The hot tub at Karoo Stone Camper is a timber-clad tub heated by a wood-fired coil, not an electric element or a gas burner. You light a fire in the heater beside it, the water circulates through the coil, and in one to two hours it is hot enough to sit in for as long as you can stand. It holds that heat for hours afterwards without any further attention.
That matters more than it sounds. An electric spa runs on a thermostat and a timer, which means it is either on or it is off. A wood-fired tub is something you have to start, and by the time it is ready the sun has gone, the fire is still burning next to you and the temperature has dropped ten degrees. The process is the experience.
Where it stands
The tub is out in the open on a small lawn a few steps from the caravan, facing west across the veld towards the mountains. There is no screen around it because there is nothing to screen it from. The nearest building that is not part of this farm is kilometres away.
A second tub and a splash pool sit alongside under an open shade frame, which is what gets used on a hot afternoon. A swing bench next to the tubs holds the towels and the dry clothes.
The night sky is the actual attraction
Ladismith sits far enough from any city that there is effectively no light dome on the horizon. On a moonless night the Milky Way runs the full width of the sky and is bright enough to read the horizon by. You do not need an app, a telescope or a guide. You need to be in warm water, in the dark, with your eyes adjusted for twenty minutes.
Guests consistently describe this as the part they did not expect. One review on the listing puts it plainly: the peace and quiet and the night sky from the hot tub were the reason they want to come back.
When to light it
| Season | What most guests do |
|---|---|
| Winter, May to August | Light the tub mid-afternoon, soak after dark. Cold air and hot water is the whole point. |
| Spring and autumn | Light it late afternoon. Evenings cool off fast even after a warm day. |
| Summer, December to February | Splash pool by day, tub after sunset once the ground has given up its heat. |
Firewood is supplied and the same fire habit feeds the firepit, which is lit most evenings a few metres away. In practice the sequence is: light the tub, light the fire, braai, soak, sleep.
Practical points
- Take a head torch or use your phone. There is no path lighting and you will not want any.
- Do not get into the tub carrying a glass. Enamel mugs exist for a reason.
- The water is not chlorinated to swimming-pool levels. It is drained and refilled between bookings.
- Give yourself two nights. One night means you arrive, light it, soak once and leave. The two-night minimum is there because the place does not work in a single evening.