Our story · McGregor
On the 1st of April 2011, I left Italy. My mother thought it was an April fool's joke — right up until she saw the plane take off. What on earth was I looking for at the southernmost tip of Africa?
When she came to visit, she understood. Space. Vastness. A sense of freedom, of real life — and smiling faces that warm your heart from the inside. Things you don't find in a city agency, no matter how successful.
Leaving the advertising agency I had built in Italy, trading the virtual world for the 'n boer maak 'n plan lifestyle, wasn't an easy step. But it was worth the jump into cold water. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
My first chapter in South Africa was my beloved Mo & Rose in Robertson — a boutique guest house and restaurant that built a loyal following, local and international. Then life had its own plans for me, and led me to a barren piece of land in McGregor.
The Blue Cranes were already there — flying over the site, nesting up at Lords Winery in the mountains above. I would stop and watch them and think: how lucky am I? Lucky Crane Villas had its name.
"Welcome to the place where I found my dreams. It's designed for you to experience yours."
— Monika Schmalzl
Not a hotel. Not a generic rental. A place where I sat for hours on each plot — working out exactly where a villa should stand, which way it should face, how it should meet the light and the landscape. Built by someone who chose this land deliberately, and wants you to feel exactly why.
McGregor sits where the Fynbos biome meets the Karoo — one of South Africa's most biodiverse corners. The birdlife is extraordinary. Naming the villas after birds felt right: specific, local, playful.
I designed each villa as a fusion of modernity and village aesthetic — light, minimalistic interiors with a playful edge, and landscaping that doesn't impose itself but folds quietly into the fynbos. Each villa is different — a different size, a different mood, a different version of what a private retreat in McGregor can be.
The team
"There was a deep sense of thoughtfulness woven into the experience — as if the hosts had anticipated every need before we even knew we had it."
Guest · the Little Swift · 2025
Six to choose from. Each one a different reason to come to McGregor.