400/person) or the luxury version (R750 each) ... or go the whole hog and request a romantic boudoir picnic (R1325/head).

For the latter, Essberger and her team will move a bed down to your secluded spot, which has a thatched gazebo, bring in mosquito nets, cushions, throws and bunches of fresh flowers and scatter rose petals around. A bottle of Cap de Classique will be in the ice bucket and inside your baskets will be anything from a roasted honey-glazed chicken to peppered rare roast beef, smoked salmon, Philadelphia and gorgonzola cheese, ciabatta, potato salad, fresh fruit, green herb salad, humus, feta and olives. For sweets expect to find baklava and chocolate mousse cake with Amarula cream sauce.

The rest is up to your imagination, and the staff won’t disturb you until 5pm.

Essberger says she bought the estate 17 years ago so she could live with her horses. Lethabo also offers a restaurant, conferencing and accommodation in beautifully decorated cottages — the venue recently won a Satour award.

Everything about Lethabo is elegant yet comfortable, a testimony to its spirited and intrepid owner.

Go to www.lethaboestate.com for more.

Where: Off the R512 in the Rhenosterspruit Conservancy, Gauteng

Mood: Elegantly relaxed

Original article: http://www.fm.co.za/Article.aspx?id=144602