Don’t be fooled by the name – there’s nothing old, small, grey or timid about the Granny Mouse Country House.

It’s a great base for exploring South Africa’s picturesque Midlands, and the hotel is fun to explore too, with lots of nook-and-cranny rooms under olde-worlde style thatched roofs and wooden beams.

It’s all far newer than it looks, so the bedroom cottages have good facilities like flat-screen TVs, air conditioners, heaters and fireplaces.

Walking through the gardens from my bedroom to the main hotel, I got chatting to a gardener who gave me lots of tips on things to do in the area. But after a few days on the road my priority was a massage at the Camelot Spa, which stands in a separate building with a Jacuzzi and a steam room.

I felt wonderfully relaxed as dinnertime approached, and was made to feel perfectly welcome at my table for one in the Bistro. The pea risotto was delicious.

You can also eat upstairs in Eaves, a fine dining restaurant that offers à la carte or a 5-course tasting menu paired with wine.

Breakfast at the Bistro can be a gourmet affair too, with a continental buffet then hot dishes like eggs con carne, with poached eggs in a spicy meatball sauce under a parmesan crust.

If you walk through the bar or the bistro – or both, if you get disoriented by the plethora of corridors – you reach the terrace. That’s a lovely place to sit by one of the two swimming pools and admire the softly rolling countryside.

I was chuffed when the friendly assistant food & beverage manager Shaylene Swanepoel invited me to join a couple who had dropped in for wine tasting. The cellar doubles as another small dining room, and we enjoyed several Louisvale Estate wines that the hotel serves as house wines. With few wine retailers in the area, it’s become a popular place to buy wines-to-go from its well-curated selection.

If you’re in the area, it’s also very affordable for a pub lunch on the terrace.