Fodor's Expert Review Springbok Lodge and Restaurant

People come here as much for the living museum that owner extraordinaire Jopie Kotze has created as for the rest of the establishment, which originated as private homes, but it's a serviceable place to stay if you need to sleep over in Springbok. It's a family business, operated since 1947, when it was known as the Springbok Café and Private Hotel. Former tour guide Kotze's displays include a mineral collection, a photography exhibit on the Richtersveld and historic Namaqualand, and floral and landscape paintings by local artists. The mammoth operation sleeps 200 people in a variety of accommodations: rooms that sleep 2 or 3; family units that sleep 4 to 6; self-catering suites; and houses that sleep up to 13 people (note: avoid the rooms right behind the restaurant). Breakfast and dinner are available at the restaurant, and a gift, postcard, and curio shop carries a wide range of books. The restaurant (open until 10 pm nightly) has an eclectic menu that includes pizza, fish, burgers, and famous fries and milk shakes, as well as Jopie's "holy water."