hartford House Accommodation

Moor Suite 1

The Moor Suite is located in the Main House of the Hartford House. This suite features underfloor heating, heated towel rails and a generous bathroom.

The suite is uniquely decorated with a fusion of colour, style and texture and is equipped with a telephone, TV (with M-Net and satellite channels) as well as a mini bar.

Named for the Moor family, who occupied Hartford from 1875 to 1937, and in particular the two brothers, John and Frederick.

John Moor was the member of parliament for Weenen County in the old Natal Colonial government, as well as a Senator in the first South African government, and was responsible for most of the development at Hartford. His brother, Sir Frederick, was the last prime minister of the Colony of Natal prior to Union.

He was the only man to emerge from the Union talks in 1908 with a knighthood, for his efforts in bringing about what we know today as the Republic of South Africa.

Ellis Suite 4

Renowned for its fourteen incomparably-styled luxury suites with underfloor heating, heated towel rails and generous bathrooms, the Ellis Suite at the Hartford House is uniquely decorated with a fusion of colour, style and texture and is equipped with a telephone, TV (with M-Net and satellite channels) and a mini bar.

The Ellis Suite is located in the Main House of the Hartford House.  This suite is named for the Ellis family, who occupied the Hartford property from 1939 to 1990, when they exchanged the property with the Goss family for their home in Hillcrest near Durban. Raymond Ellis snr. was a property developer in Durban, and owned much of what is now known as Durban North.

He was also a prominent hotelier, remembered for his proprietorship of the Fairhaven and Rydal Mount Hotels on Durban's Golden Mile, as well as being the founder of what is today South Africa's biggest brick-making business, Corobrick. Hartford was the Ellis country retreat, and they started breeding racehorses here in 1941.

St Paul's Suite 5

The St Paul's Suite at the Hartford House in KwaZulu-Natal is a luxurious Verandah Double Suite. It features underfloor heating, heated towel rails and a generous bathroom.

The St Paul's Suite is uniquely decorated with a fusion of colour, style and texture and is equipped with a telephone, TV (with M-Net and satellite channels) as well as a mini bar.

Named after the St Paul's Cathedral in London shortly after the Battle of Britain, the diminutive equine version, St Pauls, remains the smallest winner of Africa's most famous horserace, the Durban July Handicap. He was the property of Pat Goss snr, grandfather of Mick Goss, whose family is the current custodian of Hartford House and its rich legacy.

Sentinel Suite 6

The Sentinel Suite at the Hartford House in South Africa is a luxurious Verandah Twin Suite. This incomparably-styled luxury suite features underfloor heating, heated towel rails and a generous bathroom.

The Suite is uniquely decorated with  afusion of colour, style and texture and is equipped with a telephone,
V (with M-Net and satellite channels) as well as a mini bar.

This suite at the Hartford House is named after one of the greatest racehorses in South African history, Sentinel. In an age when six to ten victories would often be sufficient to proclaim a champion, Sentinel won 30 races, carrying welter burdens to victory against some of the most famous horses in South African history.

He is remembered principally for his rivalry with the immortal In Full Flight, and his dead heat with this revered animal in the Cape of Good Hope Guineas (Gr.1).

Preston Pan Suite 7

The Preston Pan Suite at the five star Hartford House is a Verandah Twin bedded Suite.  This luxury suite offers underfloor heating, heated towel rails and a generous bathroom.

The Preston Pan Suite is uniquely decorated with a fusion of colour, style and texture and is equipped with a telephone,
TV (with M-Net and satellite channels) as well as a mini bar.

The Ellis family founded their famous racing dynasty at Hartford in 1940 and, among several unique installations of their time, at the foot of the farm they built the longest herringbone-drained racetrack in the world, from whence they trained the winners of every major race on the South African calendar.

Mowgli Suite 8

The Mowgli Suite at the exclusive Hartford House is a Verandah Double bedded Suite.  This luxury suite features underfloor heating, heated towel rails and a generous bathroom.

The Mowgli Suite is uniquely decorated and is equipped with a telephone, TV (with M-Net and satellite channels)
and a mini bar.

This suite at the five star Hartford House in KwaZulu-Natal was part of the original stables built by Italian prisoners of war in 1941, some two years after the Ellis family had acquired Hartford.

It is named for one of the greatest and most courageous horses ever to look through a bridle, Mowgli, who was voted in the year 2000 as the best racehorse in South African history, ahead of the legendary likes of Sea Cottage, Colorado King, Hawaii and Horse Chestnut.

Alyssum Suite 9

Originally known as the Garden suite, Alyssum and its neighbour were the first attempt by our previously unskilled Zulus at building with bricks and mortar.

The Alyssum Suite at the Hartford House features underfloor heating, heated towel rails and a generous bathroom.  This suite is uniquely decorated with a fusion of colour, style and texture and is equipped with a telephone, TV (with M-Net and satellite channels) and a mini bar.

Heliotrope Suite 10

Originally known as the Garden suite, Heliotrope and its neighbour were the first attempt by our previously unskilled Zulus at building with bricks and mortar.

The Heliotrope Suite is one of Hartford House's incomparably-styled luxury suites with underfloor heating, heated towel rails and a generous bathroom.  This luxury suite provides a telephone, TV (with M-Net and satellite channels) and a mini bar.

Emtonjeni Suite 12

The Emtonjeni Suite at the Hartford House in KwaZulu-Natal is one of two Pool Suites.  This incomparably-styled luxury suite with underfloor heating, heated towel rails and a generous bathroom.

This room is uniquely decorated with a fusion of colour, style and texture and is equipped with a telephone, TV (with M-Net and satellite channels) and a mini bar.

The word Emtonjeni means "at the springs" in Zulu, and this suite takes its name from its proximity to the swimming pool, and the springs.

"The Springs" was also the name of the farm in East Griqualand on which Pat Goss snr. founded his renowned racehorse breeding enterprise in the 1930's.

Gossling Suite 3

Most recently occupied by Mick and Cheryl Goss' youngest son, namely Nicholas, this suite's most famous resident from the past was Mrs. Bridget Oppenheimer, the first lady of South African racing, and arguably the First Lady of South African society.

The Gossling Suite at the Hartford House is uniquely decorated with a fusion of colour, style and texture and are equipped with a telephone, TV (with M-Net and satellite channels) and a mini bar.

Inkayezi (Morning Star) Suite 14

Perfectly positioned on a picturesque trout lake, this lakeside suite at the five star Hartford House provides uninterrupted views of the lake and a section of the farm. Each uniquely built and decorated with their own character and charm, this is the ultimate in luxury and relaxation.

The Morning Star Suite offers underfloor heating, heated towel rails and a generous bathroom.  It provides a telephone,
TV (with M-Net and satellite channels) and a mini bar.

The word Inkanyezi means the first or the evening star in Zulu, and this suite was christened in that calling by the Zulus who built it. Most of our Zulu staff come from rural environs, and almost all of them have grown up in rondavels built of mud.

Yet those that were engaged in building Inkanyezi marvelled that people of European descent should be building with materials of mud, timber and thatch, while most of our African brethren these days have embraced the materials used by Europeans.

Siyabonga (Thank You) Suite 15

Perfectly positioned on a picturesque trout lake providing uninterrupted views of the lake and a section of the farm, the Siyabonga Suite is uniquely built and decorated with its own character and charm providing the ultimate in luxury and relaxation.

Renowned for its incomparably-styled luxury suites with underfloor heating, heated towel rails and generous bathrooms.  A telephone, TV (with M-Net and satellite channels) as well as a mini bar are provided in this Suite.

In Zulu the word Siyabonga means "we are grateful" or "give thanks to", and this suite is part of the Ezulweni (meaning "in the heavens") eco extension to Hartford's own colonial styled origins. The suite was named that way by our Zulu building team once complete, as much echoing their own relief at having accomplished what was for them in the nature of something unique in architectural style, as it was for the natural beauty and ambience which the suite exudes.

Nhlanhla (Good Luck) Suite 16

Perfectly positioned on a picturesque trout lake with magnificent views of the lake and a section of the farm, the Nhlanhla Suite is uniquely built and decorated with its own character and charm.  It features underfloor heating, heated towel rails and a generous bathroom.

This exclusive lakeside suite at the Hartford House is uniquely decorated with a fusion of colour, style and texture
and is equipped with a telephone, TV (with M-Net and satellite channels) and a mini bar.

Nhlanhla is one of the Zulu language's most wonderful words. It really means "good luck", but it also conjures good fortune, happiness, largesse and all the warm feelings we get when life is kind to us. Dubbed Nhlanhla by the Zulus who brighten our lives every day at Hartford, the name recalls the feelings of our team when they first saw Nhlanhla in its finished form.

The suite radiates nature, the colours of our environment, warmth and originality, and as much as anything is a signal example of what the creative spirit can achieve from modest, locally sourced materials. The majority of the materials used in the erection of Nhlanhla were harvested off the greater Summerhill and Hartford estates, and where this was not possible, from our immediate environs.