The Fordoun experience
Fordoun Hotel and Spa is a leisure experience so restorative I felt like I’d flown into one of Germany’s famed Baltic Sea wellness hotels. It used to be a dairy farm, but visionary owner Jon Bates realised that to stay in dairy farming they’d have to use economies of scale, so he started Fordoun’s transformation in 2005. They still do some farming, however. ‘Fordoun has an environmental philosophy and a social philosophy,’ says Jon. ‘We aim to be fully self-sustainable and food provenance is important.’
That’s why they developed the farm village area a little way from the hotel. ‘It’s still small but we want to go much further. If you think of how much food we throw away in society and what that could be converted into – the potential is massive. And it saves money.’ Their event venue and self-catering units here boast upcycled finishes like piping used as curtain rails and old doors for tables and countertops.
The vegetable garden and compost heap nearby is a beautiful little ecosystem on its own. There’s a real sense of community and farming for the future. ‘Human beings are custodians of the land for future generations and we must keep that top of mind,’ says Jon. On the conservation area adjacent to the farm Jon points out a patch of wild veld and herbs: ‘We call it “the jungle”, he says. ‘The wild dagga attracts birds.’ They grow the herbs and active ingredients here, which they then distil to essential oils for use at the spa and for their product range – Ndlovu African Natural Products. Past ‘the jungle’ there’s a vast expanse of land, which Jon and two other farmers donated to the KZN Crane Foundation. ‘It’s been classified a conservation area and there’s a breeding facility for the wattled cranes. They’re the rarest kind; they lay two eggs but only raise one chick.’
That view was my mental backdrop as I enjoyed a full body massage at the spa later that day. It’s the entire experience at Fordoun that leaves you with an energetic lightness, but these were some of the highlights of the spa: 1. The grain silo turned saline flotation pool. Floating in the heated cylinder-shaped pool is ultra-relaxing. It feels like you’re in a warm cocoon. Also, you don’t have to focus too much on floating because the salt content buoys you. Bliss! 2. The bio-energy centre This is where the magic happens. From reiki to energy rebalancing and kinesiology, there are all kinds of alternative treatments. Dr Elliot Ndlovu, the resident sangoma, also offers consultations.