I’m deeply grateful to Johan and Diana for creating this truly heartfelt space

I recently had the good fortune to attend two quite different residential events at Fynbos: the first, a week-long celebration of a dear friend’s 70th birthday and the second, a nine-day meditation retreat. The two events were just three days apart, during which time Johan and Diana hosted another group, no doubt with a completely different profile and totally different needs from either of those I attended. I’ll bet that those people felt, as we did, that the farm existed for no other purpose than to accommodate and enhance exactly whatever it was they were there to do.

I’m always astonished at how effortlessly our hosts seem to accomplish their high level of service. To provide such sensitive attention with so much genuine ease is a skill in itself, and a rare one at that. And then, of course, the surroundings are exquisite; the pool just the ticket for the summer Swartland heat; and the food out of this world.

I’m deeply grateful to Johan and Diana for creating this truly heartfelt space, and for inviting us so generously into it. But for that, I’m confident that Shambhala South Africa would still be trundling awkwardly from venue to venue, looking for one where we could relax and be ourselves at last. As it is, Fynbos fits the bill in every imaginable respect

Jennifer Woodhill